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3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
I understand why this is an important piece for racial understanding. It's still very relevant today. It's remarkable how much things have changed and yet how they have stayed the same.
Don't read this book if you're in a happy mood. Not that it's sad, per se, or even a downer, but it's very . . . real.
Griffin, a white journalist who focused mainly on race issues, went "undercover" in 1959 as a black man in order to get a non-white perspective on the race issue. (As in, he went to a dermatologist and took medication, then exposed himself to sunlight and UV rays to change the pigment of his skin.) He then heads into the Deep South to get some firsthand experience. What's interesting is that this book was originally going to be from more of a sociological perspective and it ended up being written like a diary.
In addition to Griffin discussing how he was treated as a black man, he often mentions what he saw in the eyes of the racists who loathed him. Some of the stares were so visceral, so full of contempt, that they made him physically ill. In fact, some of the writing is so descriptive, it seems as if it comes straight out of the pages of a work of fiction: the heat of the ghetto as Griffin walks miles just to find a bathroom that he's allowed to use and/or a place where he can get some water; the bugs in the swamp where he rooms with a family, sleeping on the floor; the tension on the bus when there are no more seats for a white woman to take without sitting in the back of the bus with black people.
Written in 1977, the epilogue gives the reader an idea of the bigger picture, with Griffin giving his perspective into some of the race riots in the late 1960s. Even at the time it was written, however, he didn't feel as though the race issue was over. We all know it's far from over -- is it any better now because it's less overt, in most cases? It's funny reading this as a child of a different generation . . . most of us just think that racists are ignorant idiots, full stop. But we see it in other ways (nationality vs. race, perhaps?), and in this way, Griffin's experience resonates even now, 50 years later -- which, in the grand scheme of things, isn't that much later at all.
Griffin took it a step beyond walking a mile in another person's shoes. Instead, he walked many miles in the "other" person's skin. At the risk of sounding preachy and trite (sometimes it's the truth, dammit!), this narrative should be a lesson to anyone who picks it up to challenge how they perceive others. If the same man is treated differently, not because of his speech, education level, and/or credentials, but because of the color of his skin, what does that say about the rest of us who allow it to happen?
Griffin, a white journalist who focused mainly on race issues, went "undercover" in 1959 as a black man in order to get a non-white perspective on the race issue. (As in, he went to a dermatologist and took medication, then exposed himself to sunlight and UV rays to change the pigment of his skin.) He then heads into the Deep South to get some firsthand experience. What's interesting is that this book was originally going to be from more of a sociological perspective and it ended up being written like a diary.
In addition to Griffin discussing how he was treated as a black man, he often mentions what he saw in the eyes of the racists who loathed him. Some of the stares were so visceral, so full of contempt, that they made him physically ill. In fact, some of the writing is so descriptive, it seems as if it comes straight out of the pages of a work of fiction: the heat of the ghetto as Griffin walks miles just to find a bathroom that he's allowed to use and/or a place where he can get some water; the bugs in the swamp where he rooms with a family, sleeping on the floor; the tension on the bus when there are no more seats for a white woman to take without sitting in the back of the bus with black people.
Written in 1977, the epilogue gives the reader an idea of the bigger picture, with Griffin giving his perspective into some of the race riots in the late 1960s. Even at the time it was written, however, he didn't feel as though the race issue was over. We all know it's far from over -- is it any better now because it's less overt, in most cases? It's funny reading this as a child of a different generation . . . most of us just think that racists are ignorant idiots, full stop. But we see it in other ways (nationality vs. race, perhaps?), and in this way, Griffin's experience resonates even now, 50 years later -- which, in the grand scheme of things, isn't that much later at all.
Griffin took it a step beyond walking a mile in another person's shoes. Instead, he walked many miles in the "other" person's skin. At the risk of sounding preachy and trite (sometimes it's the truth, dammit!), this narrative should be a lesson to anyone who picks it up to challenge how they perceive others. If the same man is treated differently, not because of his speech, education level, and/or credentials, but because of the color of his skin, what does that say about the rest of us who allow it to happen?
