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

“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

"With integrity, and soul, Thompson unearths the terrible how and why, carrying us back and forth through time, deep in Mississippi—baring, sweat, soil, and heart all the way through.”—Imani Perry

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

Critic reviews

"The other book I thought of when I read James was Wright Thompson’s The Barn (which I took on a flight to Brazil and back), because The Barn is about Emmett Till and Emmett Till and Huck Finn were the same age. Both books are the story of America–its hope and its evil, its land and its people, its potential and its horrific past. Wright is one of my favorite writers and thinkers (here’s his episode on The Daily Stoic Podcast about the book) but this book is an essential contribution to American history. I think everyone needs to read James and The Barn this year."—Ryan Holiday

“To say Wright Thompson’s latest book is about Emmett Till’s murder would be to undersell its scope and the author’s ambition . . . The Barn is a sensitive, deeply reported book that will make you reconsider everything you thought you knew about Till’s lynching and its place in American history.”—TIME, 100 Must-Read Books of the Year

“[Thompson’s] extraordinary new book The Barn is not only an intimate history of the tragedy, but also a deep meditation on Mississippi and America . . . While sifting through the dirt that buried the facts about Till’s death, Thompson credits the work of the historians, journalists and filmmakers who have sought to tell the true tale. But he crafts a wider, deeper narrative. 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

A must read, lest we repeat our past

Like the author, I didn't know what I didn't know (as all public school educated kids were unaware how recent Brown v BOE was, and that the "before Brown times" were a long era bordering on epoch. This was 1970 America and there were just thenaround 5 girls and boys in my class.

The Barn

The way the author wove the history of the land, the cultural aspects of the Delta with the murder story. It helped to explain so much.

It’s a story about citizenship

Thank you to the author for this brave and beautiful ode to an American boy.

Fantastic

I loved the way the way it went through history. I feel like I was educated and entertained.

An excellent history lesson

The history is very detailed and interesting and compelling surrounding an incident and time of life all Americans should be aware of.

what a great truth reveal!

So much to take in. The authenticity of the author and his connection. His research and telling is impeccable. His attempt to put the listener into a place of wanting to see everything he is revealing, is remarkable. And the urge I feel to check out the national monuments that were created to not forget what happened. I hope I can do that someday.

Thank you for keeping the story alive.

I had heard the story of Emmett Till many times growing up in my history classes, but… this book made it so much more real and personal. There is so much that we were never taught, and this book really lets you see the people behind the legend of Emmett Till. I hope we as a nation never forget this…

A story everyone needs to read

Anyone who thinks the civil war was a fight for states rights or questions the timing of the appearance of private schools in 60s needs to read this book

Context

There's nothing virtual about Mississippi, it's all real, so watch out! When it comes to Mississippi you can go away but you can never get away

Wonderful intelligent writer

The author has given us a gift of feeling as if I sat on my grandmother’s porch listening to the story while getting a breath of history I’ve never heard before. The gift connected the dots of time that enlightened, convicted, and encouraged me to never forget, while seeking the beloved community.