Welcome to Litsy!

“The real story is the universal one of men who destroy the souls and bodies of other men for reasons neither really understands.”

I first read this over 30 years ago as a teenager and while the basic idea stuck with me none of the details did.

Griffin decided, in 1959, to find out the truth for himself about the South‘s racial situation by becoming a black man. What struck me was how naive he was going into it and how quickly he learned just⬇️

Reading wears her out.

I've heard this book was "heavy"... I'm finally getting my hands on it to dive it! The preface got me!
"The real story is the universal one of men who destroy the souls and bodies of other men....

I decided to read this initially because a friend mentioned that she hadn‘t understood most of the references in Between The World And Me until she had previewed this book for her students. I know I‘m not the intended audience for this, but I‘m glad I read it- I feel like I have a piece of American history I was missing now.

“One thing was clear: we had to accept the fact that these principles were worth dying for, and that there were plenty of people who were willing to see us disappear...Dr. King and Dick Gregory became almost fatalistic in accepting the fact that they were dead men and that it was only a matter of time before that fact became a reality.”

Wow! Read this book! It‘s essential American reading, especially for white Americans. It‘s the most important thing I‘ve read in years.
Full review in the link below...

Read my 5-star review of Black Like Me by John Howard Griffin
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1058591892

1959...
... and yesterday

Black Like Me. ... Black Like Me, first published in 1961, is a nonfiction book by white journalist John Howard Griffin recounting his journey in the Deep South of the United States, at a time when African-Americans lived under Racial Segregation.

Must Read Book

“...the most obscene figures are not the ignorant ranting racists, but the legal minds who front for them, who ‘invent‘ for them the legislative proposals and the propaganda bulletins. They deliberately choose to foster distortions, always under the guise of patriotism, upon a people who have no means of checking the facts. “ -1962 J Griffin, Black Like Me

I‘m a little over halfway through and finding this (sadly) as much relevant to today as it is a good history lesson.

I read this book many years ago but I will never forget the power of this story! A nonfiction book about a white journalist who in 1959 disguised himself as a black man and traveled for six weeks through the South in the United States. #nuyear #hereintheblack

If you have any interest in race relations I think this is an important read. The author took a huge risk doing this back in 1959 in the south. I cannot even imagine the courage it took. Even he had no idea the implications it would have, and what he would learn in his experiment. I think it should be required reading in schools even today. It explains quite a bit and some surprising. I miss my military days when we were all just shades of green.

Oliver: "It's a dope book. The story takes place in the 50s in the South. A white guy wants to know what's like to be black. He changes the color of his skin and ends up making it so dark that he has an identity crisis. People who used to know him don't recognize him either. He's baffled by it. I read a lot about social justice and the black condition in America. Changing on the outside doesn't change who you are on the inside." #newyork

Sad to say that this book still reminds me of way too much that is still going on today. We may not have segregation on the law books anymore but racism is still alive and well in 2017. What struck me the most were the passages that quoted racists calling themselves super patriots and Christians when defending their practices.

Now. Now. Now. Read it now. The infuriating part is that so much of this is still true. If I can find some cheap copies I'll be quietly, subversively sharing it with some neighbors on Christmas Eve.

It has taken me a bit to process this book. It's the best kind of reading...the kind that makes you think and feel deeply. You can read my full review here: https://liveoakreview.net/2016/11/18/black-like-me-by-john-howard-griffin/. ❤️

On sale today a classic #wndb #diversitymonday or #diversityfriday #MSM #ManyStoriesMonday on Tuesday because that's when Amazon posted it 👍

Finished! The more I read about the past, the more I see it reflected in the present. This was a great book.

Further learning: there are interviews with the writer talking about his experience of "being Black" on YouTube.

...

As I'm reading the New Jim Crow, I'm finding myself thinking about this book. The first I read 25ish years ago in school that made me question, and thinking as much as I thought things had changed, really we've just renamed them and carried on.

A late entry into #DiversityFriday here, but it was the first book for me, from back in JR High, that both shocked & appalled me. It's somewhat outdated & politically incorrect in this day and age, but it did start my journey into questioning what is, and I think it's still a worthwhile read today.

"Living is easy with eyes closed." Black Like Me is the story of a man who opened his eyes...