Reviewed by Vernita Naylor for Readers' Favorite

Emmett Till: Sometimes Good Can Come Out of a Bad Situation by Katina Rankin is a great educational resource that informs children that understanding their past is the catalyst in helping the journey towards their future. One day Renee found a disturbing photo of a boy's face, so her mother and grandmother began to tell her, Isabella, and Alexis the story of the boy, Emmett Till. This book teaches readers about injustice, resilience and the movement that happened due to the malice shown to 14-year-old Emmett Till in the 1950s. At a time when Emmett wanted to travel from his home in Chicago to visit his cousin in Mississippi, no one could have predicted the tragedy that Emmett and his family would face because of that trip. The lie told by a white woman, Carolyn Bryant, got Emmett killed by Bryant's husband and brother-in-law. To show the face of racism, his mother chose to keep the casket open. The images of the boy's face are still being shown today in the African-American Museum in Washington, D.C. Lest we not forget the past for its injustices. Your child should know about a legacy that changed the world.

“As you grow and mature, always remember that sometimes bad things can happen to good people; and sometimes, good can come out of a bad situation,” says Katina. I enjoyed this book, just as I did with another book Katina has written and I've reviewed; March On Children! The Story Of James Meredith’s March Against Fear. Emmett Till: Sometimes Good Can Come Out of a Bad Situation speaks of those silent heroes that we do not always connect to our lives and the change in history that they effected like that of Emmett. In this book, your child will learn that Emmett’s murder was a part of the Civil Rights Movement unfolding; one that caused people like Rosa Parks and Dr Martin Luther King Jr to come to the forefront of the struggle. There is a lot for your child to learn about African-American and Southern culture here. Add this book to your child’s library.