This is a true account of John Howard Griffin and how he experimented with racial issues that were still a problem in America. He dyed his skin a dark color and went out to test how people treated him and how the Caucasian people reacted to him. At times I was sad, disappointed, and appalled. Yeah..
Every white person should read this book. I am tempted to gift this to some of my relatives, to be honest. This is a true story. A man literally underwent treatments so he could appear black, and then documented his experiences in the south, as a black man. How else could white people ever begin to understand how black people have lived and the struggles they have experienced? I've read other books, in hopes that I'd gain some insight, but this one has been the best, so far.
I went into this book no knowing what it was about, but knowing that it was recommended by a librarian for a look into African America history. I don't think that a caucasian man wanting to understand racism by "being black" was a good fit for me. At the time, late 50's, it was bold and I'm sure he received praise for attempting what he did. But I would rather read a book written by an African American about the plights of racism and social injustice instead.
“Black Like Me” by John Howard Griffith is a book that is compiled of his journals during a race experiment he conducted in the late 1950’s. It was interesting to see a white man decide to become a black man all for the sake of understanding racism; he was literally putting himself in someone else’s shoes. He changes his skin color in order to integrate himself into the “Negro” world and be able to understand how the average black man lives and how others treat him.
During this experiment, there are a few select people who know what he is doing. There is the shoe shiner who believes in what he is doing and always offers him advice. There is the doctor who helped change his skin pigmentation who was, at first, excited, but began to share concerns after seeing his skin actually darken.
Griffith wants to understand the bigotry and prejudiced against black people and he wants to understand it more than just a white man’s point of view. He wants to understand it more realistically: as a black man. He gets more than he bargained for, though, because he has to learn all the silent signals he never noticed before. He has to change his personality because smiling at a white woman while being a white man is polite, but if you smile at a white woman and you are black, well, then it is anything but friendly and polite. It used to get black people beaten, and even killed in some extreme cases (i.e. Emmett Till)
Griffith’s entire experiment was basically a question he wanted to answer: Were people racist, and if they were, why? Griffith believed that if he changed his skin color and shaved his head, but kept his personality intact, then he could discover whether people judged him based off of character or his skin color. He quickly learns that it is the latter. It didn’t matter how kind or polite or intelligent he was; white people only say his skin color, and that is all they wanted to see.
It took this drastic measure for Griffith, a white man, to come to the same conclusion that every black person already knew and lived: White people were racist and they judged people based off of their skin color.
There were some unpleasant moments in the book that Griffith had to deal with and there were some really startling and beautiful moments that he experienced while as a “black man”. Since he had to go so deeply into this experiment he conducted, he gained an interesting perspective into black people and their relation to the world which is beautifully said on page 119: “At such a time, the Negro can look at the starlit skies and find that he has, after all, a place in the universal order of things. The stars, the black skies affirm his humanity, his validity as a human being...The night is his consolation. It does not despise him.”
The people that were upset about his experiment and published journals were racist, white people. They didn’t like that “one of their own” had turned on them and then so publicly told the world about their racism. They didn’t like having to come face-to-face with the fact that they were ignorant, horrible people.
John Griffith’s experiment shed a light onto racism, during a time when most white people believed they were above such intolerance. His experiment made people confront the root of racism and take a hard look at themselves. In order for society to progress, the problems first need to be addressed, and that is what Griffith helped to do with this experiment.
During this experiment, there are a few select people who know what he is doing. There is the shoe shiner who believes in what he is doing and always offers him advice. There is the doctor who helped change his skin pigmentation who was, at first, excited, but began to share concerns after seeing his skin actually darken.
