The Blood of Emmett Till

 Book 35 of my 2021 Reading Challenge

The Blood of Emmett Till

by Timothy B. Tyson

Summary (via the book jacket)

published 2017

In1955, white men in the Mississippi Delta lunched a fourteen-year-old from Chicago named Emmett Till. His murder was part of a wave of white terrorism in the wake of the 1954 Supreme Court decision that declared public school segregation unconstitutional.

The national coalition organized to protest the Till lynching became the foundation of the modern civil rights movement. Only weeks later, Rosa Parks thought about young Emmett as she refused to move to the back of a city bus in Montgomery, Alabama. Five years later, the Emmett Till generation, forever marked by the vicious killing of a boy their own age, launched sit-in campaigns that turned the struggle into a mass movement. "I can hear the blood of Emmett Till as it calls from the ground," shouted a black preacher in Albany, Georgia.

But what actually happened to Emmett Till - not the icon of injustice but the flesh-and-blood boy? Part detective story, part political history, Timothy Tyson's The Blood of Emmett Till draws on a wealth of new evidence, including the only interview given by Carolyn Bryant, the white woman in whose name Till was killed. Tyson's gripping narrative upends what we thought we knew about the most notorious racial crime in American history. 

First Impressions/Judging a Book by Its Cover

This book has been on my 'to-read' list since a friend gave it 5 stars in 2017.  

The cover is stark and black and I notice that Emmett Till's name is the largest text of the title - it takes up half of the front cover.  Looking at the description, that seems intentional because everyone knows about his death but few know about his life.

My Opinion

4 stars

There was a lot going on, especially with the trial for George Floyd's murder, while I was reading this.  I admit I definitely considered just returning this book to the library because I felt overwhelmed but then I realized choosing when to pay attention is a privilege and I can't call myself an ally if I'm also an ostrich.  That being said, I did take a break though, focusing more on current news than the past.  

I'm not saying I'm going above and beyond by reading this book, I'm just recognizing where I'm at and trying harder to witness and listen to the stories of those around me.

The author does a good job of giving platforms to both sides while gently pushing back on ideas that may now seem sunnier with time.  There are many reasons 'separate but equal' wasn't working and glamorizing the "good old days" is harmful to pretty much everyone but white men...those days weren't better than now for anyone else.

There were two aspects covered in the book that I definitely don't hear enough about and will research further.  One was the global effects and how other countries responded to America's civil rights issues.  The other was how easy it is, especially now looking back, for Northerners to lambast Southerners without examining themselves at all; minorities were/are struggling in the Northern states too.  

Quote from the Book

"White mobs lynched thousands of African Americans - even children occasionally - but it is Emmett Till's blood that indelibly marks a before and after. His lynching, his mother's decision to open the casket to the world, and the trial of Milam and Bryant spun the country, and arguably the world, in a different direction."

First Grave on the Right

 Book 34 of my 2021 Reading Challenge

First Grave on the Right

by Darynda Jones

Summary

book 1 of the Charley Davidson series

published 2011

Charley Davidson is a part-time private investigator and full-time grim reaper. Meaning, she sees dead people. Really. And it's her job to convince them to "go into the light." But when these very dead people have died under less than ideal circumstances (like murder), sometimes they want Charley to bring the bad guys to justice. Complicating matters are the intensely hot dreams she's been having about an entity who has been following her all her life...and it turns out he might not be dead after all. In fact, he might be something else entirely. But what does he want with Charley? And why can't she seem to resist him? And what does she have to lose by giving in?

First Impressions/Judging a Book by Its Cover

No first impression because I've already read this book.  I gave it 4 stars on Goodreads when I read it in December 2012.  I rarely re-read books but I want to continue this series and it's been so long ago that I don't remember much about what I'd already read so I decided to start over.  

My Opinion

3 stars

One of the things I like most about this series is that Charley is already somewhat familiar with her powers so it's not as "fish out of water" as other first books in a series would be.  Although she doesn't know everything, that's mostly because she doesn't have anyone else with her abilities that she can talk to; as she finds people she can trust she opens up and learns more about herself as she shares with others.

Although it is a little jumbled and sometimes the jokes are too much, like she's trying too hard to be quirky, I like the main characters and her attitude.  I will continue the series, both re-reading the ones I've already read and moving on to the ones I haven't.

