Emmett Till and the Mississippi Press
Houck, Davis W. and Matthew A. Grindy. Emmett Till and the Mississippi Press.
Jackson: University Press of Mississippi,
2008. 213 pp. $40.00 (hardcover)
While the events that transpired between Emmett Till and Carolyn Bryant in a small grocery store in Money, Mississippi in August 1955 seem to be clear to us today – Till whistled at Bryant, Bryant told her husband, Roy Bryant, and then he and his brother J.W. Milam kidnapped and murdered Till – as the events unfolded across Mississippi and national newspapers days later, the facts were reported with varying accuracy. For this book, Houck and Grindy examined over seventy Mississippi newspapers and traced the evolution of the Till story from a local kidnapping to a national civil rights catalyst.
The authors take the Till case day by day, comparing newspaper stories across the state for variations, inaccuracies, and contradictions. These differences stoked the fire for white Mississippians’ attitudes about the case. For example, in one instance the Clarion-Ledger reported that Emmett’s mother Mamie Till said, “Someone is going to pay for this. The entire state of Mississippi is going to pay for this,” while the Delta Democrat-Times quoted her as saying, “The State of Mississippi will have to pay for this” (24). Out of context, the quotes were likely to inflame Mississippians; however, the authors claim that it’s likely that Mamie Till was actually referring to the $3,300 bill to bury her only child.
While it reads as a narrative, the book can also be used as a reference source, tracing the case as new facts emerge. Emmett Till and the Mississippi Press is a fascinating look at how journalism worked in 1955 and how much power the written word has. This book is recommended for public and academic libraries.
Tracy Carr Seabold
Reference Services Director
Mississippi Library Commission
Entry Filed under: Book Reviews
Posted on: August 10th, 2010
