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Summary: Wow, a must read for anyone who loves stories
Review: Black Like Me Tyler 8-16-99My first reactions: Moments ago I finished the novel Black Like Me and was left with the unwavering sense of a consitency in the problem of racism all over the world. I have come to realize that while there is ignorance and while there is hatred there will always be racism. Racism is nothing that anyone is born with. Racism is instilled in a childs mind throughout his or her childhood just like manners or putting on your seatbelt when you enter a car. On the last page of the book Mr. Griffen explains the seemingly everlasting trend of racism. "Whites teach their children to call [blacks] "niggers,""(p. 159) said the negro boy that was helping out Mr. Griffen. The little boy had fallen victim to this early teachings many times and now said that "he would not even go into white neighborhoods because it sickened him to be called that."(p. 159) Today in most parts of the country we have done away with the unmerciful "hate stare" and the blatent insults that have scarred so many african-americans still alive today to tell about it. But until we teach our children to love all and to not allow hate and prejudices to become a part of them the issue of racism will still be around in many different forms.
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Summary: EXCELLENT!!
Review: I am a 13 years old, and we read this in school. It is usually difficult to find a book I will really be interested in, but I couldn't put this down until I finished the assignment! I had to read, read, read, but then I read all I was allowed to, so I stopped. This book in one word I will describe as EXCELLENT!
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Summary: The Best In Depth Book Of THe Century
Review: Yes I am A 14 Year Old. I have Been a avid book reader for the past 7 years. I think this is the best Non-fiction look into society Classic of All Time. This will tell you like it is.
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Summary: A life changing, eye-opening observation of U.S. racism
Review: I read this book for the first time as a teenager in the 70's. As a young white boy living in the south, I don't think it would have been possible to come close to understanding the fear and hatred that blacks experienced on a daily basis without this man's book bringing it to life for me. For those who have made racial comments of hatred concerning this great work, I (and many others) can simply pity their ignorance and pray that God will grant them the enlightenment that could change their lives forever. I recommend this book to people of all color.
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Summary: A small light shone in a vast of emptiness.
Review: John Howard Griffin visited a life-style that black people live each and every day. It is so amazing that I've heard people say it didn't happen. But, even if it didn't happen(of which it did)it shows a fantastic view from "the other side". I am a black male and have seen, heard of, and read about the things that were mention in this book. Please read it. I think, regardless of your cultural background, that you will fully enjoy this book.
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Summary: Reading this book is a life changing experience.
Review: I really liked this book. Griffin's experience opened my eyes to what life is really like for someone who is black in the South. Everyone should read this book. It will change their way of thinking.
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Summary: Every white American should read this book.
Review: As an avid reader, I have long wished for a book that would in some way enable white Americans to feel the pain of hatred based on something that one has no control of. The history of African-Americans and their struggle for equality is seldom discussed in schools, homes and churces of the majority group. This is not simply a matter of not caring, but a matter of not knowing the courageous struggle of an entire race of people which has gone on for over 400 years and continues today. As a black southerner, I can empathize with the bigotry that Mr. Griffin encountered, I can also testify that it still (in less obvious ways) occurs today. I only wish that he could still be here to document the often unbelieved fact that the hands of racism still choke opportunites for minorities in this country. This book is a must read for any person who wishes to become more enlightend, more aware and more understanding of the plight of minorities in these(almost)United States.
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Summary: A book that reflects society.......
Review: "Black Like Me" has to be one of the most accomplished books of all time by John Howard Griffin. This nonfictional piece of literature begins with Griffin, a Caucasian, pigmenting his skin to a darker brown, a color resembling that of an African-American, in order to feel what it's like to be an African-American. His destination proceeds throughout the South where he records his real-life experiences and encounters with other African-Americans as well as Caucasians. The transformation of his skin pigment leads him to face the discrimination and prejudice from Caucasians yet allows him to feel a sense of unity among the rest of the African-Americans. The differences of Griffins "two lives" (one being white and the other black) contrasts greatly. As a white, Griffin automatically had the opportunity of entering restaurants, shows, and other places without a problem. He remained healthy, physically, emotionally, and mentally. On the other hand, his life as a black made him lose the opportunities of a white, and therefore, Griffin became emotionally, physically, and mentally unhealthy. What does the large contrast between two lives of the same person with a different shade of skin show about human beings? Even though Griffin's experiences took place forty years ago, this book allows us to question whether society has improved and changed or not. In some ways, I believe it has, but in others, the traditional ways have dominated improvement. Unless you are a victim of prejudice today, one can finally perceive how brutal and painful prejudice and discrimination are through the mind of a white man battling the everlasting war of racism within society. -A.H., 16, IL
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Summary: Interesting, and eye opening
Review: This book really makes you think about the United states in the era of segregation. This book is extremly honest and I think everyone should read it, so people will know the horrors of extreme discrimination. I found the most important theme in this book was trust, there was none. There was no trust between blacks and blacks, whites and whites, or blacks and whites. I suggest that if you need something to read you really should consider this book
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Summary: A must read
Review: I read this significant book in one day. John Howard Griffin did something most whites would never even dream of, especially when segregation was thriving in the Deep South. By changing his white skin to black, he became nothing but an inferior servant to the white race, regardless of his educational upbringing. I highly recommend this book to those who are intolerant of racial injustice.
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