Wright Thompson’s New Book About Emmett Till Is a Must-Read

Biscuits & Jam

Meredith Corporation

Music Interviews, Arts, Food, Music

4.8 • 608 Ratings

🗓️ 25 March 2025

⏱️ 44 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Wright Thompson grew up in Clarksdale, Mississippi, before going on to write for ESPN, The Atlantic, and the New York Times, among other publications. In 2018, he created the travel documentary show, TrueSouth, which is now in its 8th season on the SEC Network; and in 2020, he came out with a terrific book called Pappyland: A Story of Family, Fine Bourbon, and the Things That Last. Wright’s latest book, The Barn: The Secret History of a Murder in Mississippi, examines the lasting impact and legacy of the Emmett Till murder, as well as the extraordinary efforts by some to obscure or distort the facts. It’s one of the best books I’ve read in a long time, incredibly well researched and reported, and told with the insights that only a Mississippian could bring to the story. Sid talks to Wright about the remarkable journey of Emmett Till’s cousin, Wheeler Parker, who was there the night of the abduction; the strong connection between the Mississippi Delta and Chicago; and why it took so many decades for the secrets of this horrendous crime to come to light. For more info visit: southernliving.com/biscuitsandjam Biscuits & Jam is produced by: Sid Evans - Editor-in-Chief, Southern Living Krissy Tiglias - GM, Southern Living Lottie Leymarie - Executive Producer Michael Onufrak - Audio Engineer & Editor/Producer Jeremiah McVay - Producer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	You've reached the final level.
0:02.4	The spicy McNuggets side mission.
0:05.3	Maximum flavour, crispy crunch, and a spicy dip with a kick.
0:09.6	Are you ready?
0:11.7	Spicey McNuggets for a limited time only.
0:14.9	Until the night of September 25, fees apply to delivery.
0:17.3	Participation and price may vary.
0:18.5	Subject to availability, serving time supply.
0:26.6	Hey, all. Apply to Delivery. Participation and price may vary. Subject to availability, serving time supply. Hey y'all, welcome to Biscuits and Jam from Southern Living. I'm your host, Sid Evans, and in this episode I'm talking with a Mississippi-Delton native
0:32.6	whose recent book explores one of the most infamous and horrible crimes in the history of the South.
0:38.7	Wright Thompson grew up in Clarksdale, Mississippi, before going on to write for ESPN,
0:44.2	the Atlantic, and the New York Times, among other publications. In 2018, he created the travel
0:50.0	documentary show True South, which is now in its eighth season on the SEC Network.
0:55.3	And in 2020, he came out with a terrific book called Pappyland, a story of family, fine bourbon,
1:01.8	and The Things That Last.
1:04.0	Writes latest book, The Barn, The Secret History of a Murder in Mississippi,
1:08.9	examines the lasting impact of the brutal murder of 14-year-old
1:13.2	Emmett Till in 1955, as well as the extraordinary efforts by some to obscure or distort the facts.
1:21.3	It's one of the best things I've read in a long time, incredibly well researched and reported
1:26.5	and told with the insights that only a
1:29.4	Mississippian could bring to the story. We'll discuss all that, plus the remarkable journey
1:34.8	of Emmett Till's cousin, Wheeler Parker, who was there the night of the abduction, the strong
	...

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