In the autumn of 1959, a white Texan journalist named John Howard Griffin travelled across the Deep South of the United States disguised as a working class black man. Black Like Me is Griffin's own account of his journey. Published in book form two years later it revealed to a white audience the day-to-day experience of racism in segregation-era America. Selling over five million copies, Black Like Me became one of the best-known accounts of race and racism in the 1960s. Embraced by some and fiercely criticised by others, ...
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In the autumn of 1959, a white Texan journalist named John Howard Griffin travelled across the Deep South of the United States disguised as a working class black man. Black Like Me is Griffin's own account of his journey. Published in book form two years later it revealed to a white audience the day-to-day experience of racism in segregation-era America. Selling over five million copies, Black Like Me became one of the best-known accounts of race and racism in the 1960s. Embraced by some and fiercely criticised by others, its legacy sixty years on remains problematic, but Black Like Me nevertheless stands as a fascinating document of its time.
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Add this copy of Black Like Me to cart. $118.67, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Hialeah, FL, UNITED STATES, published 1999 by G P Putnam's Sons.
If a reader has even a fraction of prejudice he should read this book! You may think you can see things from another point of view...reading this book places you inside that point of view.
The Pageturner
Oct 17, 2008
Author Can Never Know What It is to be Black
I did not read this book all of the way through, but I read far enough. I don't know why anyone would buy it. The author thinks he can use this skin darkening treatment, which in reality is another form of blackface to experience what it is like to be Black. He has reduced Blackness to some sort of game. I believe he can never have the full Black experience. He did not grow up as a person of color, nor would he have the same mindset as one. He can take off his skin tone and be white once more. Blacks cannot. This book disturbs me. The author has barely even scratched the surface and it seems as if though this experiment, he is viewing Blacks as a mysterious species. I would not recommend this book at all.
Ron Townsend
Mar 29, 2007
Understanding ourselves
Black Like Me gave me a whole new perspective on why color shouldn't matter. I read it when I was a teenager and it greatly influenced how I have thought my entire life. When I was riding a bus in Baltimore I heard one fellow say "I am brown, not black" and it pointed out to me from reading this book and listening to other people that we are all equal and frankly color should not even be something that should be noticed. It's what in a man' heart that is important. It occurred to me that a book could be written on Jew like me with the same motive and concern that Black Like Me had. Or Native American like me. Or Asian like me.
