Black like Me, John Howard Griffin
Black like Me, John Howard Griffin
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Black like Me

Author: John Howard Griffin

Narrator: Ray Childs

Unabridged: 7 hr 10 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 11/01/2011

Synopsis

Writer John Howard Griffin decided to perform an experiment fifty years ago. In order to learn firsthand how one race could withstand the second class citizenship imposed on it by another, he dyed his white skin dark, left his family, and traveled to the South to live as a black man. What began as scientific research ended up changing his life in every way imaginable. This is an eyewitness account of discrimination and segregation that is terrifying and degrading, and its publication caused a furor. As narrated by Ray Childs, this first-ever recording of Black like Me will leave each listener deeply affected. John Howard Griffin’s groundbreaking and controversial work helped bring the full effect of racism to the forefront of America’s conscience—and it has lessons to be learned over half a century later.

About John Howard Griffin

John Howard Griffin (1920–1980), was a writer, journalist, humanitarian, and social critic. He was educated in France. His first work, The Devil Rides Outside, is an autobiographical account of his time there and the personal struggles during this period of his life. With the advent of World War II, Griffin did military service, where he was hit on the head and suffered a concussion, which later caused him to be struck blind. He miraculously recovered his sight five years later and wrote about the experience in Scattered Shadows. The most famous and controversial book he wrote was Black Like Me, where he examined the attitudes of whites toward African Americans in the states of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia. In order to obtain firsthand experience, he dyed his skin black and lived among African Americans. Griffin received many awards in his lifetime, including the Pope John XIII Pacem in Terris Peace and Freedom Award and the National Council of Negro Women Award. 

About Ray Childs

Ray Childs is a successful audiobook narrator. He can be heard on such titles as Black like Me, The Vanderbilts, and Amos Fortune.

Reviews

Goodreads review by David on March 10, 2010

My father took Griffin to the bus station in Dallas when he started h is journey. when the book came out, the Griffin family lived with us for many weeks until the threats died down. (castration,tarring and feathering, outright murder to name a few) since my family was mentioned inthe book, we were t......more

Goodreads review by Baba on July 23, 2022

Verging on being a modern classic, penned in the year 1959, and first serialised in a magazine that year, Griffin's monumental tale of him, being a white man, pretending to be Black (clever make-up), and living as a Black man in America in 1959. Read today, it is still of huge resonance and a must-r......more

Goodreads review by Julie on September 18, 2015

Let's just put this right up front: the idea that it takes a white man posing as a black man to convince white America of the realities of racism smacks of patronizing racial tourism; something only tone-deaf Hollywood could conjure up (except that not even Hollywood dreamed up Rachel Dolezal, who e......more

Goodreads review by Thomas on September 16, 2022

Read this for an informal book club with my residency cohort and ummm it’s a mess? The basic premise is that this white man John Howard Griffin takes medication (??) to make his skin black, then he goes to the south and pretends to be a Black man so he can understand what it’s like to be Black in th......more

Goodreads review by Lindsey on August 09, 2015

This was so incredibly painful and terrifying.......more

Quotes

“A stinging indictment of thoughtless, needless inhumanity. No one can read it without suffering.”
Dallas Morning News

“Essential reading…a social document of the first order…with such authenticity that it cannot be dismissed.”
San Francisco Chronicle

“Professional narrator Childs renders this recounting even more immediate and emotional with his heartfelt delivery and skillful use of accents.” Publishers Weekly (audio review)

“A fascinating view of life before the heyday of the Civil Rights movement, showing the difficulties of being black in America.”
Library Journal

“Ray Childs’ narration is both straightforward and deeply satisfying. A skilled reader, he incorporates different dialects to help listeners distinguish among the various characters. His ability to convey a full spectrum of emotions, including exhilaration, bone-deep sadness, and gut-wrenching fear is riveting…This recording deserves a place in every public library.” School Library Journal (audio review)

“[A] compelling and incisive piece of investigative reporting…Only the coldest of hearts could be unaffected by this story, told with dignity and warmth, conviction and steadfast honesty. Audiobooks like this can help heal wounds and open minds about racism, an issue our nation still struggles with.”
AudioFile

Awards

  • Anisfield-Wolf Book Prize
  • BookRiot Pick
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