Black Like Me

This is a book everyone should read. The more I learn about the civil rights era and the time before it, the more horrified I am. This book is the memoirs of John Howard Griffin and the time he spent passing as a black man in the South. Griffin, a white man, dyed his skin and was able to fool people in to thinking he was black to see how blacks were really treated.

 

The treatment he received from whites was horrible. He was treated as if he were a child. He was asked all kinds of sexual questions from whites' beliefs that blacks were hyper sexual. He felt that he was in danger on many instances. He wasn't welcome in white stores and waiting rooms, even though he was paying the same amount for a ticket or wanted to purchase the same goods as whites. Griffin could never stop moving. A black man standing or sitting could easily attract unwanted police attention.

A telling incident happened when Griffin was riding a bus. The bus driver refused to stop where Griffin asked to be let out. Griffin spoke of his helplessness of not being able to do anything, even get mad, much less get off the bus, while the driver acted like such a jerk. 

One of the things I found really interesting was how the blacks Griffin interacted with felt such a connection with each other. I do suppose, though, that if the color of your skin is all anyone can see, it also strongly connects you with others who look like you. The people Griffin met talked about their status in society quite a bit.

Not surprisingly, the treatment he received after this book was published wasn't much better. He and his family became virtual outcasts in their hometown. People were horrified by a white man telling such a story.

It's quite a different book from The Help. But if you liked The Help and want to know more about how blacks were treated during that time period, you should definitely pick this up. This was a quick and powerful read.

Searching for Whitopia

Searching for Whitopia has an interesting premise: a black man decides to live in several whitopias. Rich Benjamin, the author, defines a whitopia as place that is "whiter than the nation, its respective region, and the state. It posted at least a 6% population growth since 2000. The majority of that growth (often upward of 90%) is from white migration. And a whitopia has a je ne sais quoi--an ineffiable social charisma, a pleasant look and feel."

One of the reasons I was excited to go to China was to be the person that stuck out. I'm an average white girl with brown hair. I've never stuck out. I thought it would be interesting to for an ever so brief period be a minority. And it was. In Beijing, we stuck out. I was asked to be in pictures with people four different times. Little kids would sneak glances at us. My experience in China, while eye opening, wasn't near the same as Benjamin's.

One of the places Benjamin visited is right up the road from where I grew up. Wyoming isn't exactly known for its diversity, so I considered myself aware of whitopias. I teach sociology. What Benjamin found in these whitopias was nothing surprising to me. It was interesting to hear it from the perspective of a black man. I couldn't help but wonder how many of the conversations he'd had (particularly those with the white supremacists) were people putting on their best, not-real, face. One common feature of these whitopias is that they has an us v. them mentality. It's not one of black v. white, but rather the old residents v. the newcomers.

An interesting read on race, but for me, nothing earth shattering. However, if you haven't thought about race much (which is all too easy to do if you are white) or the issues of rapid growth in rural areas I think it'd be an insightful read.

Nine Lives: Death and Life in New Orleans

I hadn't heard of this book before I saw it on a bookstore table, but have been interested in the aftermath of Katrina.

My first week teaching was the week before Katrina hit. I remember telling my classes that it was going to be a big deal. And, sure enough, I was right. When we talk federalism (sharing power between the states and the national government), I always talk about Katrina and the clusterf*** that it was.

My good friend Kelli moved to Wyoming for grad school a few weeks before Katrina hit. Her family lost their home. As you might imagine, it's affected her quite a bit. Through her personal experience, grad school research, and work in the region, Katrina has stayed in the forefront of my mind.

So, I saw this book at the bookstore and immediately picked it up. It is the story of nine New Orleanians. (What the heck are they called?) It follows their lives in New Orleans prior to, during, and after Katrina.

It was a bit slow for me in the beginning, but picked up towards the middle. The last part with Katrina and its aftermath was fascinating. Since these are actual people and their stories, the reality of what they experienced was overwhelming: the anger and helplessness they felt. Some of the people profiled are the parish coroner, a relative of the woman in the wheelchair at the Superdome, a cop, and the owner of the bar that stayed open that you probably saw on tv. The author's exploration of social issues, particularly race, was a consistent theme throughout the book, which gave a real sense of this is how things are.

I've already sent it to Kelli. I can't wait to hear what she thinks about it given all she's been through. I'm really bad/good about doing this-- handing books over to people because I want to know what they think.

In short, another non-fiction book that reads like a novel, my favorite kind! If you are interested in race relations or Katrina, definitely pick it up!

Pink Think

I love non-fiction and sociology related books, so it's no surprise I enjoyed this one. It's a study in gender roles, particularly the 1950's-70's. As a 29 year old, I have never felt that being a female has in any way limited me. I've never believed my sole or main duty in life was to get married and have babies. However, in reading this book I realize how close we are in history to that type of attitude.

Lynn Peril's book focuses on advice books, games, pop culture, and advertising from the time period to show how women were viewed. And it is depressing. Both men and women were treated as if they had no brain. A woman's job was seemingly to trick a man in to marrying her and then popping out a passel of babies. And men? Their feelings could be hurt by their wives' dishpan hands.

Some of the interesting tidbits: In 1959, 47% of brides were under the age of 19. (!!!!) (Today the US average is 25 for females, 27 for males.) But in case you did get a college education, it wouldn't go to waste as "housewives were occasionally called on to give book reviews to the PTA." And remember ladies, it wasn't enough to be pretty and smart. You must be dainty too.

This book helped me understand where my grandmother is coming from sometimes. I've always realized she's from a different world, but all the examples in the book really showed what it meant to be a young housewife in the 40s and 50s. The choices for women then seemed so limited. Interestingly, about 20% of married couples today do not have kids (by choice or infertility). This number is double what it was just 20 years ago. Clearly, when given the choice, women are making different decisions.

Anyhow, this was a really interesting, yet horrifying read. I can't understand how women were treated as such simpletons and how they were allowed such little independence. Yikes.