[Let the People See] builds on new evidence discovered by the FBI in 2005 to present a detailed reconstruction of Till's kidnapping and killing in Mississippi ... Gorn also dives deep into a legal analysis of the transcripts of the trial ... But what's most interesting about Gorn's book is his final section, called 'Memory,' in which he traces how Till's story, which seems so well-known today, came very close to 'pass[ing] into oblivion' ... Let the People See is a timely book about the fragility of collective memory ... a vivid reminder of just how easy it is for people not to see things they'd rather not see.
...an engaging, comprehensive account of Emmett Till’s murder and its aftermath ... Till’s story is a symbol of racial inequality in the South, but there was so much more about his life, his death, and his impact that is not known. Elliott J. Gorn’s Let the People See changes that ... From illustrating racial tensions present in Mississippi to sharing the history of Till’s family multiple generations back, Gorn misses nothing ... The book’s lengthy bibliography points to immense research. Let the People See meticulously depicts the setting and the era.
... underline[s] that history is always a work in progress, as perspectives change, memories dim or crystallize, emotions cool, and new facts emerge over time ... an elegant account of Till’s life and death, the trial, and its cultural after-effects.
