Book Review: Wright Thompson exposes deep racist roots of the Mississippi Delta in ‘The Barn’

Wright Thompson travels back to his native Mississippi to examine the place where Emmett Till was murdered for his new book “The Barn.” Till’s death and open casket will be familiar to readers for helping inspire the Civil Rights movement, but Associated Press reviewer Rob Merrill writes that Thompson builds “on the reporting of others to tell Till’s story” and uses “the barn as a jumping off point to explore the racist history of the Mississippi Delta.” He pauses to consider his personal history and the collective effort required to cover up details of Till’s story in this country’s stubborn refusal to confront its racist origins.