A compelling and powerful work of non-fiction, Coming of Age in Mississippi by Anne Moody is a searing account of a black girl's struggle to survive in a white world. Written through the eyes of the author, we, the readers, are able to experience firsthand exactly what Anne went through during her years growing up in the deep South. Coming of Age in Mississippi chronicles a young woman's trek into adulthood as well as her stark realization of the prejudice and discrimination that exists around her. This realization develops into anger and this anger eventually inspires her to take a stand. Her work as an activist brings her all over Mississippi, where she meets a wide array of people, each with their own viewpoints on the situation. Anne is even forbidden to return home because of her involvement with the Movement. Full of rich description and written with such honesty and audacity, Coming of Age in Mississippi paints a stunning portrait of the South and its own unique way of life. Another novel that is similar to Coming of Age... is Black Boy by Richard Wright. It is also an autobiography about the struggles of a young Negro growing up in the South. Black Boy has the same feel of Coming of Age... in that it is written in narrative form and deals with similar topics, such as racism and intolerance. Richard also possesses a kindred spirit that wants to put an end to all the hatred. A Time to Kill, written by John Grisham, also deals with prejudice issues, but this time the story is fictional and reaches a new level because it involves hostility from both blacks and whites that result in violence. Coming of Age in Mississippi by Anne Moody is poignant and touching as well as educational and honest.

This book is very moving and touching. Anne Moody's autobiography, "Coming of Age in Mississippi" is a wonderful book that tells the story of Anne's struggles growing up poor and black in the rural south. The author captures the reader's attention in the first few paragraphs using some slang dialect. We had vivid pictures in our minds of what was happening in the story through all of the use of imagery. There is a vivid image of a "rotten wood two room shack" as you read the pages. This book is well written and easy to read. It also helps one realize how many small steps it takes for ones dreams of a wonderful future to come true. We would love to meet Anne Moody, and we are thanking her for enabling us to get a glimpse of her life.

Believe it or not, I was actually forced to read the book, "Coming of Age in Mississippi" as a freshman this past year by my college history professor. It was such a thick book, and I was sure that, knowing my professor's tastes, it would be a boring read. However, upon reading it, I had a pleasant surprise. It was such an insightful, moving, and eye-opening book. It had me glued from page one. As a book about a young black girl's (the author) struggle to overcome racism in the south, it is a very potent history lesson. I had thought that I understood what it was like for young African-Americans of the 1950's and '60's, but I couldn't have been more wrong. This book opened up my eyes and made me truly see the harsh reality of growing up as Anne Moody did. She has many recollections of childhood and adult aquaintances murdered by the Ku Klux Klan, as well as the story of her Mississippi Freedom Summer when she had to hide at night in high grass to avoid the Klan. It was at this time that she realized that she was on their so called "Black List." These very vivid circumstances were a slap in the face that almost made me tremble right along with the characters. Furthermore, Ms. Moody's use of common language, and the very realistic way in which she describe's her life, greatly aided me in fully understanding the enormity of the situation at that time. Another book that can be compared to this one is, "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou. Although this book is much more harsh and gritty than Ms. Moody's, it gave me much of the same feeling of insight. The only disappointment in Anne Moody's book to me was that the ending left me feeling somewhat unsatisfied. Unlike Maya Angelou's book, it does not have a sequel. But then again, this may be part of the book's genius in that it mirrors Anne Moody's own disatisfaction with the sluggishness of the Civil Rights Movement and shows that there is no conclusive end to the struggle against racism

I am a descendant of one of the women in this book (Penelope Stout). The book is apparently supposed to be a children book, but I found it remarkably informative and interesting. The author takes the stories of four women and brings them together with some historical background to present a fun to read narrative. Along the way are many unobtrusive but (to me) immensely interesting side notes (including origins of place names and historical tidbits).