Reverend Wheeler Parker Jr.

A Few Days Full of Trouble is a very important read that everyone needs to hear, as this is as close as you will get to the absolute truth of what happened to Emmitt Till. There are many Till books out there, but none are written by one that was an actual eye-witness to the events that unfolded on August 28, 1955, his cousin and best friend, Reverend Wheeler Parker, Jr.

This book spans decades, from the event in 1955 all the way up to our current times and sadly shows that true justice will most likely never be fully attained, another fact that is gut-wrenching and beyond frustrating. All of the names of the disgusting humans that did this make me sick, but the name Carolyn Bryant truly makes my skin crawl. If she wouldn’t have did what she did then Emmitt would most likely be alive, and this nightmare (hopefully) wouldn’t have happened. She’s admitted to lying and should’ve been put to justice decades ago! I hope justice will be served, but sadly time is running out.

I am not a vindictive person by nature but I can’t help but wish the same fate that befell on Emmitt would’ve been bestowed on those that had any part of the torture and lynching of this wonderful child. He didn’t deserve anything that happened to him and my heart will never not ache when I think about him. I remember the first time I heard Emmitt Till’s story in school when I was in elementary school and it left an imprint on my heart that has only grown as I’ve gotten older. The injustice paired with how young and innocent Emmitt was makes this whole ordeal even worse.

If I had one complaint about the book I would say the repetitive nature did wear on me at times. From the introduction I could see this writer was going to be fairly repetitive, which being Emmitt Till’s cousin, and having been there in 1955, I can understand, as his writings come from a deeply emotional place. Still, repetitive writing can quickly become rote, causing the impact of the statements to not hit as hard as they could otherwise, which is a shame. Regardless, this is still a story that needs to be told and more importantly needs to be heard, and I am so thankful to Reverend Parker for speaking the truth since Emmitt can’t be here to speak it himself.

*I have voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book which I received from the author/publisher through NetGalley. All views and opinions expressed are completely honest, and my own.… (mehr)