Review: Simeon's Story (Wright)

Title: Simeon's Story: an eyewitness account of the kidnapping of Emmett Till
Author: Wright
Genre: Non-fiction, Biography, Crimes
Pages: 176
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars!

I have read many books about the kidnapping and murder of Emmett Till, the 14-year-old black boy from Chicago whose body was battered beyond recognition and dumped in the Tallahatchie River while visiting relatives in Money, Mississippi, in 1955. Till's crime? He whistled at a white woman. This crime was often an overlooked crime because Till was African American. Though his murderers were never brought to justice, the crime has received much attention in recent years.

This account of the tragedy is told by the boy's cousin, Simeon Wright, who was with Emmett on the fateful day and was sleeping in the same room when white men came to take him away in the middle of the night. Simeon's story is a page-turner and will definitely be highlighted on my list of Summer Reading suggestions.