Racism: It Runs Deep
I really enjoyed reading Beatty's The White Boy Shuffle , especially the middle of the book as Gunnar is coming of age. Mr.Mitchell warned us that the book would continue to take a darker turn, but as I was reading I almost forgot how the narrator I had enjoyed listening to and reading, Gunnar, was going to end up leading a mass suicide. But when suicide became more and more of a theme in the novel, and especially when Scoby killed himself, I was still laughing, but it didn't feel right. Gunnar's approach to racism is darkly humorous and very pessimistic. The idea that the only way to end racism and to stop the suffering of black people in America is to have all of them commit suicide seems crazy, but the way Gunnar puts it, it sounds like the only effective solution. Its simple; the problem just goes away. I don't think Beatty actually believes this is the right way, but he's making a very good point. Centuries have passed and racism is still among us. So many peo