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Black Like ME (Paperback)

by John Howard Griffin (Author) "For years the idea had haunted me, and that night it returned more insistently than ever ..." (more)
4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Paperback: 208 pages
  • Publisher: Signet; 35th edition edition (20 Mar 1998)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0451192036
  • ISBN-13: 978-0451192035
  • Product Dimensions: 17 x 10.4 x 1.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 102,323 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories:

    #34 in  Books > Biography > Medical, Legal & Social Sciences > Anthropology & Sociology
    #74 in  Books > Biography > Social & Health Issues > Cultural History > African-American & Black

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Product Description

Synopsis

A white writer recounts his experiences in the American South following treatments that darkened his skin and shares his thoughts on the problems of prejudice and racial injustice.
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First Sentence
For years the idea had haunted me, and that night it returned more insistently than ever. Read the first page
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Customer Reviews

28 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.8 out of 5 stars (28 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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45 of 47 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the most important works of our time, 4 Jul 2000
By A Customer
This book carries such a potent message that it should be compulsive reading for all. Last year I studied Race Relations: apartheid in South Africa and segregation in America, as part of my GCSE History syllabus and happened upon this book whilst browsing in the school library during an English lesson. From the moment I read the synopsis, I could not put it down. It's the true story of a white man who disguises himself as a black man and travels to the Deep South in the 1950s in order to discover what kind of life a black really lives in a place where racial hatred runs so deep. The results are incredible, heart-wrenching, and deeply disturbing. It inspires self-questioning. It made me wonder: if one can only learn of oneself by how he reacts to others and others react to him, then surely as other's perceptions of him change in reponse to a superficial outward characteristic such as skin colour, his inward sense or perception of self must also change, thus altering the essence of his soul and the nature of his self knowledge. Griffin found himself referring to blacks as 'we' and 'us', and he experienced a frightening identity crisis; after all, when you look black and others respond to you as black and either alienate or integrate you according to your blackness, the only thing preventing you from being black is your (literal) underlying whiteness! It poses questions about society, social groupings and appearances, and ultimately, how the fragile soul can be damaged or altered as a result of the reactions to the body it occupies. After all, does one's soul have a colour?
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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A classic which fails to date, 22 Sep 2003
By A Customer
This review is from: Black Like Me (School & Library Binding)
I've not much to add to the very positive reviews on Amazon about this book. It is very well written, with an economy of style and still provides an important exploration of the human condition. You will carry many of the episodes in the book around with you long after you've read it. But the one thing I thought that I could add is that I've just ordered another copy through Amazon. This is after having lost a good few copies over the years, lent/given to several of my former students (mainly 16-18 year olds) who seem to have found it both accessible and important. I can think of no other book that I've been so keen to share but so determined to replace.
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Compelling tale of the black southern experience., 11 April 1997
By A Customer
There are only a few books that have really given me a deeper understanding into the issues of the world around us. This book is one of them. John Howard Griffin penetrates into a world that seems almost beyond belief and yet is undeniably and startlingly real. Realizations await on every page to show that the generally sheltered cultural perspective of the typical white (like myself) could not conceive the situation which confronted blacks in the south every day just a very few years ago -- as experienced by a white man who changed his skin color and dealt with the consequences. The book is made even better by a series of stories about his experiences after returning to the world of caucausions and going on the lecture circuit about the plight of blacks in the south. He demonstrates the rationalization and close mindedness that characterizes even those who consider themselves "good people". This book would probably be too much to accept if not for the authors remarkably unassuming and explanatory style. Rarely has such a sore subject been confronted so directly and yet so plainly. Highly recommended. I keep having to buy new copies because people will read a few pages and want a copy.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars a good insight
i bought this book for my husband,he ejoyed reading it and suggested i read it,i'm glad i did.I thought i knew about this subject how wrong i was and its an insight to what... Read more
Published 29 days ago by Mrs. F. Hainsworth

5.0 out of 5 stars Still relevant today
Here's something that often makes me laugh...

People who seem to have no Black friends, don't know any Black people other than at a distance (say in another... Read more
Published 23 months ago by mrarchangel

1.0 out of 5 stars Read 27 years ago; still the most meaningful book I've read
In High School in Canada this book was one of the required reading books. It gripped me then but over the past 27 years, it has become more and more meaningful. Read more
Published on 27 Feb 2002

5.0 out of 5 stars Thought provoking, and consciousness raising.
I first read this book almost 15 years ago, following studying an extract in an English class school. Read more
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5.0 out of 5 stars A brilliant classic!
I am 16 years old and needed to do a book review on a certian topic. My mum was going to give away a pile of old books that she had had ever since she was 10. Read more
Published on 30 Aug 1999

5.0 out of 5 stars best book i ever read
black like me is my all time favorite book. when i was in fifth grade, my teacher recomended it to me. Read more
Published on 25 Aug 1999

5.0 out of 5 stars EXCELLENT!!
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... Read more
Published on 3 Jun 1999

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best In Depth Book Of THe Century
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. Read more
Published on 19 April 1999

5.0 out of 5 stars A life changing, eye-opening observation of U.S. racism
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... Read more
Published on 9 April 1999

5.0 out of 5 stars A small light shone in a vast of emptiness.
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. Read more
Published on 30 Mar 1999

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