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A Walk Across America

3.95 of 5 stars 3.95 · rating details · 4,380 ratings · 328 reviews

Twenty-five years ago, a disillusioned young man set out on a walk across America. This is the book he wrote about that journey -- a classic account of the reawakening of his faith in himself and his country.

"I started out searching for myself and my country," Peter Jenkins writes, "and found both." In this timeless classic, Jenkins describes how disillusionment with socie...more

Paperback, 320 pages

Published September 18th 2001 by William Morrow Paperbacks

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Feb 14, 2009 Mary rated it 3 of 5 stars

So when i was at the Anchor Archive in Halifax this Fall, I was poring over old National Geogrpahics and found this article about a young man in the 1970's who decides to walk across the USA with his trusty dog Cooper, his "forever friend." A few things that really caught my eye were that he spent some time at The Farm in Tennessee (of the New Farm Cookbook fame) and that he, a white dude, lived with a black family in rural Tennessee for several months. And the intesne dog-companion-love, which...more

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Aug 28, 2007 Gala rated it 3 of 5 stars

Love this story. The writing is passable, by which I mean that sometimes I cringe at the style, but am enough engaged in the drama and the cast of characters that I forgive it happily.

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Oct 01, 2007 Frances rated it 2 of 5 stars

I found this book in a tiny library in Maine for 50 cents. I had not traveled in awhile and did not want to stop (had a return flight to catch unfortunately). So, I decided to live through Peter Jenkins and his epic tale of his walk across America. As a recent college graduate, Peter is a young man disillusioned with his country. He contemplates leaving it before settling on seeing it on foot.

Peter Jenkins'writing is simplistic and clichéd. One would think he is getting paid $100 every time he u...more

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Oct 19, 2012 Katherine rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: travel, memoirish

Unique book. A stunt memoir from before the days of stunt memoir and, therefore, stirringly earnest. A book that is, in some ways, badly written, but whose bad writing contributes to what is ultimately a very effective narrative presentation. (The sense I kept getting was that of reading a novel whose first-person narrator has, deliberately, not been given a slick way with words–because a slick narrator wouldn't work with this particular story.)

Peter Jenkins, 22, raised in comfort in NYC-metro C...more Unique book. A stunt memoir from before the days of stunt memoir and, therefore, stirringly earnest. A book that is, in some ways, badly written, but whose bad writing contributes to what is ultimately a very effective narrative presentation. (The sense I kept getting was that of reading a novel whose first-person narrator has, deliberately, not been given a slick way with words–because a slick narrator wouldn't work with this particular story.)

Peter Jenkins, 22, raised in comfort in NYC-metro Connecticut, leaves the town where he has gone to college, with the idea of walking across America. He's sick at heart, tired and doubtful of himself and his country.

The book is a reminder that a journey is one of the simplest and most effective narrative structures there is. Peter walks, becomes involved with a few of the different communities he passes through, changes. The story is earnest but moving; if it had been more wry or intellectual, it probably wouldn't work so well. Like another successful travel book of a later generation—Eat, Pray, Love—A Walk Across America is an old-fashioned spiritual memoir dressed up as an individualistic modern quest.

It also reads like a portrait of an America on the brink. Jenkins walks through parts of Appalachia and the South that are thoroughly rural; it's a landscape seemingly untouched by cable TV or national chain stores, a landscape unimaginable today. He stays with hippies who are living off the land in Tennessee but, even more interestingly, meets people in North Carolina who've been living off the land since the World War II era and just never stopped, and he gives a vivid, in some ways idyllic portrait of their brand of rural poverty.

The most moving episode in the book, to me, was also the longest: the author's quasi-adoption into a poor, rural black family. (Reminded me how little has changed since '73? That a story of reaching across race & class lines that are still so real holds emotional charge? Found myself beating back tears on the subway a couple of times, at what seemed like pretty random moments in the text.)

