Man in the Mirror

Overview

First published by Orbis Books in 1997, Man in the Mirror tells the story behind Black Like Me, a book that astonished America upon its publication in 1961, and remains an American classic 50 years later. In 1959 a white writer darkened his skin and passed for a time as a "Negro" in the Deep South. John Howard Griffin was that writer, and his book Black Like Me swiftly became a national sensation. Few readers know of the extraordinary journey that led to Griffin's risky "experiment"—the culmination of a lifetime of risk, struggle, and achievement. A native of Texas, Griffin was a medical student who became involved in the rescue of Jews in occupied France; a U.S. serviceman among tribal peoples in the South Pacific, where he suffered an injury that left him blinded for a decade; a convert to Catholicism; and, finally, a novelist and writer. All these experiences fed Griffin's drive to understand what it means to be human, and how human beings can justify treating their fellows—of whatever race or physical description—as "the intrinsic Other." After describing this journey and analyzing the text of Black Like Me, Robert Bonazzi treats the dramatic aftermath of Griffin's experiment and life. Man in the Mirror provides a fascinating look at the roots of this important book, and offers reflections on why, after all these years, it retains its impact and relevance.

Author Biography

Robert Bonazzi is the author of the critically-acclaimed biography, Man in the Mirror, the only book on Black Like Me author John Howard Griffin (1920-1980). As Literary Executor for The John Howard Griffin Estate, he has edited and written introductions or afterwords for Griffin's books: Black Like Me (Penguin 1996, Wings 2006, and a Japanese Edition 2006); Scattered Shadows: A Memoir of Blindness and Vision (Orbis Books 2004); Street of the Seven Angels (a novel, Wings 2003); Follow the Ecstasy, a biography of Thomas Merton (Orbis 1993, Burns & Oates, UK ed.1993, a German ed.1994); and Encounters With the Other (Essays, Latitudes Press, 1997). His works on Griffin have been in The New York Times, Bloomsbury Review, Motive, New Orleans Review, Southwest Review, Texas Observer, Fort Worth Star-Telegram and The Historical Dictionary of Civil Rights. He has published three books of poetry (Living the Borrowed Life, Fictive Music, Perpetual Texts). His essays, stories and poems have appeared in 200 publications — in France, Germany, the UK, Japan, Canada, Peru, Mexico and the US — in 22 anthologies and in publications like Transatlantic Review (London), TriQuarterly, Minnesota Review, Chelsea, New Letters, Mississippi Review, Village Voice, National Catholic Reporter, Library Journal, Excelsior (Mexico City), etc. Bonazzi is a member of the Authors Guild. From 1966 until 2000, he edited and published over 100 titles under his independent literary imprint, Latitudes Press. Born in New York City, he has lived in Mexico City and San Francisco. Presently, Bonazzi lives in San Antonio and writes a column on poetry for the San Antonio-Express News.