At the start of 2019 I promised myself I would read more books written by non-white authors. This included non-fiction books as well as science fiction and fantasy books written by others rather than white males. There's nothing wrong with books written by white males, but they were dominating my book shelf. Females and those of color provide a different perspective in their writings and it is important to me to spend more time reading their words and experience differences.
Around that time I went to a local used book store and found this book, although it took me until the end of 2019 and first day of 2020 to read and finish it. At first glance I was a bit leery as the author, Gregory Howard Williams, looks white. Was I reading a book by a white author discussing life as a black individual growing up in the 1950s and 1960s? The answer was no and I am so glad I read this book.
Williams was born to a white mother and a mixed race father who passed off as white living in Virginia. The father, with his two sons (including Williams) moved to Muncie, Indiana and grew up in Muncie's black neighborhood, but looking white to those who didn't know. The author describes his life from elementary school to college, detailing the struggles he went through looking white but having black ancestry on his father's side. In addition, they grew up very poor, to a father who was often drunk and non-existent in the life of his children. His mother abandoned them at a young age, and they were raised by a non-family member that became their true family.
It's a harrowing, but realistic look at how those in the minority were treated in Indiana in the 1950s and 1960s and beyond. Too often those in the majority will argue that the world is different now and we shouldn't focus too much on the past. Wrong. For starters, there is still great discrimination based on race in America today. On top of that, it's extremely important that we all work to understand the discrimination of the past. By understanding this discrimination, even if we are in the majority, is crucial in leading lives with humanistic values. If we don't focus on the past, we will never make the future a better place for all.
Reading this book was an astonishing eye opener that showed how different my life growing up in the majority compared to those growing up in the minority. Many of the stories shared in this book will make you cringe, cry, stomp your feet in anger, etc. It will test your emotions and open your eyes to how society treats others it doesn't like. Read this book. Make it your 2020 goal on your book list.
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