Jenkins started this book, I think, as an article for National Geographic, which I'd sort of like to track down. They armed him with a camera, and the edition of the book I read had a number of his very good pictures, which added a lot to the book as a whole.(less)

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Feb 22, 2012 Samantha Weatherford rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction, bibliography, large-chapter-book, young-adult

This book scared me at first because it was so big, but once i started it I couldn't stop. So many great issues about america, culture, politics, religion, and finding yourself are addressed in this book as he literally walks across america with his dog. I have also read the sequel where he continues his journey with his wife he finds in the first book. i love how through his travels he finds himself as well as a new faith in God. It is the kind of book that gets you thinking about how people tr...more

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Aug 16, 2011 Jim Kulhawy rated it 5 of 5 stars

In early 1973 a young college graduate named Peter Jenkins realized that he was unhappy with the United States and the direction it, was headed. One day, while talking to a security guard at the college, he voiced his displeasure with the state of the country and suggested he was going to chuck it all and move somewhere else. This gentleman challenged him to get out and see the country and meet the people before he followed through with his idea to leave, so Jenkins did. He decided that he and h...more In early 1973 a young college graduate named Peter Jenkins realized that he was unhappy with the United States and the direction it, was headed. One day, while talking to a security guard at the college, he voiced his displeasure with the state of the country and suggested he was going to chuck it all and move somewhere else. This gentleman challenged him to get out and see the country and meet the people before he followed through with his idea to leave, so Jenkins did. He decided that he and his dog, Cooper, would give the country and its people one last chance and walk their way across the United States. What ensues is the story of an incrdible journey that takes Peter and Cooper from Alfred, NY to the Gulf Coast of Louisiana.

Starting with their training methods and "shakedown cruise", from NY to Washington D.C., Peter tells us amazing stories of the kindness of strangers, visiting with a mountain man in Appalachia, almost dying on the Appalchian Trail from influenza, living with/among an incredible black family in North Carolina, working at a sawmill and making incredible friends who are now more like family. We are taken high into the eastern mountains as hawks and other birds of prey circle above us, to an incredibly sudden, sad loss, in Tennesee, to a dangerous confrontation in Robbinsville, NC. As we walk with Peter to the GUlf Coast we are introduced to ranchers, country doctors, and all sorts of everyday people whose acts of kindness and generosity leave us smiling and happy as well as attend a religious revival that leaves us uplifted and riding an amazing feeling of "clarity"

When Jenkins finally reaches the Gulf Coast he meets a woman who will change his life forever. But, after a whirlwind courtship this young lady has to make the ultimate decision: Will she walk with Peter across the rest of the country, or will she break things off with himand leave him to wander the west alone? The determining factor and what becomes of the young couple is reveled before the end of the story, but I will not describe it here.

In the end, Peter tells us: "...I started out searchig for myself and my country and found both..." I have read and re-read this book many times over the last thirty years and each time I do, I come away feeling renewed, refreshed and fulfilled over what Jenkins ahs found and I am living vicariously. This book is my touchstone and I always come backto it, time and again, when I feel the need to "recharge the batteries of my soul". I would encourage you all to do the same...(less)

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Apr 14, 2011 Karen Hansen rated it 3 of 5 stars

Peter Jenkins makes multiple mention of not claiming to be a writer throughout his memoir "A Walk Across America" and it is obvious, as this book was tedious to read. However, his story is so interesting, that I could push myself beyond the tedium and slow pacing to enjoy his story.

In the early 70's Jenkins set out to walk from New York to the Pacific with his dog Cooper in efforts to really get to know America and it's people. Jenkins has some great stories from the road and the generosity of a...more

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Oct 17, 2010 Abigail Hilton rated it 3 of 5 stars

A young college grad living in the 1970's decides he's fed up with America. Before coming an expat, he decides to give the nation one more chance by walking across it with his dog. In route, he falls in love with the country, finds Jesus, and gets married. He writes his memoriors immediately.

The result is undoubtedly somebody's cup of tea, but not mine. If you're looking for clever, insightful, inspiring travel memoir...look elsewhere. The writing here is awkward, and it has not aged well. Many...more

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Aug 13, 2010 Bidisha rated it 3 of 5 stars

A man and his beloved dog walk across America (or, more precisely, from upstate NY to New Orleans). They live with black farmers, befriend white Southerners whom Gov. George Wallace addresses on TV as if they are family members, and moonlight at a farming commune in Tennessee. The book ends in New Orleans, where the author finds a wife, marries her, and convinces her to walk the remaining 3,000 miles across America.

