Customer Reviews

Ghosts of Mississippi: The Murder of Medgar Evers, the Trials of Byron De La Beckwith, and the Haunting of the New South

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In the literature of the civil rights movement, Ghosts of Mississippi, stands out like a jewel! Maryanne Vollers brings vast insight and a fine writer's eye to and agonizing and shameful event in American histoy--the murder of civil rights activist Medgar Evers and the three trials it took to convict his killer. There is great sadness in this story but also the hard glint of hope, as Vollers chronicles the love and hope that a few dedicated inviduals--black and white--carried in their hearts in the long struggle to see that justice was done, for the family and friends of Medgar Evers, and for all Americans. Kudos to Ms. Vollers!

I got the paperbound edition of this book on the advice of a friend who, like me, had been disappointed by the film that borrowed its title (but not its content). The book is so gripping, and knot-in-the-stomach good, both as a work of journalism and true-life suspense. The sticker on my copy sez "Ghosts of Mississippi" was a National Book Award Finalist. Hey, it shoulda won because it's an American masterwork that oughta be taught in high schools in colleges. Yo! You want heroes worth believing in, and villains worth bringing to justice? Then put on a CD by the Roots or Rage Against the Machine and read this righteous book and learn real lessons you can live by.

What I liked most about this book was the detail of the observations and commentary -- the little insights -- which I believe to be historically accurate, based on the apparent amount of homework done by the author. Compares very favorably to comparable books on the same subject by different authors. Chronicals an important era of our unfornate history in a way that is as gripping and insightful as the best of novels, opening your eyes to events you would not otherwise believe could "happen here." Great book.

The civil rights movement consisted of thousands of people who risked their lives to challenge a murderously oppressive society. Most of them were anonymous and remain so to this day. By sheer force of his moral and physical courage, Medgar Evers was a leader of this largely leaderless movement. That his assassin could be brought to justice decades after the fact makes an inspiring story that must be remembered both for Evers and for all the people who never made it into the history books. Maryanne Vollers reported the hell out of this story, demonstrating enormous courage resourcefulness that ought to be studied in journalism graduate schools. Ghosts of Mississippi tells an exciting suspense story and makes a worthy memorial to Medgar Evers.

I picked up Ghosts of Mississippi several years ago but tucked it away for a rainy day. De la Beckwith's death earlier this week (and a California rain storm) prompted me to dust it off. I now regret not having read it years ago. Maryanne Vollers' work is, in short, a masterpiece. Her amazing investigative skills and craftmanship left me wanting to read more. Logging on today to write this review, I was thrilled to see that Vollers has a new book out (Ice Bound). This time I won't wait!

This is a must-read for anyone interested in the civil rights struggle of the 60's. It is a very readable and detailed account of the murder of Medgar Evers by Byron de la Beckwith. This is one of those books I thought I would leaf through, but I got so absorbed that I read it in one sitting.

This book is definitely not what you would call fun to read, but it is a stirring and important document. The author commits a few infelicities of language (for which I would have deducted the quarter-star if I could) but keeps the narrative tension high and sheds a lot of light for this Yankee girl on the kind of culture that made a man like Medger Evers loyal to the state of Mississippi even though it was a state that would allow his murderer to go unpunished for decades. It doesn't gloss over the warts of those on the side of the angels, and although it doesn't fully explain the psychology of the assassin, perhaps no one can.

I read this book through, not long before Mr Beckwith passed away in prison. I found this very one sided, Medgar Evers is shown to be a saint, an angel on Earth, while Byron De La Beckwith is shown at EVERY turn to be a warped, crazy person. Anyone hoping for fair reporting here will be out of luck. Remember, Mr Beckwith was tried twice and had a hung jury. It wasn't until the late twentieth century, with the PC climate, that he was found guilty. At that point there was no way he would have been found not guilty.

I saw and was disappointed by Rob Reiner's film, but and figured that the source material (this book) would be an improvement. I was wrong. Evers' life is inherently dramatic, and his case an important one, but the author does her best to drain the life out of it with cliched writing and obvious, even reductive analysis.