Objects in the mirror are closer than they appear

I have to admit I was a little disappointed originally in the selections I found at the bookstore. It was difficult to find many books that didn’t have young African American males not depicted as the star athlete who has his struggles with either in school academically or with social peer pressures to get into drugs, burglary or other destructive endeavors. The three stories each had their typical characters: two had young men who were good athletes and the third’s main character was a good artist, this certainly did not dispel my initial thoughts. It was also not easy to find three books by different authors in the bookstore. Although the store was willing to order other books, I felt it was interesting to note the given selection from the bookstore. I was thus forced to select a book from an author I was completely unfamiliar with I ended up selecting a book from an outsider. That particular book also ended up being my least favorite of the three. I found it out of date and disconnected. I would contribute this to both the time of the publication (1960’s) and the author himself.

Ultimately, I could find redeeming qualities in each of the selections. Although the characters each met some typical African American stereotypes, each story had elements which pulled away from these initial character types. And I could appreciate the attempt. I can’t say that I was all together pleased with what I did find, but I can say I found an interesting selection and learned a little bit in the process.