In her book Wanderlust: A History of Walking, Rebecca Solnit has a perceptive pre...more

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May 18, 2009 Susan rated it 2 of 5 stars

This book definitely shows its age...in attitude, language, and self-congratulatory and self-aware hippie liberalism that is beyond patronizing and painful to read. (I'm assuming the author is trying to capture local and individual lingual styles but when he writes the patriarch of a black family as saying things like "Das fo sho", etc, it just feels so inappropriate. Like your bigoted old auntie who swears she isn't, talking about and mimicking other races and ethnicities.)

And don't even get m...more

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Nov 26, 2011 Liz rated it 3 of 5 stars

After reading Looking for Alaska, I really wanted to love this book. What could possibly be more awesome and interesting than crossing America with nothing but your trusty dog and the contents of your pack? Jenkins was also going through some of the early-20s unease that I'm not done growing out of, so I figured the story of his first adventure would have a strong impact on me.

Unfortunately, I think the book is too dated: It doesn't stand the test of time well enough for me to identify with it....more After reading Looking for Alaska, I really wanted to love this book. What could possibly be more awesome and interesting than crossing America with nothing but your trusty dog and the contents of your pack? Jenkins was also going through some of the early-20s unease that I'm not done growing out of, so I figured the story of his first adventure would have a strong impact on me.

Unfortunately, I think the book is too dated: It doesn't stand the test of time well enough for me to identify with it.

The first part of A Walk Across America is excellent—I loved being able to travel through Jenkins vicariously and encounter the kind and generous people he did. He can wax a little overly sentimental about the dog, but there's nothing wrong with being an animal lover. Interesting characters like Homer the mountain man really enrich the book and remind you that the United States is an endlessly fascinating country, and Jenkins's time living with a black family and his willingness to work at a sawmill and as a tree surgeon give him rich experiences to talk about.

However, some of Jenkins's ways of talking about race are decidedly uncomfortable. He has a tendency to try to write in dialectical English for both African Americans and southerners, meaning that his dialogue is peppered with words like "foo'" and "yaw." Throughout his chapters on living with a black family, Jenkins makes comments that indicate he is hyperaware of color distinctions, usually because he is meditating on the awesomeness of white and black people interacting peacefully. Yet on two separate occasions, Jenkins claims to notice that he "forgot" he was white at all and instead felt that he must look like his new black family. All of this was well-meant, of course, but there is no way Jenkins could truly understand the experiences of the people he stayed with even if he toured their lives for a few months.

The description of the hippie commune farm was both fascinating and difficult for me to relate to—all of that psychedelic spirituality is so out of style that reading about it was like entering a time warp! After this section of the book, my interest began to fade. Jenkins had some interesting observations about Alabama, but I wish he had given even more detail about staying with M.C. the rancher. From this point on, his descriptions of people he meets deteriorate in terms of depth and detail, as if he can feel the end of the book coming and is starting to rush. Jenkins is not an amazing writer to begin with, so when you lose the richness of his story it can get a lot more annoying to read his prose, as well.

Jenkins closes his book with a major religious conversion and with the story of meeting his second wife (by the time he wrote Looking for Alaska he was married to someone else). This part of the book pretty much sucked. I am not a religious person, but that wasn't the problem—the problem was that the focus of the book changed from America and its people to the saccharine emotional experiences of Peter Jenkins. The moment he got into all of the internal revelations he was experiencing, as well as the soppy account of falling in love with his wife-to-be, I started to feel embarrassed and repelled. Those sorts of things are rarely communicable on paper.

Anyway, A Walk Across America is a very interesting book, but it's not the best book. It's also not about the America I live in, so it is more of a historical relic than a book that is meaningful for me right now. If you'd like to read it, go for it, but if you are just looking for good travel writing, I would suggest you look elsewhere. (less)

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Mar 22, 2011 Melissa rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites, travel

I've really been getting into the travel books lately. And this one ranks pretty high with me. The author was excellent and really described his trip with a different tone than I've seen from most travel writers. Sure there were a couple of things that could be changed, but despite these, it really is an excellent book.

After leaving college Peter Jenkins isn't quite sure what he wants to do with his life. He is discontent, most especially with America in general. After voicing this to a friend,...more I've really been getting into the travel books lately. And this one ranks pretty high with me. The author was excellent and really described his trip with a different tone than I've seen from most travel writers. Sure there were a couple of things that could be changed, but despite these, it really is an excellent book.