Griffith wants to understand the bigotry and prejudiced against black people and he wants to understand it more than just a white man’s point of view. He wants to understand it more realistically: as a black man. He gets more than he bargained for, though, because he has to learn all the silent signals he never noticed before. He has to change his personality because smiling at a white woman while being a white man is polite, but if you smile at a white woman and you are black, well, then it is anything but friendly and polite. It used to get black people beaten, and even killed in some extreme cases (i.e. Emmett Till)
Griffith’s entire experiment was basically a question he wanted to answer: Were people racist, and if they were, why? Griffith believed that if he changed his skin color and shaved his head, but kept his personality intact, then he could discover whether people judged him based off of character or his skin color. He quickly learns that it is the latter. It didn’t matter how kind or polite or intelligent he was; white people only say his skin color, and that is all they wanted to see.
It took this drastic measure for Griffith, a white man, to come to the same conclusion that every black person already knew and lived: White people were racist and they judged people based off of their skin color.
There were some unpleasant moments in the book that Griffith had to deal with and there were some really startling and beautiful moments that he experienced while as a “black man”. Since he had to go so deeply into this experiment he conducted, he gained an interesting perspective into black people and their relation to the world which is beautifully said on page 119: “At such a time, the Negro can look at the starlit skies and find that he has, after all, a place in the universal order of things. The stars, the black skies affirm his humanity, his validity as a human being...The night is his consolation. It does not despise him.”
The people that were upset about his experiment and published journals were racist, white people. They didn’t like that “one of their own” had turned on them and then so publicly told the world about their racism. They didn’t like having to come face-to-face with the fact that they were ignorant, horrible people.
John Griffith’s experiment shed a light onto racism, during a time when most white people believed they were above such intolerance. His experiment made people confront the root of racism and take a hard look at themselves. In order for society to progress, the problems first need to be addressed, and that is what Griffith helped to do with this experiment.
What an interesting experiment. At first I thought it was weird that the author just decided to do pose as a black man in the South, but after realizing he mainly wanted to write about the experience to enlighten people I felt more assured in its purpose.
It definitely is weird for a white man to want to give up all of his rights to face discrimination and hate simply to prove a point to the country, but the way he goes about it is incredibly interesting. I wouldn't say well thought out and he only did it for a month but the heart was there.
It definitely is weird for a white man to want to give up all of his rights to face discrimination and hate simply to prove a point to the country, but the way he goes about it is incredibly interesting. I wouldn't say well thought out and he only did it for a month but the heart was there.
was in disbelief when i learned this was a true story. i still question how authentically his experiences were conveyed because there are clear visible differences btwn a black man and a white man in really extra black face. you can paint your skin but i feel like the features might have made it noticeable to some. no idea though
The rating I give here is mainly for the concept and empathy Griffin showed rather than the writing. The writing is slightly inconsistent, as you might expect from a diary style - some pieces seem straight from his diary and others seem purposefully inflated and altered to make the lines more prophetic and profound.
The idea of a white man taking medication to darken his skin and dying it to appear black seemed awfully offensive in this day and age, but I believe Griffin meant it from a truely altruistic position. His writing and his subsequent lectures and efforts seem to come from genuine desire to understand what life was like, and a strong compulsion to combat racism. Aside from this work, he lead a very interesting life, fighting in WWII and suffering from complete blindness for several years, which spontaneously resolved itself.
It is disturbing to read this account of the treatment of African Americans from this time.Yes, this book has dated, but I find that encouraging that we can look back in incredulity at the segregation and injustice that occurred, and an important reminder that we can all be responsible for improving society.
The idea of a white man taking medication to darken his skin and dying it to appear black seemed awfully offensive in this day and age, but I believe Griffin meant it from a truely altruistic position. His writing and his subsequent lectures and efforts seem to come from genuine desire to understand what life was like, and a strong compulsion to combat racism. Aside from this work, he lead a very interesting life, fighting in WWII and suffering from complete blindness for several years, which spontaneously resolved itself.
It is disturbing to read this account of the treatment of African Americans from this time.Yes, this book has dated, but I find that encouraging that we can look back in incredulity at the segregation and injustice that occurred, and an important reminder that we can all be responsible for improving society.