photo by: Evan France/Penguin Random House

Wright Thompson

Journalist Wright Thompson grew up 23 miles from the site where Emmett Till was murdered in Mississippi in 1955, yet Thompson never learned much of the crime until he left to attend college out of state.

Now, Thompson has written a book about how much is still unknown about the murder of Till — a 14-year old black boy — and how forces in Mississippi work to suppress details of the crime that was a key moment in the U.S. civil rights movement.

Thompson will be in Lawrence at 7:30 p.m. on Monday at the Cider Gallery, 810 Pennsylvania Street, to discuss his new book, “The Barn: The Secret History of a Murder in Mississippi.”

The first 100 people who attend the free event will receive a free copy of the book.

Thompson is best know for his work as an investigative reporter and biographer in the world of sports journalism. He currently is a senior writer for ESPN. In “The Barn,” Thompson tells the story of a small group of people who have been working to answer questions about Till’s murder, which came after the Black teenager whistled at a white woman in a small town Mississippi grocery store.

Lawrence is a stop on Thompson’s book tour, in part, because the University of Kansas in recent years has become a hub of Emmett Till scholarship. KU Communications Studies Professor Dave Tell is an Emmett Till expert and author, and also serves as the lead investigator on the Emmett Till Memory Project. Till has helped organize the upcoming event.

No tickets are required for Monday’s event at the Cider Gallery. Doors open at 7 p.m..