Original Review (December 2012)

Mystery with a supernatural theme, but very unique. First book in a series, and I'm interested to see where these characters go.

Forget Me Not

 Book 33 of my 2021 Reading Challenge

Forget Me Not

by Alix Garin

Summary (via Goodreads)

published 2021

When Clémence, a student and actress struggling with personal issues, sees how miserable her grandmother is in her nursing home, she decides to break her out and take her on a road trip to the coast so she can see her childhood home one last time. But traveling with a senior with Alzheimer’s Disease comes with a fair amount of challenges, and the journey is fraught with highs, lows, and near misses. Still, it’s a chance for the two women to reconnect, with each other and with themselves, and it’s a chance for Clémence to give Grammy the gift of one last thrilling and joyful experience.

First Impressions/Judging a Book by Its Cover

I picked this book while browsing on NetGalley (full disclaimer below).  The combination of memoir and graphic novel is something I'll pick up almost every time.  The illustrations accompanying a personal story, especially when the illustrator is also the author, adds a level to the storytelling.  Although the description of this book sounds interesting, the actual plot isn't what draws me into a memoir/biography.  I just want to witness people's lives.

When downloading an electronic copy, I'm not always sure if the illustrations will come through completely so hopefully I can get the full experience.

My Opinion

3 stars

**I received an electronic copy of this book via NetGalley and would like to thank the author and/or publisher for the opportunity to read and honestly review it**

I read this graphic novel in one sitting.  It's not really something I can review because it's more about the emotions and experience reading it.

As noted above, sometimes illustrations can be tricky on an electronic copy so I was a little concerned before starting.  Happily, this was not an issue in this book which made all the difference in reading it.  I especially liked the various illustrations focusing on their hands throughout the story; it was vulnerable and close and showed an attention to detail and imperfections (like picking her nails when stressed).

The plot itself was a little outlandish but taking one last adventure with a grandparent is something most of us can relate to.

Hunting Unicorns

 Book 32 of my 2021 Reading Challenge

Hunting Unicorns

by Bella Pollen

Summary (via the book jacket)

published 2003

Adrift in a rapidly changing world, the Bevan family cling to tradition while wrestling with taxes, tree blight and the need to keep the family skeleton firmly in the cupboard.

The Earl and Countess of Bevan - charming, mad and emotionally abbreviated.

Daniel, their eldest son - funny, intelligent, but a hopeless alcoholic.

Rory, his younger brother - sometimes moody, often cross, but mostly furious.

Enter Maggie, an opinionated and occasionally ferocious American journalist for CBS's hard-hitting current affairs show Newsline. Far happier sending back dispatches from the trenches of war-torn anywhere, Maggie is none too pleased at being forced to research a documentary on the decline and fall of England's upper classes.

When these two worlds collide no one is prepared for the fallout.

First Impressions/Judging a Book by Its Cover

I received this book as part of my "book and chocolate" subscription.  The book arrived with a bookmark, Chocolate and Love hazelnut milk chocolate, Prestige speculoos, and VanHouten hot chocolate.

Based on the description I'm expecting a family drama but it appears there could be a little tongue-in-cheek aspect as well since the blurbs include "romantic comedy" but also "brooding".  The cover art of an old-time photo of two boys with an added halo over one of them adds to my assumption that there will be a "good son/black sheep" dynamic.

My Opinion

2 stars

My assumption of the cover art was correct about the "dutiful son/black sheep" brother dynamic but after reading the book there is also an extra layer to the halo.  One of the brothers is deceased (but has sections of the book from the afterlife so this is not a spoiler).

I didn't really like this book so I'm giving it 2 stars but I could see why someone else might like it and I didn't rage-hate it (which is my criteria for 1 star).  I'm not very familiar with lineage of aristocrats so I know I didn't get all the references and that's not the author's fault.  However, my main issue with the book was the overall mocking tone.  I don't like it when the people being made fun of aren't in on the joke, especially when the subjects are older people being derided for their difficulty to adapt.  It was disrespectful and not funny when they were in people's homes ruining their stuff and going places they weren't supposed to.  And the reveal of the big family secret was weird.  It's either so big a secret that it's a big deal or it's so small a secret that nothing changed when it was revealed, it can't be both in the same story.

So this book wasn't for me but I'm going to donate it in the hopes that someone else will find it and enjoy it more.