In the summer of 1956, as a ten-year-old black kid living in Michigan, my family placed me on a train bound for Mississippi to visit relatives. My time there allowed me to visit my birthplace, reconnect with grandparents and it introduced me to a phenomenon that I never knew existed. On a hot July afternoon in downtown Natchez, Mississippi, I stopped to take a drink from a water fountain and looked up to read the words "For Whites Only."

Many authors have explored the detrimental psychological effects of racism. Recent memoirs include those by Ta-Nehisi Coates, Wes Moore, Kiese Laymon, and Jesmyn Ward, among others. But it's a novel published more than eighty years ago-Richard Wright's masterpiece, Native Son-that offers a particularly searing example of how it can affect the recipient in a rather unlikely way. Wright's main character, Bigger, allowed the racism of his white countrymen lead him to accept, unknowingly, his supposed inferiority. Bigger then proceeds down a path of anger and resentment where ultimately, he becomes what he despises most: a racist.

In my memoir, I explore an alternative course. Because of a mother's love and with the guidance of a no-nonsense, pull-your-own-weight grandfather. I was shown another way to face life's injustices and challenges and then use them as motivation to not only survive but also to prosper. Unlike many authors who have been exposed to the ugly underbelly of racism, I'm in the rather awkward position of saying that if it wasn't for this ugly stain on humanity, I may well not have become a physician. The encounter helped me realize that racism like any other obstacle, if approached differently can actually become an opportunity to strengthen one's resolve as opposed to becoming an excuse for failure. This book is the story of a life that hopefully will help others meet their life challenges.

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We first started out as ?The Paperback Exchange,? a chain of physical bookstores where we would part exchange your beloved books for new stories to transport you to faraway places. However, as shopping started to evolve to online shops and marketplaces, we bid our stores goodbye to become ?PBShop.? This transition has only allowed us to blossom as we now ship thousands of titles to book lovers across the globe. We pride ourselves in being a community of local book lovers which allows our passion and devotion to shine in everything we do. In 2020 we not only celebrated our 20th birthday but our 1st birthday as being completely employee owned after becoming an E.O.T in September 2019. We are proud to be different and embrace standing apart on a book mountain by working from a virtual inventory which allows us to provide thousands of books that may be difficult to get for your bookshelf or your studies. Working with a number of different suppliers allows us to explore other avenues such as puzzles, sheet music and even stationery so we really do have something for everyone. Life is about being versatile in all realms of existence. If this is your first visit or you are a returning customer, we would like to welcome you to the PBShop family, for there is no friend as loyal as a book. We are a company who put our customers at the centre of everything we do as we understand the importance of reading because once you learn to read, you will forever be free. There are a whole lot of things in this world of ours that we are yet to explore, which is why we will forever inspire curious minds.

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