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Liked It1 of 1 members found this review helpful “I read this in high school literature class and was very moved by the story of a white Southern man who took medicine which made his skin dark and walked away from his life and entered live as a Southern black man. A man without the same privileges or opportunities as he had had before. He was...” see full review » see other reviews » |
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“This is a must read for anybody interested in race and the relationships between people because of race”
Josh D wrote this review 6 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“"When all the talk, all the propaganda has been cut away, the criterion is nothing but the color of skin. My experience proved that. They judged me by no quality. My skin was dark." (Griffin, 115) It is not often that one comes across a novel in which the racial boundaries are so clearly drawn. Black Like Me, the 200 or so page autobiographical memoirs of a man named John Howard Griffin who changes his skin pigmentation in order to experience what life on the other side is like, is a riveting novel, which opens one's eyes to the many shades of gray that make up the world. Griffin, a dedicated, intelligent, journalist committed to the cause of racial justice enters a realm that he has never tread in before, at least not as one of them, not as a black. The very changing of his pigmentation creates many problems for Griffin, both internally and externally. When first looking at himself in the mirror as a black man he experiences shock and a feeling of loneliness as his identity as a white man is no longer. He has the same mind, the same fingers, the same eyes, but a different skin color and that in itself changes everything he can do. Although he keeps the same credentials and name, no one will employ him for anything other than the occasional odd job. No longer can he have a drink of water anywhere, go to the bathroom anywhere, or even sit where he likes on a bus. The novel provides an objective, clear, unbiased viewpoint towards a very complicated situation. It is a rather riveting, intriguing book by its nature; such an experiment can be anything but boring. There is not a dull moment throughout the memoirs, and Griffin's opinion is not only clear and reasoned but enlightening as well. The novel raises many questions; all of which stir the mind and leave one to wonder. What if my skin color changed? Would I be changed? Would I know who I was anymore? ”
Mira M wrote this review 12 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“A white man in the deep south tries to find out how much more difficult it would be to live as a black man.”
Psymin Lee wrote this review 2 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“For me this book was an introduction to a way of life, a way of thinking that was foreign to me. The author undertook something that was potentially dangerous to get a real story. The story kept me interested, but I also gained respect for journalism, and how some people believe enough in something to risk it all. ”
Bud Gilham wrote this review Wednesday, October 21 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“John Howard Griffin, not only the author but also the subject, is a normal Caucasian man living in Mansfield, Texas in the year 1959. He is stunned to see the world so racist and unaccepting of differnt people, even in America, and all the hate toward the people with black skin. He decides to take action, trying to better understand the differences between the white and black culture. He decides to consult a doctor about changing the color of his skin, so he can know what it is like going through life as a black man. He wanted to travel to the southern states, because they were said to be the most racist states, to know how hard it can be being black. He contacted a friend in New Orleans called Sterling Williams with whom he lived for some time. Griffin told Williams that if he ever just left without notice does not worry, for he did not want to involve Williams in what he was doing. Once Griffin has made his transformation he is scared with the person he meets in the mirror. Griffin knows what he is getting into when he walks out of his house, but he finds out that it will be much harder than he could ever imagine. He hears racist names and remarks everywhere he goes. Sometimes it was so bad he couldn’t even find a restroom to use. Owners of local stores would not let blacks use the restroom if they didn’t buy anything. Eventually Griffin decides to take journey farther into Mississippi and Alabama. John Howard Griffin returned home to publish his work. He was hated! No one in his community supported what he had done. He was only trying to bring light to the fact to the injustice of the world at the time. He was more courageous than any man in his community, but was still hated. Finally the harassment was so bad that Griffin and his family moved to Mexico to live a peaceful life. This book showed me what it would have been like living in the 1960’s. Blacks were hated only for the color of their skin. Having to go through life hated for that would have been horrible. I recommend this book only for someone with an open mind, and must be willing to accept the truth about racial injustice.””
Neil C wrote this review Monday, October 12 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“I have always wondered if people would treat me differently if I were white a person. So when I heard about this book I had to read it and see if it was true. John Howard Griffin a white journalist, conducted this social experiment back in 1959. He used medication and dyes to change the color of his skin. Mr. Griffin who was a very successful "white man" became a mistreated "black man" almost overnight. The "black" Mr. Griffin lost a lot of his privileges. He was now black and discriminated against. He had to walk many miles to eat because he was only served in negro cafes'. He found himself sleeping and hitching rides with complete strangers. Mr. Griffin was judged by the color of his skin and not by his character. His experiment concluded that people did treat him differently because of the color of is skin. He also found that not all white people are racists. They did it because "everyone" else was discriminating against black people. Even though it is not as obvious, racism still exists today... in 2009. It begs the question that has been asked for 100 plus years, why must we treat people differently just by the color their skin?”
