Black Like Me

Rating:
Summary: Black Strength
Review: Black Like Me is a great book in which the author, John Howard Griffin darkens his skin. He is curious on how blacks in the south in the 1960's were treated. One of the things he discovered is that he could always rely on fellow blacks to aid him. When he needed shelter, he was taken in; when he needed food, a black lady fed him; and when he needed a friend, every black person he met on the street would talk to him.

Rating:
Summary: A compelling story about the cruelty of our human nature
Review: How far would you go in order to see life from another person's perspective? Of course all of us would change if it meant that we would have a better life, but how many of us would put ourselves in a new lifestyle that would station us at the bottom of the social and economic system? John Howard, the author of Black Like Me, did just this. He found a way to change his skin pigmentation so that it was dark. He went down to the deep south during the late 1950's. This was a time of great oppression, humiliation, and segregation of colored people. This book follows his life before, after and during his life changing activities. We see people who are sympathetic to blacks and we see people who are ready to kill every last colored person alive. This book was truly moving and yet it was saddening. I suggest this book to anyone who thinks they have a grip on reality, because this book is sure to shake them up a little bit.

Rating:
Summary: Impossible to ignore
Review: "Black Like Me" has remained in print all of these years because of the sheer audacity of its undertaking and its bold reality that slaps you square in the face. Author John Howard Griffin had a doctor chemically treat his skin to a dark brown, appearing to the naked eye to be an African-American. When the treatments were completed the doctor examined the transformed patient and said, "now you enter the abyss." Those were prophetic words. Griffin must first deal with his own unexpected racism - looking at his new self in a mirror and being filled with revulsion. Then he set out into the southland and experienced the indignities of segregation first hand. The book is an adventure, a travel narrative, and a first rate sociological study and an expose that rips the roof off. It was not a theory that John Howard Griffin faced, it was a condition, one of his own choosing that changed his life just as this book has changed the lives of many more. When he undertook this task the author thought it would become an obscure sociological or anthropological study. Instead it has become a classic testament about the America in which we still live. A lively narrative that is easy to read in just a few sittings or less and you will probably be compelled to do so once you begin.

Rating:
Summary: outstanding book, and everyone should read Black like me
Review: I choose to read this book because of the title and found myself reading a great book. I feel that everyone should read this book because it talks about alot of important things that may still need to be addressed. From this book, I can see how much a positive change the world has made in the racisim issues,but it also made me aware of things we still as a world need to change. I think what John Howard Griffin did was outstanding. I also believe that by me reading this book it has changed me. My personal opinion of the book is that, it's one of the top 10 best books and maybe thats because I am a black teenager but I don't have any negative comments. I would like to not only congratulate John Howard Griffin on his success but thank him as well.

Rating:
Summary: Great Ideal
Review: John Griffin, a white man darkens his skin to make himself black, in the 1960's to see what it was like for a black person, in the south. He quicky realizes the harsh treatments that black people had to take from racist whites.

Rating:
Summary: A gripping account.
Review: I live in the midst of Detroit, a white male, and I cannot imagine the horrors that this book reveal. It's an astounding read. Buy it. It's an eye opener to the way things WERE in the old south (still are in some respects) ~Andy

Rating:
Summary: A Must-Read for every American
Review: This book gave me a totally different view on what the Deep South was like in the 1950's, so I deeply enjoyed it. Anyone who might enjoy a historical non-fiction novel of America, or is integued by African-American history would absolutly LOVE this book.

Rating:
Summary: A must read
Review: if you question the civil rights movement or anything pertaining to racial bias, you should read this book. It is a clear example from first hand knowledge about how an African American man is treated in the deep south during the civil rights movement. The historical and emotional aspect of this book makes it one of the best books I have ever read and this should be required reading for ALL high schools in the US.

Rating:
Summary: Superb and moving book
Review: This is a superb and moving book. Once read, it will always stay with you.
Please read the review of Melynie Withington below -- she describes the book very well.

Rating:
Summary: Mandatory Reading!!!
Review: Black Like Me should be in every high school classroon in America
It is without a doubt one of the most signifigant works of our time. I grew up in the south - the deep south as an only child of a middle class white family. Needless to say, works of this type were not required reading at my high school. I am now a junior in college studying history w/teaching credentials. In MY classroom Black Like Me WILL be read and its message will be discussed.If you havent read this powerful, honest look at America in the 1950s, buy it today! You'll thank me latter.