Richard Wright’s Black Boy

This is the autobiography of a black man born in 1908 in the South. The story goes through his days as a Communist in the mid-1930s and deals with his changing viewpoints on the events in his life. The story is punctuated with reflective analyses by Wright on his own attitudes, the attitudes of the people around him, and his views on the psychology involved in the events of his life.

I found the first part (literally, Part I) this book extremely fascinating, and the majority of Part II to be fairly dull, but not horrible by any means. Wright’s younger days provide insight into the way of life for a black boy and family of that time, including his dealings with his immediate and extended family, and the people around him. I would definitely recommend this book to others, despite the slow ending.