I have to say that John Edgar Wideman's writing style is not for me. The premise of the books is fascinating: did Emmett Till's father--who was courtmartialed and executed for a rape-murder while serving in Europe in WWII--bequeath some sort of legacy that his son was destined to play out? But Wideman admits early on there is nearly no historical evidence about Louis Till's life, so he pursues an imaginative retelling of a hidden life.