Black Like Me

I do not understand why this is not required reading for all middle and high school students in America.

This book, written by a white man who turned his skin dark, is very eye opening.

Terrific book.

Still reading it and so far so GOOD

As a Caucasian person trying to understand more about race-relations right now I asked one of my African American friends what a good book to read would be. She quickly referenced me to this book, which she thought would be a good way for me to understand what it feels like to be an African American in America. The premise of the story is that a Caucasian writer has seen the hardships of the African American people and chooses to undergo a treatment of medication that will make his skin pigmentation darker so that he can blend in with other African Americans and experience life through their eyes. The book is very eye opening in that you get to see how radical a shift it is for someone to go from one side of the tracks to the other. You get to see how African Americans are mistreated just because of their skin color. You see how they are disallowed privileges to eat at and use the restroom facilities at certain establishments, are denied the right to leave a bus for a break on a long trip, are forced to sit in the back of the bus, are considered sexually promiscuous and more all just because of the skin they were born with. It is really helpful in seeing how hard things really were for them and how they were able to come together and strive on. It was also cool to see how the writer stood up for what he knew was right and chose to put himself and his family in danger to bring the issue of race relations to the fore-front of American media. HOWEVER, despite the fact that some of these things still do happen, most of these things have come and gone. Some may say that I am wrong, and maybe I am being calloused here, but this book doesn't seem to apply to modern day race relations any more. I asked my friend if any of these things had ever happened to her, but she did say that she still felt that things like this happened in different ways. I would say that this book may be a good way to open yourself up to understanding how to view things from other people's perspective (if you are coming from a Caucasian background), but it is by no means the best material for understanding the situations that face America today. Unfortunately I don't have any other books to recommend at this time, because I myself am still learning more and more on the topic, but I would encourage you to maybe go find something that was written in the past decade at least instead of a book written about 70 years ago. Ultimately it was a worthwhile read, but if you are looking to enhance your knowledge on modern race-relations I think their may be better sources out there that help you get a better understanding. If you found this review helpful, then please let me know below. I am trying to figure out how to improve my reviews to aid other Amazon customers and any feedback in the form of likes, dislikes and comments would be appreciated.

This is such a good book. This is one of the most powerful and eye‑opening books I’ve ever read. Griffin’s experiment (darkening his skin to experience life as a Black man in the segregated South) is told with raw honesty and emotion. It’s not just about what he saw, but how he felt, and how people’s reactions changed overnight. Reading this today is still shocking, because it shows how deeply ingrained prejudice was (and still can be). It forced me to think critically about empathy and privilege, and I couldn’t stop talking about it after finishing. It’s an important read for understanding American history and race relations on a personal level.

Even after all these years this book remains most compelling. A "must read" in my view, particularly if you have any interest in American race relations.

John Howard Griffin is absolutely incredible. I’m so happy that this book was recommended for me to read, because it gave me a new perspective that I think I will find valuable for the rest of my life. As a black woman, I was absolutely repulsived by some of the comments made by white individuals who picked Griffin up on the side of road, but I was amazed at his ability to use his white experience to see the best in these individuals. He saw them as humans acting out an ideology that they truly didn’t understand, and without his desire to truly understand it from the other side by becoming one, he would be just like his white counterparts as he was the weeks before the experiment. His actions reminded me of a poem by Thich Nhat Hanh titled Recommendation where he says: “The only thing worthy of you is compassion – invincible, limitless, unconditional.” He had compassion as a white man in a black mans body. He didn’t embody white guilt to move the collective forward, and I think by these simple actions he truly embodied the bravery of black men and women who looked at their oppressors with love and compassion, and prayed for the healing of their mind while hoping that through love that could drive out the hate. Good job, John Howard Griffin. In loving memory, thank you for your contributions to society and being on the right side of history.

A most unusual piece of reporting that even after this length of time, (John Griffin's investigative journey into America's Deep South took place in 1959), remains quite startling. In order to find out what it was really like to be a Black Man in the Deep South at that time John Griffin turned himself into a Negro by means of medicine and a sunray lamp. Not one person suspected that he was not what he appeared to be, although he had to shave his head since he did not have kinky hair. In this guise, he was able to learn from the Negroes of the South what their daily life was really like. Talking to a white reporter, not one of them would have dared to give their actual views. He was constantly shocked by his contact with white men in the region and their deep-rooted contempt for their black neighbours. He refers constantly to the "hate stare" to which he was subjectd, and also underwent a number of frightening and deeply shocking incidents. The publication of his experiences after his return had deeply reactions. His account was published both in magazine and in book form. He also gave radio and TV interviews and numerous lectures. Adverse reaction caused him, his family and his elderly parents to move from his hometown in Texas to Mexico. He was also severely beaten up by the Ku Klux Klan and an effigy of him was hung up in the main street of the town where he lived. The book is still in print and has many relevant points to make on interracial relations. The paperback edition that I bought was published in 2016. It contains photographs of Mr Griffin as a black man. I was uncertain about such a venture before I started reading the book, but I found it extremely interesting. My only mistake was to take it on a weekend away, as I would not recommend it for light holiday reading! Otherwise I can recommend it unreservedly.

Every Black man should read this book. If you think you know how bad things really were racially in the South, you should read this book. Very informative, sad, infuriating, eye-opening, tragic, depressing, and a whole lot of other emotions will you experience when you read this. I was born in the 1950s in South Carolina. I escaped all that Mr. John Howard Griffin wrote before I was born. He has my gratitude and Thanks for braving what he did to write this book.

This book is a bit different. It's not fiction but a real experience of a journalist. Mr.Griffin changed his skin color with the help of medicine to black to see how it is like to be black.

This book will certainly change some lives, and it may just change your perspective on what it was like for the black community at the height of segregation in the Southern Belt of the US. Told from the perspective of a journalist who goes undercover as a black man to obtain a real account of their lives, you get taken into a world previously unknown that showcases the extent to which the white community were uneducated about racial differences, the ignorance and assumptions they made, and the struggle black individuals faced on a daily basis. I bought this book as teaching material for a book discussion class, as I can say that it has made a difference in at least one of their lives for the better. Absolutely worth the read!!

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