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Death of Innocence : The Story of the Hate Crime That Changed America

Death of Innocence : The Story of the Hate Crime That Changed America

List Price: $24.95
Your Price: $15.72
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A Riveting Story Told By A Fascinating Woman
Review: Mamie Till Mobley lost her only son, 14 year-old Emmett Till, to a hate crime in Money, Mississippi, on August 28, 1955. She was denied justice in a farcical trial in which the boy's murderers were set free. As much as it is the story of Emmett Till, it is also the story of a determined mother to dedicate the remainder of her life in supporting the civil rights movement, and as a teacher in the Chicago Public Schools. She is a shining example of what we all should be, a positive influence on those we come into contact. She didn't spend her life in bitterness at her son's killers. She only hoped they would repent of their crime (they didn't), because their final Judge would not be a jury from the state of Mississippi. The killers found their so-called supporters had drifted away from them, because of the negative attention this crime brought to the area. Their business was boycotted by blacks, and their wives left them. Emmett Till was a sacrificial lamb that started the Civil Rights Movement in the United States, and the subsequent contributions of his mother in touching the lives of those she came in contact with is something that can't be measured. The winners in this story are a mother, a child, and the country's awareness of the need for civil rights for all citizens, while the losers are the boy's killers. There is much to learn in this book, and Mamie Till Mobley continues to teach others through this book even though she passed from this world on January 6, 2003. I did find a date mistake listed twice. On page 121 the initial incident at the grocery store in Money, Mississippi, is listed as Wednesday, August 20th. It has to be August 24th, because Emmett Till left Chicago for Mississippi on Saturday, August 20th. This mistake is repeated in the pictures. The date is later corrected to Wednesday, August 24th, on pages 185 and 261. Although it is difficult to wonder how these mistakes slipped through a proofreader, in no way does it detract from the book.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A Mother's Pain
Review: Superbly written! The late Mrs. Till-Mobey had quite a voice for writing, at times I felt like I was reading fiction... but the story and the pain is quite real.
Emmett... one of hundreds of thousands of Black Americans who became a victim of America's terrorism both in the streets and n the courtroom.
I was livid as Mrs. Mobley recounted the events that surrounded her son's murder. It set my mind racing about the work America still has to do to mend the hearts and minds of many of it's native people.
This is an important literary piece.. I wish that it had been released under more promotion... and I am glad I picked it up.
I advise anyone who cares about this country and who isn't afraid to read about the TRUTH should purchase this one.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: An American Portrait
Review: This act of terrorism, committed by Americans, against an American, occurred less than fifty years ago. Some of the people who were involved in the kidnapping, brutal beating, shooting and the tying of this fourteen year old child to a huge gin fan and throwing his body into the Tallahatchie River, may still be alive today...
I enjoyed Rev. Jesse Jackson 's rousing, sermon-styled introduction which leads you into the story. It gradually, becomes clear why Mrs. Till-Mobley felt it necessary to include a detailed story of her son's life. I think it was important to her that the reader pay special attention to how he was treated by his family. It's more than obvious that Alma Gaines (Emmett's maternal grandmother) instilled in them the belief that every life has value, that there are none so special to enjoy "preferential, common dignities". I suspect, in that day, they were considered "uppity" because they dared consider themselves just as good. They simply took the words from American doctrine and, rightfully, made them their own. They understood, more profoundly than many, then and today, that American privilege is not supposed to be about color, but about the implication of democracy, and that as human beings, we are all endowed with a fundamental right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It's unfortunate and destructive, how some Americans feel privileged on the basis of their skin color. This ideal not only divides us among other countries it's also eating away at us from within.
If you are of the "unspoken, privileged class" of America, for a moment, try to reduce your "rights" to a fundamental level. You'll then be closer to a reality that Emmett could have been your son, nephew, grandson, uncle, brother or husband - this is the African American experience. Perhaps the most frightening truth is that America isn't so far removed from this event, socially, where we can say it couldn't happen today.
(...)Had Emmett not taken his father's ring on his trip to Mississippi, and been showing it off to everyone he'd met there (a seed of evidence for things unseen) they wouldn't have been able to identify his body. So, to the local authorities, it would have just been another insignificant Black body found floating in the Tallahatchie River. It may seem that all Mamie Till instilled in her son, including the method for taming his stutter, led to his unfortunate demise, but the river runs much deeper. Emmett's story is more than the act committed against him. His death brought about a consciousness raising that would change American history forever.
Pages 132 -137 tell the gruesome, and sorrowful, story of her ordeal identifying Emmett's body. I found it disturbing, being a parent, yet I had to re-read it several times to try and make sense of what could drive human beings to commit such a crime. I recommend you obtain a copy of this book, if only to read these four pages and I guaranty they will quell your innocence forever and perhaps change your entire worldview.
