separate pasts
Separate Pasts, Growing Up White in the Segregated South
Separate Pasts is an award winning novel written by Melton A. McLaurin that delves into the 1950s era where racism was evident around each corner. McLaurin honestly explores the relationships he had with his fellow white peers as well as the African Americans during his childhood in the southern United States. This novel was a moving tale that examined the racist times that plagued our vast history. McLaurin did not understand at a young age how much race played a part in life, but had the decency to be kind hearted to each person he encountered, regardless of their ethnicity. Throughout the book, McLaurin discussed how segregated the tiny town of Wade was and how the blacks would never be deemed equal to the whites, regardless of their hard work or honesty. I believe that McLaurin adequately proves that Wade was a town divided entirely upon race and social economic status. McLaurin struggled as he crossed the threshold from boyhood into manhood, especially in terms of dealing with the blacks in the tiny town of Wade. In the beginning of the novel, McLaurin talks about how he experienced his first realization of how he was different than his fellow black peers. McLaurin started playing a pickup game of basketball with the white and black children in the neighborhood. The children paid no mind to color when it came to sports, but especially during their youth. McLaurin headed to his grandfathers shop to put air in the second hand basketball they tended to play with. He brought along two of the black players because filling up a basketball with air was more than a one man project. McLaurin was frustrated after his friend Bobo failed to fill the ball with enough air once he put the needle that was required into his mouth. McLaurin placed the same needle in his mouth and was instantly overcome with emotion. "The realization transformed my prejudices into a physically painful experience. Such actions
Separate Pasts is an award winning novel written by Melton A. McLaurin that delves into the 1950s era where racism was evident around each corner. McLaurin honestly explores the relationships he had with his fellow white peers as well as the African Americans during his childhood in the southern United States. This novel was a moving tale that examined the racist times that plagued our vast history. McLaurin did not understand at a young age how much race played a part in life, but had the decency to be kind hearted to each person he encountered, regardless of their ethnicity. Throughout the book, McLaurin discussed how segregated the tiny town of Wade was and how the blacks would never be deemed equal to the whites, regardless of their hard work or honesty. I believe that McLaurin adequately proves that Wade was a town divided entirely upon race and social economic status. McLaurin struggled as he crossed the threshold from boyhood into manhood, especially in terms of dealing with the blacks in the tiny town of Wade. In the beginning of the novel, McLaurin talks about how he experienced his first realization of how he was different than his fellow black peers. McLaurin started playing a pickup game of basketball with the white and black children in the neighborhood. The children paid no mind to color when it came to sports, but especially during their youth. McLaurin headed to his grandfathers shop to put air in the second hand basketball they tended to play with. He brought along two of the black players because filling up a basketball with air was more than a one man project. McLaurin was frustrated after his friend Bobo failed to fill the ball with enough air once he put the needle that was required into his mouth. McLaurin placed the same needle in his mouth and was instantly overcome with emotion. "The realization transformed my prejudices into a physically painful experience. Such actions