BLACK LIKE ME--JOHN GRIFFIN

Black Like Me--John Howard Griffin

-Site Done By Shelby Christine Carleton-

Summary:

Black Like me is about John Griffin(the author of 'Black Like Me') and his adventures. In 'Black Like Me' John Griffin is a first class "White" man who has everything he will ever need. He one day decided to become "Black", to do this he needed medication, and skin stain. The medication is what was said to eventually kill him. He tells his wife and sets out. He decides to write an article for a black oriented magazine, in return he asks the people to pay for everything he may need. They accept.

When he looks into the mirror the first time after applying the skin stains, taking the medications, and using ultraviolet light, he breifly panics because he believes he has lost his identity. Eventually he changes and learns to accept it, and creats a new identity.

*above*
'Black Like Me' Book cover.
Picture from http://www.wingspress.com/Titles/Black_Like_Me.html

Biography:

Full Name: John Howard Griffin
Born: June 16 1920
Died: September 9 1980
Additional Information:
John Griffin was born in Dallas in 1920 and died in Fort Worth. At the age of 15 he went to France to complete his education in Medicine. He went to the University of Poitiers and also worked as the assistant director of Asylum of Tours. After the war outbreak he helped evacuate Jewish children. In 1941 John went back to the U.S.

Some of the books he wrote after being wounded in the U.S. Air Force during a Japanese air raid were:

*The Devil Rides Outside--1952
*Nuni--1956

Those books were written about war time experiences. Some other books written by Mr. Griffin were:

*Black Like Me--1961
*The Church and the Black Man--1969
*A Time To Be Human--1977
*A Hidden Wholeness--1970
*Hermitage Journals--1981

Biography Information used was found at the following URL:

http://www.reportingcivilrights.org/authors/bio.jsp?authorId=22