Mr. Wolford's Score: **** 1/2
Title: "Mississippi Trial, 1955"
Author: Chris Crowe
Genre: Historical Fiction
Intended Audience: Early-High School Teenagers
Publisher: Speak
Selected Quote: "Dad noticed my grin, and when Mom left the room, he said, 'You think you won something big, don't you? Well, you're going to find out I know some things you don't. Greenwood's not going to be what you expect, Hiram. You're older now, you'll see. And I'm sorry for what you'll see.'"
Summary
In 1955, Arizona 16-year-old Hiram Hillburn has the opportunity to finally do what he's dreamed of for eight long years: he has the opportunity to return to his birthplace of Greenwood, Alabama to visit his ailing grandfather. As he steps off the train, expecting to rekindle relationships with friends R.C. Rydell and perhaps even develop a romance with R.C.'s sister Naomi, he runs into a fellow visitor to Greenwood coming to visit his family: Emmet Till. Although Hiram and Emmet quickly develop a friendly relationship with one another, Hiram soon becomes witness to the racial animosities of the south - seeing Emmet be brutally bullied by R.C. and eventually being confronted with the tough decision to testify on Emmet's behalf. As he deals with his decision, he comes to witness that even his loving grandfather is not as friendly as he remembered....
Analysis
When reflecting on my experience reading Crowe's book, there's a lot to be admired by it. While there are some questions I would like to ask Crowe about the novel (including the subtle connections to Crowe's Mormon faith as noted by the name of the protagonist and Hiram's father's decision to relocate the family from the South to the intermountain west), overall I can't help but feel that he did a good job discussing the theme of racism from an outsider perspective while also developing characters that are both appealing to a young adult audience while also complex.
In regards to theme, Crowe did a great job communicating the theme of racism in the Civil Rights era South for an audience who isn't directly impacted by it. Much like Hiram, many who might read this may initially have an idyllic sense of American history - recognizing some problems but not allowing those problems to fully manifest themselves. However, much like Hiram, as the reader continues to read, they are soon confronted with not only the overt, but also the subtle racism that was prominent in the South during this time period. While it's clear when looking at R.C.'s constant use of the n-word and his decision to "[grab] Emmit in a headlock" when Emmit wanted some lunch that racism was quite overt in Greenwood society, when looking at Hiram's grandfather's talk of the dangers of integration and the eventual verdict of the Till case, there was a lot about racism in Greenwood which one could only see if they were paying careful attention.
One other thing I enjoyed particularly about this novel was the character development of many of the major characters. Perhaps the greatest example of this was the development of Hiram. Although we first see Hiram reminisce about his cherished childhood memories of Greenwood and his blind excitement about returning for the simple fact that he "was going back to Greenwood... and to Grandpa," as the book continues on, we begin seeing the joy he had for Greenwood (and even for his Grandpa) slowly vanish. In fact, by the end of the story, much like the quote foreshadowed in the beginning, Hiram soon came to realize that his cherished home might not be as innocent as he thought and, for his grandfather, while he loved him at the beginning, as the plot moved towards, we see him at the end conflicted - wanting to still love him, but nevertheless "working on it."
In the end, I would definitely recommend this book for anyone who is interested in the Civil Rights Era, the Emmet Till murder, or even those interested in understanding some of the underpinnings of racial conflict that is still present even today. This would be perfect for people who enjoy books like Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird, but want something designed more for a Young Adult audience. In short...
