About This Book:
Goodreads Summary
✥Stand-Alone
✥Release Date: January 1, 1960 (approximate)
✥Format: Paperback
✥Setting: U.S.A.
✥Page Count: 200
✥Genre(s): Nonfiction, Autobiography/Memoir, Classics, Race Relations
✥Date(s) Read: 3/3/19-3/8/19
✥Rating: Book: 5/5 Audio: 5/5 [length: 7 hrs 9 mins] Narrator(s): Ray Childs
✥2019 Favorite✥
My Thoughts:
I do own the physical and audio (from audible)
Audio:
He made it just that much easier to get through. I enjoyed listening to his voice. I could picture it actually being Mr. Griffin reading it himself (maybe that's because I have yet to hear his voice as of this post). Not sure if I would have finished the book without the audio book. Not because the book wasn't good but because I tend to find myself losing interest in books easier lately, especially nonfiction.
Book:
(I began typing this out as I was still listening to the book)
The book was written in diary form of what he dealt with during the time he was being a black man.
I saw a question on Goodreads about whether or not if him doing this would be offensive.
My response was as I think it always has been for me personally: No!
Why?
Because I knew what I was going into when I chose to listen to this book. Also, it wasn't like he was being disrespectful by doing black face. He was wanting to see what it was to live as a black man during Jim Crow/Segregation. As I told the person who asked the question, I took more offense to the racists/bigots with the way they treated people and assumptions than I did Mr. Griffin (no offense taken on his end as I stated before).
Further Thoughts:
So much of what was talked about in the book, still goes on today. Economically. Thoughts of how sexually active many are/are not. The things "they do" during sex. And things that I can't even remember at the time I am typing all of this.
I am amazed at how Mr. Griffin responded to so many people based on prejudices, lies, assumptions & so on.
It's amazing how quickly he learned the mannerisms to be taken by black people when dealing with whites and how his thoughts went towards them as well. How he began to truly understand why black people did certain things and thought the way they did.
Him becoming a black man helped him to get their true thoughts towards white men and women. How they wanted so much to be able to have better for themselves. The reactions to him when some realized what he had done wasn't surprising by any means.
This book was well worth the read and I really am glad that I finally sat down and listened to it. I had put it off so many times because I wasn't sure I'd enjoy it or if I would take to it very well. I was wrong on both parts. It was good to read some things that I had some idea of the thoughts about black people but didn't realize how bold some folks were in asking questions based on assumptions & lies.
I think I am becoming a bit more repetitive now. So, I'll hush.
(BTW: Yes, I am a woman of color. As if it should matter for this post)
(Cover I own)
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