This was a hard book to read. This sweet young man was killed when his life was just starting. This is a book I think all children should read to understand just what hate can do to someone. I cried while reading this book and had to stop reading when I got to Emmett leaving for Mississippi. I knew what was coming and I was not ready to have this young man die. Ms. Till-Mobley was an amazing woman. The things she did before and after her son died is just inspiring. Please read this book. ( )

On August 28, 1955, a very well liked and exceedingly well loved 14 year old young boy by the name of Emmitt Till was brutally murdered in Mississippi. Living in Chicago with his mother and family, he had not experienced the sadistic, well ingrained hated of blacks in the south and in the Mississippi Delta in particular. He convinced his mother to allow him to have a vacation with family members who lived in a rural area called Money Mississippi.

Reminding her son to say yes sir and yes mam to all whites when in the south, she had grave reservations of allowing him to leave, but still wanted to respect his wishes to visit relatives. On that fateful day in August, he innocently went to a store and bought bubble gum. Buying bubble gum cost his life. When it was said he flirted with the owner's wife and whistled, all hell broke loose. Supposedly, as a story was fabricated, he bragged that he had dated a white woman.

Later that night, white and black men came to take him away. At approximately 2 a.m. a loud banging and shouting occurred at his uncle's house as the white men systematically went from room to room until finding and dragging Emmett away. The black men remained in the background, but later were identified.

When his body was found in the Tallahatchie River , it was barely recognizable. So severely beaten, his swollen tongue and face was bloated beyond recognition. A bullet hole was in the skull, but it appeared to have been shot after he was already dead from the horrific beating.

Difficult to recognize his body, except, for his mother, who, sadly when she fought for the body to be returned to Chicago, and as she systematically looked at her little boys feet, then legs allowing her eyes to reluctantly work their way up to his face, she knew it was her boy beyond a doubt. The ring she gave him that was his father's was still on his swollen finger.

The bravery and tenacity of Emmett's mother was incredible. She demanded an open casket so that those who wanted to attend the service could witness just what was done to her innocent son. The undertaker begged her not to do this, she insisted that the world should witness the barbarity. Except for placing Emmett's eye back in the socket, the body remained as it was. Thousands walked past the casket, most weeping, some losing consciousness.

Hailed as the spark that began the Civil Rights movement, Emmett's death was not in vain. Rosa Parks is said to have thought of Emmett Till as she refused to give up her seat on the bus -- another brave action that carried blacks forward, risking their lives for their convictions and desire ofr a decent, fair life.

The trial was a farce. The white men were found innocent. The defense team even went so far as to intimate that Emmett's mother had an insurance policy and perhaps either he was killed so she could collect the insurance money, or the body found was not Emmett's.

Bravely there were black people who testified, at the risk of their lives, that they saw Emmett taken to a shed and heard "lots of licks" and terrible screams of pain. In addition, they witnessed that the white men who were accused had taken the body in a tarp, placing in in the back of a green truck.

Still, the all white, male jury rendered an innocent verdict.

The later part of the book focuses on Mamie's life after her beloved son was murdered. She made hundreds of speeches and was a powerful presence in advocating an end to the hatred and unfair system that allowed this to happen.

Mamie went on to obtain a college degree and became a teacher, changing the lives of many. It was her faith that kept her strong.

This is a powerful book.

Five stars!

The requisite stuff: Would I recommend this book? Definitely yes! I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in writings about the civil rights movement & the forces that caused the 1960s period of mass movements, demonstrations & the fight for civil & human rights in the south. I would also recommend it to anyone interested in conditions in the South during this time period...it is an eye opener.

A very good book; it is the story told by the mother of Emmett Till, the 15 year old boy from Chicago who goes to visit relatives in Mississippi and comes home in a coffin. The death of Emmett Till pretty much captured the world's attention, calling attention to the plight of African-Americans in the white supremacist South. This is the story of Emmett Till himself, his mother and her pursuit of truth & justice.

In August of 1955, Emmett Till went down to visit his uncle Moses & other relatives. He was just an average boy from Chicago; raised by his mom and grandmother, he was a nice, helpful boy who never had any problems except for a speech impediment. Never involved with the law, never said an unkind word and was genuinely liked by everyone with whom he came into contact. He begged his mom to let him go to Mississippi that summer and she let him go. The next time she saw him, he had arrived home on the City of New Orleans, the train, in a coffin, sealed with orders not to be opened. But Mamie had to know what had happened to her boy, so had the coffin opened and collapsed when she waw Emmett's remains.

It seems that Emmett had been out with his cousins & they made the fatal mistake of going to a local store in Money Mississippi where he bought bubble gum and talked to the owner's wife. This led directly to his unfortunate and uncalled-for death; but while Emmett's death caused an outrage for many, there were still those who saw it as justifiable homicide.

The book is basically told in two parts. The first part consists of Mamie's life and her life with Emmett, so that the reader gets to know both mother and son. Part one takes you to the death of Emmett Till. Part two is more about Mamie & her involvement in trying to get justice not just for her son, but for African-Americans in the south in general who were victims of civil/human rights abuses by white supremacists & segregationists.

Told in a very no-nonsense yet not strident tone, Death of Innocence is a wonderful book and one that should not be missed. I highly recommend it. ( )