Customer Reviews

Nigger : An Autobiography

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

I am a 13 year old cacagun male in 7th grade in St. Augustine, FL. This should be required reading for all students in middle school and high school. I recently was denied my freedom of speech when told i couldn't do a book report on this facinating title. I was told it might offened some people. i replyed that if the message of the book was fully understood, it would fail to offend people. I was still denied. Don't let the title of this book stiffle the message. ".....when a man calls me a nigger, he is is calling me something i am not. The nigger exists only in his mind, therfore he's the nigger. I feel sorry for such a man." -Gregory. Nigger is just a word that people give power, if we stop giving this word power, it won't hurt anyone. Read this book.

Dick Gregory's autobiography is a book you will finish in one night because you won't put it down! You will also find yourself re-reading most of it for the remainder of your life. But "Nigger" is just the start of something much bigger. Gregory became arguably the greatest man who has ever lived. Tune into his website ... in conjunction with ordering and reading some of his books available from amazon.com. Mr. Gregory made a lot of mistakes during his childhood and as a young adult, but he found something inside himself that helped to change the world. Junior high school is a perfect time to begin reading this book. "Nigger" is funny and provocative. Gregory uses humor to get his message across in a one of a kind way. It should be required reading for ALL junior high and high schools.

A strong memior, lots of touching and interesting detail about his life growing up, his constant struggle to overcome adversity. I totally empathized with his hustling and lying at points to get ahead in a world so poised against him. the main thing I liked about the book was his VERY HUMAN side, his compassion for himself, his pain he suffered at being poor, mostly fatherless, black, dirty, hungry, uneducated. I loved it that he could cry, he could keep his humanity despite the world's cruelty...and not just keep it and feel it, but write about it later.

Weak point: the ending petered out. It went from being a man's internal struggle to "make it" in the world - the place in which I found the book's power lay - to being just another typical civil rights journal. And although I think the civil rights movement has its place, and Dick Gregory his place within it, I think I would have found the book far more satisfying it ended by its author turning further inward and exploring his own motives on his own purely personal journey, rather than outward to the struggle of society. Perhaps he wasn't ready to write on this level when he published his memoir, as he was only 30 or 31 when he wrote it, but to me his lack of wisdom still doesn't let the book off the hook.

This book should be required reading. Dick Gregory tells the story of one black man's life from poverty to world-class entertainer and comedian. Most biographies would end here, but Mr. Gregory is not content with his incredibly successful career, but details his desire to make the world a better place for all of the disadvantaged children that will not be as fortunate to be as talented as Mr. Gregory. I found this book at a used bookstore and I am so pleased to see that it is still in print.

This book is one of the best i've ever read. Dick Gregory keeps you entertained and hooked all throughout the book. Gives you great insight into an african american's life not so long ago. He's honest , succint and to the point.

Dick Gregory was a track star, first class entertainer and civil rights supporter. But before each of those, he was a black man. Being a black man was never an easy thing, but Mr. Gregory had the misfortune of being a black man who grew up on "relief" (i.e. welfare) raised by a working, black single mother in a white man's world. His prose is wonderfully direct and honest to the point of discomfort. Nigger : An Autobiography would be required reading in every high school in America if not for its controversial title. In a perfect world, Dick Gregory's memoir would be judged by its content and not its cover, as he was judged by color and not character.

Gregory never glorifies his accomplishments into distortion. This is not the story of a hero. He was a very small player in a civil rights movement filled with brave men and women. Though a nationally recognized high school track star, he faded in college althletics at Southern Illinois. He was not a name comedian like Johnny Carson, Jack Paar or Richard Pryor. Failings in his business and personal life are well-documented. His is a more typical black experience than Medgar Evers, Martin Luther King or Magic Johnson. It is story reflective of millions of northern blacks born in the 1930s and who come of age in the 50s and 60s. Nigger : An Autobiography is the best autobiography I have read, bar none. Because I cannot hope to match the eloquence of Dick Gregory, this review will conclude with his own words.

"It's because we grinned when he wanted us to grin. We cried when he wanted us to cry. We've spent money when he wanted us to spend money. And we've done without when he said do without."

"He owns all the missiles in the world, and when he talked to you about owning a switchblade you become ashamed."

"He started all the wars, and when he talked to you about cutting somebody on Saturday night you become ashamed."

"He makes me feel small. He calls me everything on the job but my name, so I'm aggravated before I get home."

"Then he tells me about my education. Well, if it takes education his-style to produce a clown that would throw dynamite in a church, I hope we never get that."

Another great testament of how hard work and determination bring good results. Gregory's story is still inspiring, even after more than 40 years. Prior to reading his book, if I had to use a few words to describe what he was about, I could only think of "the Dick Gregory diet" and ex-comedian. Although I had heard that he was involved in the Civil Rights movement, I didn't realize the extent of his involvement, nor his impact. I have a new level of respect for him. I also noticed that in the latter years-from 1960 to 1964 when the book was written, his activism took center stage and his comedy was barely mentioned.

Many poignant moments are in the book, of course. For instance, during a rally, a white man spat in his face, and due to the non-violent nature of the rally, he simply allowed the spit to drain into his mouth as he responded with sarcastic but peaceful words to the offender. I cannot ever afford to forget what others went through for me to enjoy the advances in equality today.

The style of writing is also effective. It flows smoothly, and I was able to read the book within a three day period. No portion of the book dragged on with unnecessary details, in my opinion. The 209 pages were well used.

Gregory told his story in an extremely honest way. It starts off almost in a reflective state, with him speaking to his mother in his own way. He moves on to talk about his childhood, which was unpleasant to say the least. How he, along with many other people who live under those conditions, survived it is a testament to itself. He had a lot of help along the way from friends, family, associates, and many others. Those people really believed in him, because all he could offer at that time was his word. He moves on to talk about the civil rights struggle, which took on a huge part of his life as he got older. Remember this book was written in his early 30s, and as much as he gave ithat time, his gives even more and his impact on the black community as a whole was much bigger as he got older and gained more wisdom. The book will mkae you laugh, maybe cry at times, but most of all, it will make you think.

Much of the contents will be familiar to people who have either lived the lifestyle Mr. Gregory (who I've had the honor of meeting once) lived or have read books on Black life in the pre-integration era. Powerful stuff, particualrly the sermon about "The Monster" (i.e., racial prejudice) near the end. However, there are some scenes that stretch credibility, such as his daring a redneck in Mississippi with a shotgun to blow his (Gregory's) brains out, his forcing his wife to answer whether she would prefer that he or his dead son died (you have to see the way this was written), etc. Some if it (and this is in character for Gregory for anyone who has heard Mr. Gregory speak in person) will make you say WHAT?

Reading Mr. Gregory's memoir of his first 31 years of life (1932-1963) was like being hit between the eyes with a two-by-four. His descriptions of living in abject poverty made my stomach hurt. Ironically, being black and dirt poor is what propelled him to excel in running, comedy and ultimately, as a civil-rights advocate. By sheer tenacity and an almost Pollyannaish notion that he would succeed, Mr. Gregory took huge risks in his pursuit of becoming a great showman. His willingness to risk his life and nascent fame in the pursuit of equal rights is hugely admirable. Almost from the onset of the narration, the book is permeated with spiritual omens about what is in store for the author. His belief that divine intervention played an instrumental part during his journey will be hard to swallow if you are not religious. However, Mr. Gregory's book is a brutally honest depiction of being black and poor in America. The memoir is still very relevant for today's readers.