Richard Wright Autobiography

I found Richard Wright's autobiography to be the most interesting because it showed the intrigue and confusion of a young boy trying to understand race. Wright continued to ask question about his grandmother and her race which puzzled me, what made him so curious (11). Wright had to know that his grandmother was black but the idea that her skin color did not match that of other blacks kept fueling his interest. I also felt a sad sense of empathy for Wright when he revealed he could not let go of the habit of stealing food for the fear of not knowing if food would be available later (13-14). It was a realization that blacks had more complications than just race to worry about. Wright's autobiography brings to light the struggle of a family that had to deal with the problems of race and poverty. His aunt Maggie was not struggling but because of race and the power struggle she had a new fight of "poverty" to face (16-17). I feel that Wright's autobiography depicts a tale of hardships that we sometimes forget about when we think of African American history (the aspects of poverty and societal problems that African Americans had to face while being considered "negro").