Anthony H wrote this review Sunday, October 4 2009. ( reply | view 1 replies | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“Book Review
Richard S wrote this review Wednesday, September 23 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
The author John Griffin recounts how he hit upon startling idea to change his skin color in an attempt to experience life as a black man. He felt that as a white man it would be impossible for him to understand what life was like for blacks. He had read about the rise in suicide among American Negros and wanted to understand why. After talking to George Levitan and despite the risks he was insistent that he wants to go through with his plan and his friend Levitan agrees to fund him.
Griffin tells his wife about his idea, she was shocked, but she saw the strength of his convictions. After extensive research Griffin travels to New Orleans to undergo the dermatological treatment to change his skin color.
Griffin experiences firsthand how blacks in New Orleans are treated and is appalled at the indifference whites have to his presence. He realized that the real evil comes from the politicians, lawyers and writers who produce propaganda attempting to justify their hatred and legislate enforcing it.
This book will give readers real insight to social cause of tolerance and racial justice that existed in the south.
I think that students can get some insight as to how some people let the color of your skin, the way you look, the way you speak or the way you dress influence the way you treat others. Hopefully the students can learn how to think positive of others that are different and build lasting friendships.”
“I found this book fascinating! I apologize to all but I purposely read it slowly. I wanted to clearly understand the words and scenarios depicted in this book. I find it fascinating that one human being would treat another this way simply because of the color of his or her skin. What I found even more interesting was the aftermath of wht John Howard Griffin had to go through after his experiment. Because of what he did, he had to invest in security for his family, his parents moved to Mexico for a better life. And yes folks, we are describing America, Land of the Free, Home of the Brave.
Flyinfox_SATX wrote this review Friday, August 7 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
So, for those of you that are not planning to read this book and in addition to the comments made by Siriradha's and Choclaholic's previous posts, this is a story about how John Howard Griffin being the bravest man on earth. He takes medication to turn himself black and then take a brief tour through the southland, Louisiana, Missisippi, Alabama and Georgia. He gets a taste of what blacks in that time period face day to day. He writes it all down. His experiences are fascinating. Most fascinating is how the young are taught prejudism(did I spell that right?)to move on to the next generation.
I guess that only time will heal all wounds and get us over the hump. I look at how things are today and although there have been improvements, we still have a long way to go. Look at today's elections for example, the candidates are looking to secure the "black" vote or in my case, the "Hispanic" vote. Why not just "All Votes" or "The Votes". I think you can take the premises of what John Howard Griffin wrote in this book and apply it to all things that separate us. Race, Religion, sexual orientation and even geographical location are factors in treating people differently. Think about it. Because of politics half the world hates us "arrogant Americans". I can just picture someone on the other side of the world formulating an opinion about me because of where I live.
What I learned from this book, is that at the end of the day, it really doesn't matter. We are all the same. The question is, how much death, how much suffering will we, as homo sapiens, have to go through to realize that we are all the same. John Howard Griffin's work begs for a number. Lets get to that number if we have to and move on to treating each other better and getting past this poor thinking. After his experience was even more chilling because he thought that predjudism was mostly located in the deep south of America. He was astonished to find out that it was not so. He was saddened that even in his own town in Texas, where he thought people would be a bit more educated, was not what he thought it was.
I would recommend this book to all. It is interesting, well written and very controversial. Most of all, the book challenges the reader to think. If you are looking for bubble gum literature, this is not it. It will give your mind a good work out!
Flyinfox ”
“I was assigned this book in high school and couldn't stop reading. I had to know what happened next. Surprisingly I had never heard about this book before. Griffin did more than just protest racism in America. He went through dangerous medical proceedures to prove inequality existed. He wrote vividly about his experiences as a white man and as a 'black' man. The differences in how he was treated were shocking. This book raises many thought provoking questions. It made me wonder if human beings are really treated as equally as we like to think they are in this so called modern day and age. I highly recommend this book. ”
Colleen wrote this review Tuesday, August 4 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
