I enjoyed the first 2/3 of this book the most. Much of the book dealt with his experiences growing up in the South as a Black man. I think there is more familiarity with Black history as it relates to the Civil War era and the Civil Rights era, but the space in between doesn’t get discussed as much.

It was very insightful reading about the author’s daily interactions growing up in the South. In most cases, African Americans truly were treated as inferior. Outside of slavery and segregation, even routine social interactions were very sad. There was one account in particular in the book that I thought was poignant. The author was friends with another Black man at a hotel who was an elevator operator. He watched one day as the elevator operator offered a white man a quarter to kick him in the behind. The author was disgusted with this and resolved never to allow something like that happen to him. The whole scene was very degrading and drove home just how Black Americans were viewed and treated. It was fascinating reading his thoughts as he grew up and learned to navigate this social system. It was sad to see how a misstep in this social system could result in physical harm or even death. Reading this made me think of how Samaritans were portrayed and treated in the New Testament and Christ’s commentary on that situation. It was a good reminder to be mindful of how we treat those who might be outcast by society.

The author spent a lot of time describing his thoughts as he taught himself to close off his emotions in order to get ahead in the world around white people.

Midway through the book he moved north to Chicago, and it was fascinating to read the contrast in how Blacks were treated in the North vs. the South. There was one experience that I thought was particularly representative of this. While working at a café, one of the white waitresses came to him and ask him if he wouldn’t mind helping her tie her apron string in the back and how she didn’t think anything of it. He discussed how in the South, such an interaction would have been considered inappropriate. It also struck me how he was distrustful of whites treating him as equal in the North given his experiences growing up in the South. It was difficult for him to truly open up and share his insides because of that distrust.

The last third of the book was frankly dry and slow at times but was still insightful. I didn’t realize just how widespread Communism was in large cities at the time. We might have taken things too far during the Red Scare, but the concern was not unfounded. At least through the lens of the book, almost every labor union at the time had Communist elements of some kind. They were organized locally and nationally, and the author described members travelling to the USSR to meet with Russian leaders and to even speak in front of their political audiences. Based on the characters in the book that participated in the movement, these were not inspiring individuals. Most of them seemed lazy and lacked work ethic. They would march making demands that the government give jobs to artists and writers or pay their way. Within their own ranks, there was distrust, deceitfulness, and the use of shame and public humiliation was a common tool to accomplish their goals. The irony in all of their commentary was the only reason they were able to do what they were doing was because of the free system they lived in. In the book, they specifically talked about how things were different in the US vs. Russia in that if they disagreed with the party in the US, it only resulted in expulsion from the group, whereas in Russia it would end in them getting shot. In railing against a free society and capitalism, they somehow missed that irony.

The other thing that struck me was just how many parallels there were between the language of the Communist characters in the book and our present day social change movement we’ve witnessed over the last year. Everything was talked about was done so similar to the critical theory discussions today in that everything was viewed through systems of oppression. Anyone who claims there aren’t significant similarities between the two is ignoring history. The other thing I noted was how that movement took advantage of certain elements of society to gain strength. Some of the characters reminded me of John Sullivan from Utah. You could have picked him out of modern day and dropped him in the book with the Communist characters and he would have fit right in. But the biggest take away was these characters were miserable, unhappy, and devoid of joy. There was nothing positive that came from their ideology.

Poverty was clearly a theme throughout the book. Both for White and Black characters in the book, there were all kinds of social ills that sprang from poverty. It makes me grateful that we live in a nation that has done more to lift more people out of poverty than any other situation previously.

My three biggest takeaways were this:
1) I appreciated reading a perspective of someone who grew up in an environment like the author’s. It gave me greater understanding of what life was like for a Black person growing up in the segregated South. It truly was a sad environment for those who were victims of that segregation and the mistreatment.
2) It made me appreciate all the more the country we live in and what it has done. The events in the book were clearly a reflection of attitudes that had prevailed throughout history. In spite of the dark spots in our past, and while there are still people today who still carry remnants of those attitudes and have racist views, our country has been a shining light in phasing out those ideas and showing that through a free system there is clearly a better way that can raise up people of all walks.
3) Viewing the world as a series of systems of oppression leads nowhere positive. It was clear from the characters in the book who adopted that ideology that it only begets more hate, more violence, more misery, and ultimately leads to the very oppression they claim to be fighting. There is no hope or joy in that way of thinking and no accomplishment of greatness or self-improvement. The adherents to this path in the book seemed miserable, full of shame, and lacked self-identity and confidence. They were constantly suspicious of one another and never developed real trust. Their self-worth came from membership in the group and from gaining affirmation from the group. Their focus was on their exterior selves rather than internal.

Overall, I am glad I read the book and appreciate the perspectives it gave me.