When I was in high school, I was fortunate enough to read a book that changed my life. And when I say, "read" that is probably one of the biggest feats. I was the queen of half-assing it. I would locate any and all "Cliff's Notes" in order to avoid having to really read and analyze the classics. This rare book, "Black Like Me" by John Howard Griffin wasn't popular enough to have any Cliff Notes around.
"In print for almost fifty years, Black Like Me is an important document of the Civil Rights era. It tells how Griffin, using medication that darkened his skin, disguised himself as a black man and traveled through the deep South, experiencing firsthand the injustice and indignities that were part of everyday life for African Americans. After the book was published, Griffin received death threats and was hanged in effigy on the main street of his Texas home town. But he also gained international respect and a platform as a human rights activist."
I felt personally connected to the civil rights movement in a way I never could have prior to reading this book. It moved me. It made me want to take action. Griffin was an amazing man and his story seems fictional.
Before his death, Griffin wrote that his one source of regret was "all the time I spent foolishly when I could have done something for someone else." Given how much he contributed to the Civil Rights movement, I find it amazing he still yearned to give more.
Read the book, and when you get the chance, watch the upcoming documentary about his life, "Uncommon Vision: The life and times of John Howard Griffin."
