Getting Away with Murder: The True Story of the Emmett Till Case

A JANE ADDAMS BOOK AWARD HONOR BOOK • An in-depth examination of the Emmett Till murder case, a hate crime that helped spark the Civil Rights Movement and continues to teach Americans about the urgent need for equal rights—updated and revised with a new chapter.

“Crowe pays powerful tribute to a boy whose untimely death spurred a national chain of events.”—Publishers Weekly

In August 1955, a group of white men kidnapped and brutally murdered a fourteen-year-old boy in the Mississippi Delta. Why? Because a white woman said he whistled at her. And the boy, Emmett Till, was Black. What’s more, Emmett’s killers were never convicted—they got away with murder.

The extreme brutality of the crime put a national spotlight on racial violence in the South. But it was the dramatic trial and speedy acquittal of Emmett’s white murderers that sparked widespread outrage that left a lasting impact on American history. Backed by careful research, Getting Away with Murder investigates the lead-up to Emmett’s murder, its unprecedented aftermath, and its significance to the civil rights movement.

This revised edition has been updated to reflect the newest information about Emmett’s life and untimely death, including recently uncovered details about his accuser’s testimony. A new chapter featuring additional photographs examines the significance of the case in the twenty-first century and grants even more insight into the ongoing legacy of Emmett Till.