I really liked this book overall. The idea of the project is needed and telling this moment in American history as such (as opposed to Black history) is extremely powerful.  A white Mississippi man owning the violent history of the place is really powerful and makes it make sense why HE of all people should tell this story, which going in, I was unclear about. There is some real craft in this book, but that does get away from Thompson a few times with sentences that try to do too much. The book is too long and loses focus but it does always come back to itself. The ending feels overly optimistic, but I think that tracks a bit with who is telling the story and why. This is a very good work of narrative nonfiction that is taking very big swings.