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Focusing on the Emmitt Till trial, Chris Crowe explores racial tensions and attitudes during the Civil Rights era in his book Mississippi Trial, 1955. Set in the 1950's deep south, readers are introduced to Hiram Hillburn, a white teenager. As a child, Hiram is torn between his liberal minded father and his grandfather who is prejudiced. A visit to his grandfather's home as a teenager proves to be a life altering experience for Hiram. He meets Emmitt Till and attends the trial. Initially, Hiram assumes a childhood friend participated in the Till lynching, however in a surprising twist, readers learn his grandfather assisted with the crime.
Crowe's account of the deep south gives this fictionalized story a high level of realism and authenticity. The description of the events surrounding the trial are raw, vivid, and filled with accurately potrayed emotion. Mississippi Trial, 1955 includes gruesome gut-wrenching accounts of Emmitt Till's fate and exposes young readers to a tragedy that shocked our nation. This novel should be featured in every high school history class in the country.
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