- Paperback: 240 pages
- Publisher: Speak; Reprint edition (Dec 2003)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0142501921
- ISBN-13: 978-0142501924
- Product Dimensions: 17.2 x 11.1 x 1.5 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,313,239 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Mississippi Trial, 1955
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
What a great piece of historical fiction. When I read the review for this I knew I would like it, I love a time to kill and it reminded me of that. A great story that you can learn a bit of history from is a great way for people to learn who don't always hold info reading historical texts.
The story is based mainly on Hiram visiting his grandfather in a small town in Mississippi, a town he loves and remembers fondly. But going back as a teenager shows the town in a very different light from when he was a child. Racism and segregation are in every corner and when a young black boy is murdered Hiram finds himself in the middle of the court case and finding out truths that change his whole outlook in life and his relationships.
The beginning is slow going as it builds up the picture of Hirams family unit but this is important as it reflects hugely on the book and his character when he goes back to visit as a teenager and shows the contrast in how the town is to him now.
It doesn't go into too many nasty details but paints a very vivid and haunting picture that kept me hooked until the last page, 4out of 5 for me.
The story is based mainly on Hiram visiting his grandfather in a small town in Mississippi, a town he loves and remembers fondly. But going back as a teenager shows the town in a very different light from when he was a child. Racism and segregation are in every corner and when a young black boy is murdered Hiram finds himself in the middle of the court case and finding out truths that change his whole outlook in life and his relationships.
The beginning is slow going as it builds up the picture of Hirams family unit but this is important as it reflects hugely on the book and his character when he goes back to visit as a teenager and shows the contrast in how the town is to him now.
It doesn't go into too many nasty details but paints a very vivid and haunting picture that kept me hooked until the last page, 4out of 5 for me.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
35 reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Mississippi Trial, 1955 - An important book that everyone should read
19 Feb 2006
Format:Paperback
Mississippi Trial, 1955 is an eye-opening account of the tragic events leading up to the murder of Emmett Till, an African American boy from Chicago visiting relatives in 1950's Mississippi. This fictional story is based on true events and is told through the eyes of Hiram Hilburn, a white 16-year-old boy visiting his beloved grandfather in Mississippi for the summer. As a tentative connection forms between Hiram and Emmett, Hiram must soon face the realities around him as a local young man from Mississippi decides to viciously show Emmett his place. This initial attack triggers a chain of events that lead to the brutal murder of Emmett. As Hiram begins to see the depth of hatred and racism around him, he finally starts to understand the reasons behind the tension in the relationship between his grandfather and his civil rights-minded father. This story illustrates Hiram's inner struggle as he discovers difficult truths about the grandfather he loves, and comes face to face with the harsh and ugly realities of racism in the south. This book does a wonderful job of giving readers a glimpse into a dark part of our country's history that needs to be remembered, examined, and learned from - not forgotten. As a reader I felt like I was there is Mississippi with Hiram as he struggled with his own feelings and whether he should risk his own safety to do what he felt was right. This is an excellent book that is tough to read at times, but that shines a light on human darkness and demands that we don't look away. I highly recommend this book!
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Adults and Teens should read this one
7 Sep 2002
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks, Malcolm X, Montgomery Bus Boycott, Freedom Rides, and the March on Washington. But one name and event is often missing: Emmett Till, a fourteen-year-old black boy from Chicago who was brutally murdered, his body dumped in the Tallahatchie River, for allegedly whistling at a white woman.
Told though the eyes of Hiram Hillburn, a white teenager who has come to spend the summer with his grandfather, the reader is taken into the heart of racism at a time when the passions of the south were volatile and violent. Hiram sees changes in his beloved south, his friends, and even his grandfather; changes which make him doubt his own safety. Hiram witnesses R.C. Rydell force Emmett to eat a raw fish at knife-point. Hiram's grandfather offers no sympathy, warning that "colored boys should know better than to push themselves on white folks." After Emmett is murdered, Hiram doesn't want to stay silent, he wants the truth to be told, even if it uncovers secrets about his own family.
Discuss of racism as it stands in our country today, and what can be done to prevent it.
Told though the eyes of Hiram Hillburn, a white teenager who has come to spend the summer with his grandfather, the reader is taken into the heart of racism at a time when the passions of the south were volatile and violent. Hiram sees changes in his beloved south, his friends, and even his grandfather; changes which make him doubt his own safety. Hiram witnesses R.C. Rydell force Emmett to eat a raw fish at knife-point. Hiram's grandfather offers no sympathy, warning that "colored boys should know better than to push themselves on white folks." After Emmett is murdered, Hiram doesn't want to stay silent, he wants the truth to be told, even if it uncovers secrets about his own family.
Discuss of racism as it stands in our country today, and what can be done to prevent it.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Eye Opening...
15 Feb 2006
Format:Paperback
This is an eye opening book, one in which the author Chris Crowe takes you to the south in the 1950's when hate and fear were the norm. This book takes the reader through the tragic events that lead to the horrific murder of African American teen Emmitt Till as seen from Hiram's point of view. Hiram, a teen himself, comes back to live with his grandfather in Mississippi for the summer, only to learn that the place and people he loved most are racist- just what his father has been warning him about all along. Now Hiram is beginning to experience and appreciate his father's point of view first hand.
This novel is the perfect example of why traditional text books just aren't cutting it in today's classrooms. This is because Mississippi Trial-1955 is retelling a part of our history (unknown to many) in an interesting and very real way, unlike the dry and often "hand selected" pieces of history that go into mass produced texts overflowing with massively misleading and forgotten yet important details of our history . I highly encourage the use of quality historical fiction in all Social Studies/History classrooms especially Mississippi Trial-1955 by Chris Crowe.
This novel is the perfect example of why traditional text books just aren't cutting it in today's classrooms. This is because Mississippi Trial-1955 is retelling a part of our history (unknown to many) in an interesting and very real way, unlike the dry and often "hand selected" pieces of history that go into mass produced texts overflowing with massively misleading and forgotten yet important details of our history . I highly encourage the use of quality historical fiction in all Social Studies/History classrooms especially Mississippi Trial-1955 by Chris Crowe.
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