The story of Emmett Till deserves to be petitioned into our history books because it is, without question, a raw portrait of our America. No one can decry this story. It can't be discounted as an untruth fabricated by a self-promoting charlatan. That his murder did occur, under these circumstances, can never be doubted.
Christopher Benson sums up Mother Mobley's character eloquently. He writes that though she may have retired from teaching years ago, that was just "an administrative detail". She continued to teach far beyond her retirement, and she still does. There are lessons here about humanity, bravery, cowardice, love, and of course the evils we can be driven to out of hate and fear all doused with select pearls of wisdom on the intricacies of parenthood. You'll bear witness to a spiritual journey as she "walks through" her grief, on to understanding that the meaning of our lives sometimes paints a larger picture than we could have ever imagined.
I'm grateful that she did finally get to share her story. I can't help but feel honored to have read it.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: An American Portrait
Review: This act of terrorism, committed by Americans, against an American, occurred less than fifty years ago. Some of the people who were involved in the kidnapping, brutal beating, shooting and the tying of this fourteen year old child to a huge gin fan and throwing his body into the Tallahatchie River, may still be alive today...
I enjoyed Rev. Jesse Jackson 's rousing, sermon-styled introduction which leads you into the story. It gradually, becomes clear why Mrs. Till-Mobley felt it necessary to include a detailed story of her son's life. I think it was important to her that the reader pay special attention to how he was treated by his family. It's more than obvious that Alma Gaines (Emmett's maternal grandmother) instilled in them the belief that every life has value, that there are none so special to enjoy "preferential, common dignities". I suspect, in that day, they were considered "uppity" because they dared consider themselves just as good. They simply took the words from American doctrine and, rightfully, made them their own. They understood, more profoundly than many, then and today, that American privilege is not supposed to be about color, but about the implication of democracy, and that as human beings, we are all endowed with a fundamental right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It's unfortunate and destructive, how some Americans feel privileged on the basis of their skin color. This ideal not only divides us among other countries it's also eating away at us from within.
If you are of the "unspoken, privileged class" of America, for a moment, try to reduce your "rights" to a fundamental level. You'll then be closer to a reality that Emmett could have been your son, nephew, grandson, uncle, brother or husband - this is the African American experience. Perhaps the most frightening truth is that America isn't so far removed from this event, socially, where we can say it couldn't happen today.
(...)Had Emmett not taken his father's ring on his trip to Mississippi, and been showing it off to everyone he'd met there (a seed of evidence for things unseen) they wouldn't have been able to identify his body. So, to the local authorities, it would have just been another insignificant Black body found floating in the Tallahatchie River. It may seem that all Mamie Till instilled in her son, including the method for taming his stutter, led to his unfortunate demise, but the river runs much deeper. Emmett's story is more than the act committed against him. His death brought about a consciousness raising that would change American history forever.
Pages 132 -137 tell the gruesome, and sorrowful, story of her ordeal identifying Emmett's body. I found it disturbing, being a parent, yet I had to re-read it several times to try and make sense of what could drive human beings to commit such a crime. I recommend you obtain a copy of this book, if only to read these four pages and I guaranty they will quell your innocence forever and perhaps change your entire worldview.
The story of Emmett Till deserves to be petitioned into our history books because it is, without question, a raw portrait of our America. No one can decry this story. It can't be discounted as an untruth fabricated by a self-promoting charlatan. That his murder did occur, under these circumstances, can never be doubted.
Christopher Benson sums up Mother Mobley's character eloquently. He writes that though she may have retired from teaching years ago, that was just "an administrative detail". She continued to teach far beyond her retirement, and she still does. There are lessons here about humanity, bravery, cowardice, love, and of course the evils we can be driven to out of hate and fear all doused with select pearls of wisdom on the intricacies of parenthood. You'll bear witness to a spiritual journey as she "walks through" her grief, on to understanding that the meaning of our lives sometimes paints a larger picture than we could have ever imagined.
I'm grateful that she did finally get to share her story. I can't help but feel honored to have read it.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Intense and thought provoking
Review: This was one of the best books I have ever read. Mamie Till-Mobley was a phenomenal woman who displayed courage, strength, faith, and love through the worst tragedy a parent can face. I was deeply honored to have gotten to know what Emmett was like as a young boy growing up. He truly was a wonderful young man who would have grown up to be an amazing man if he had only gotten the chance. Through her book, Mrs. Till-Mobley has taught me to truly appreciate family and to always have faith. This is a must read book for all, but especially for White Americans, who have the privilege to go about their everyday lives, never thinking about or experiencing acts of hatred and racism.


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