Amor Towles the lincoln highway warning when you hear this snippet below you’ll want to have the full version you’re lucky you can download the full version for free at the link in the description of this video special invitation from amazon audible june 12th 1954 the drive from selena to morgan was three hours and for much of it emmett hadn’t said a word for the first 60 miles or so warden williams had made an effort a friendly conversation he told a few stories about his childhood back east and asked a few questions about emmett’s on the farm but this was the last they’d be together and emmett didn’t see much sense in going into all of that now so when they crossed the border from kansas into nebraska and the warden turned on the radio emmett stared out the window at the prairie keeping his thoughts to himself when they were five miles south of town emmett pointed through the windshield you take that next right it’ll be the white house about four miles down the road the warden slowed his car and took the turn they drove past the mccusker place and the andersons with its matching pair of large red barns a few minutes later they could see emmett’s house standing beside a small grove of oak trees about 30 yards from the road to emit all the houses in this part of the country looked like they’d been dropped from the sky the watson house just looked like it had had a rougher landing the roofline sagged on either side of the chimney and the window frames were slanted just enough that half the windows wouldn’t quite open and the other half wouldn’t quite shut in another moment they’d be able to see how the paint had been shaken right off the clapper but when they got within a hundred feet of the driveway the warden pulled to the side of the road damn it he said with his hands on the wheel before we drive in there’s something i’d like to say that warden williams had something to say didn’t come as much of a surprise when emmett had first arrived at celina the warden was a hoosier named ackerly who wasn’t inclined to put into words a piece of advice that could be delivered more efficiently with a stick but warden williams was a modern man with a master’s degree and good intentions and a framed photograph of franklin d roosevelt hanging behind his desk he had notions that he’d gathered from books and experience and he had plenty of words at his disposal to turn them into counsel for some of the young men who come to selena he began whatever series of events has brought them under our sphere of influence is just the beginning of a long journey through a life of trouble they’re boys who are never given much sense of right or wrong as children and who see little reason for learning it now whatever values or ambitions we try to instill in them will in all likelihood be cast aside the moment they walk out from under our gaze sadly for these boys it is only a matter of time before they find themselves in the correctional facility at topeka or worse the warden turned to emmett what i’m getting at emmett is that you are not one of them we haven’t known each other long but from my time with you i can tell that that boy’s death weighs heavily on your conscience no one imagines what happened that night reflects either the spirit of malice or an expression of your character it was the ugly side of chance but as a civilized society we ask that even those who have had an unintended hand in the misfortune of others pay some retribution of course the payment of the retribution is in part to satisfy those who suffered the brunt of the misfortune like this boy’s family but we also require that it be paid for the benefit of the young man who was the agent of misfortune so that by having the opportunity to pay his debt he too can find some solace some sense of atonement and thus begin the process of renewal do you understand me emmett i do sir i’m glad to hear it i know you’ve got your brother to care for now and the immediate future may seem daunting but you’re a bright young man and you’ve got your whole life ahead of you having paid your debt in full i just hope you’ll make the most of your liberty that’s what i intend to do warden and in that moment emmitt meant it because he agreed with most of what the warden said he knew in the strongest of terms that his whole life was ahead of him and he knew that he needed to care for his brother he knew too that he had been an agent of misfortune rather than its author but he didn’t agree that his debt had been paid in full for no matter how much chance has played a role when by your hands you have brought another man’s time on earth to its end to prove to the almighty that you are worthy of his mercy that shouldn’t take any less than the rest of your life take advantage of this special invitation from amazon audible now and download this free audiobook with the link you have in the description thanks for watching this video i would love for you to subscribe to my channel and you would 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