Black Boy

     This is one of the saddest books I've ever read. It's not even really what happens or what you physically read that make me sad, it's what everything means. I still can't get over how terrible it is that Richard's mom beats him all the time, especially when he asks questions. That has to be so damaging to that poor little boy. Any little boy or girl I've ever met has that beautiful, wondering curiosity, and no matter how annoying it is for them to ask question after question, I always want to answer them. I have this need, almost an urgency, to satisfy their curiosity. It's so wonderful to see a little kid asking questions, it's the mark of a smart human. So for Richard's mom to deny him that curiosity, to deny him the answers to the many questions he asks, is just so sad. I don't know, because I haven't finished the book yet, but I feel like that's going to hurt him as  a man later on in life. Already, from the burning curtains and the alcoholism and the swearing, you can tell he has this need for attention, and everything he does gets him into trouble. He can't get the answers he needs at home, so he has to seek elsewhere.
     Another thing that really makes my heart ache is growing awareness he has of racism, and the way he feeds into it. I totally, one hundred percent understand why he does. He hears terrible stories of things that white people are doing to black people, and it's no wonder he grows to hate them. But it makes me so sad that it had to be that way. Earlier in the book, he writes how he was for the most part unaware of the difference between white and black people, besides the color of their skins. As he grows older, he starts to notice other things, and with the help of his community and every person around him, he builds a barrier between him and other races. He writes of his treatment of the Jewish man who owns the store, and of the treatment of blacks by whites that he hears every day. It is such an unfortunate thing to read about, hearing him as a young, innocent little boy who becomes more socially aware and has almost no choice but to contribute to the racism of the country. It is a terrible, unfortunate, unavoidable thing.
     Even though this book is heartbreaking, I like it so far. It's a little weird at times, like when he kills the cat, or when he lives with his uncle. While it's hard to read, it's very interesting. I'm excited to continue.