The Barn

The Secret History of a Murder in Mississippi

By: Wright Thompson

Narrated by: Wright Thompson

The instant New York Times bestseller • Named a Best Book of the Year by The Washington Post, Slate, Vanity Fair, TIME, Buzzfeed, Smithsonian, BookPage, KCUR, Kirkus, and Boston Globe • Nominated for a PEN America Literary Award

“It literally changed my outlook on the world…incredible.” —Shonda Rhimes

"The Barn is serious history and skillful journalism, but with the nuance and wallop of a finely wrought novel… The Barn describes not just the poison of silence and lies, but also the dignity of courage and truth.” — The Washington Post

“The most brutal, layered, and absolutely beautiful book about Mississippi, and really how the world conspired with the best and worst parts of Mississippi, I will ever read…Reporting and reckoning can get no better, or more important, than this.” —Kiese Laymon

“An incredible history of a crime that changed America.” —John Grisham

A shocking and revelatory account of the murder of Emmett Till that lays bare how forces from around the world converged on the Mississippi Delta in the long lead-up to the crime, and how the truth was erased for so long

Wright Thompson’s family farm in Mississippi is 23 miles from the site of one of the most notorious and consequential killings in American history, yet he had to leave the state for college before he learned the first thing about it. To this day, fundamental truths about the crime are widely unknown, including where it took place and how many people were involved. This is no accident: the cover-up began at once, and it is ongoing.

In August 1955, two men, Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam, were charged with the torture and murder of the 14-year-old Emmett Till in Money, Mississippi. After their inevitable acquittal in a mockery of justice, they gave a false confession to a journalist, which was misleading about where the long night of hell took place and who was involved. In fact, Wright Thompson reveals, at least eight people can be placed at the scene, which was inside the barn of one of the killers, on a plot of land within the six-square-mile grid whose official name is Township 22 North, Range 4 West, Section 2, West Half, fabled in the Delta of myth as the birthplace of the blues on nearby Dockery Plantation.

Even in the context of the racist caste regime of the time, the four-hour torture and murder of a Black boy barely in his teens for whistling at a young white woman was acutely depraved; Till’s mother Mamie Till-Mobley’s decision to keep the casket open seared the crime indelibly into American consciousness. Wright Thompson has a deep understanding of this story—the world of the families of both Emmett Till and his killers, and all the forces that aligned to place them together on that spot on the map. As he shows, the full horror of the crime was its inevitability, and how much about it we still need to understand. Ultimately this is a story about property, and money, and power, and white supremacy. It implicates all of us. In The Barn, Thompson brings to life the small group of dedicated people who have been engaged in the hard, fearful business of bringing the truth to light. Putting the killing floor of the barn on the map of Township 22 North, Range 4 West, Section 2, West Half, and the Delta, and America, is a way of mapping the road this country must travel if we are to heal our oldest, deepest wound.

©2024 Wright Thompson (P)2024 Penguin Audio

Increíble.

Hands down the best book on Emmett Till, Mississippi and race in America. I highly recommend.

Very sad story

I am truly shocked at the cold, cruel actions these grown men took against this child, Emmit Till. This poor, innocent child did not deserve in any, way, shape, or form this kind of horrible, horrific, tragic treatment. Regardless of skin color, no one deserves to have their life taken in such an inhumane manner. I am sickened by the actions that these men and women. This should never have happened and I pray never happens again.

Fascinatingly detailed telling

Wright Thompson does an extraordinary job of telling the Emmett Till story in The Barn. I had never heard of Emmett Till before listening to Mr Thompson read his boom to me. I felt, as I listened, as though I were a spectator to this story taking place in 1955. The details used by the author transports the listener to the delta in Mississippi as though the story was happening for the first time.

Excellent. Horrifying. True. Necessary.

We all need to hear these words. So we can see what we have done and what we still need to do.

Our His Story is our story

The illustration that this story of a murder of a young boy was the story of this country. Our history is intertwined with Emmett’s story. He is us and we are him.

The aligning of so many important dates throughout history.

This is an excellent book! I’ve known the story of Emmett Till, but never with such detail. The writer did a great job of paralleling other significant historical moments with everything that happened surrounding the murder of Emmett Till! Learning about it this way gives the reader a better understanding of the surrounding factors that allowed for this murder to be covered up.

So interesting

Honestly, I wish I actually read vs listened to this book. There were soooo many details, facts, figures and people’s names. I know I missed so much, but regardless, it was a fascinating and heartbreaking book.

The history of Mississippi..The history of Emmett

I loved the entire book..I especially loved the author finding the truth that transformed his soul and opened his eyes as a young man....and being brave enough to tell it.

An Event I Never Knew About Until Now

In some ways, this book confirmed my thoughts that what I was taught during my school years (70s-80s) left so many significant events out. It triggers my views today on education and access to books. And while I see some very small progress with respect to racism and discrimination at times, it makes me angry, sad and frustrated at where we are still today. I’m sorry for the many generations negatively impacted by the horrible times when own my ancestors acted as God deciding the white race was somehow supreme. I appreciate the authors presentation of research and facts that were wrongly destroyed and buried. I am humbled by the author’s accountability and purpose to make this story available for all to know the truth. In some ways, the karma that followed many of the perpetrators provides some shameful delightful feeling but in reality it wasn’t strong enough punishment for the crimes and horrors they committed.

Earth shattering

Thank you, Wright Thompson for bringing this truth to light and for reading it yourself!! There really are no words for the impact this revealing work on Emmett Till has had on me. Friends and family are weary with me talking about it but all are either reading or listening for themselves. Your honest and transparent and critical rendering should become essential in every MS school, college and or university.