After leaving college Peter Jenkins isn't quite sure what he wants to do with his life. He is discontent, most especially with America in general. After voicing this to a friend, the friends surprises him by suggesting that he get out and see America before making judgments. That fall, he takes off from his home to the North and starts heading South, towards the gulf, on the first let of his journey. Accompanying him is his half Malamute Cooper (who despite being a bit wild, is really a good dog). Through their trip they encounter some dangers (storms, sickness, etc.) but the real stand outs are the good things on the trip. Most especially the people. Since this trip takes place in the early seventies Jenkins has an attitude starting out that may be considered offensive today. But he changes his thoughts throughout the journey as he learns more. For instance, despite racial tensions in the South around that time, he finds himself living with a Black family where he forgets color and instead just enjoys being a part of everything. He also expects to hate Alabama and die there, but then finds that it is better than he thought. While he doesn't get clear across America in this book, he does get pretty far.

Peter is a great narrator. He tells everything how it is and isn't afraid to show how he's wrong. As mentioned before he holds different views about parts of the country and its inhabitants and doesn't mind being wrong about them. In fact, he relishes the fact that he was wrong and is appreciative. This is kind of a spiritual quest for him too and he brings up his experiences with different faiths and what he's thinking throughout the book. He also loves his dog Cooper, which makes him a good person in my eyes and in many other people's eyes.

The writing is smooth and descriptive and I was saddened by the fact the end of the novel did come so soon. The first half of the book had a lot of description while he was with Cooper. But then (and this is a spoiler, you have been warned) Cooper dies! I think the book must have fallen from my hands I was so shocked and saddened by this. But it was real life, so it's not like Peter could change that. This makes the second half of the book go quicker and he doesn't spend as much time in description. As previously mentioned, there are some religious aspects to this book, but it isn't overly preachy, its just showing Peter's thought processes and journey with religion. Since this is a book about his trip, it is appropriate.

Another great thing about this book is the amount of pictures. After visiting National Geographic, Peter obtained a camera from them for use on his travels (he also wrote an article for them). There is a whole section of colored photos and another section of black and white photos in the book. However, these pictures do give away spoilers for later in the book so proceed with caution.

I did love this book and despite its flaws I think it is one of the best I've ever read. I'm going to be eagerly searching to see if there is another edition with more of his travels out there and do all I can to get my hands on it. I highly recommend this book to anyone.

A Walk Across America
Copyright 1979
291 pages

Review by M. Reynard 2011(less)

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Feb 13, 2010 Megan rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was one of the last books that my grandfather read before he passed away when I was nine years of age. I vividly recall asking him about the book he was reading, and he told me that it was about a man who decided to leave everything behind and explore our country by foot, all with his faithful dog by his side. I also recall catching a glimpse of him crying and being visibly moved at one point in the book. Years later when I read it for myself as a teenager, there was a point in the book whe...more

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Mar 22, 2010 Christopher Rex rated it 1 of 5 stars

This book blows. I wish I had done some of the math before picking it up. The main problem is that the author wrote the book at the ripe old age of about 26 or so (I don't remember exactly). He really lacks any depth of storytelling that could've made it great. It would've done him well to READ a lot of the Beats, Hemingway, Steinbeck and others to get some sense of how to capture a story in an engaging way. Otherwise, it is just a 20-something writing poorly about what he did while in the woods...more

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Jun 25, 2012 Jenny rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I first read this book when published in 1979. Recent college graduate Peter Jenkins is disillusioned with the country and his life (the story begins in 1973), and embarks on a journey with his beloved dog Cooper. They begin in New York State and meander down to New Orleans, meeting people along the way. At various points they stop to stay, maybe for a day or two, and sometimes for several weeks/months to get a job and earn money to continue the trek.

My own son (also recent college grad) recent...more

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Mar 30, 2011 Patrick Gibson rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: truth_sort-of

Chronicle of a 1973-1975 walk from New York to New Orleans. For the entire trip (west), you have to buy the sequel. Check your local library or buy from the quarter bin at a flea market. Any more time or money invested in this book is a waste.

I do envy the guy his journey—sort of. I was curious to learn about the logistics of undertaking such a long hike. Unfortunately he would rather write of his love affair with his "forever friend" and make up lame similes for every little thing he encounters...more

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Aug 06, 2010 Marty rated it 2 of 5 stars

This book was okay. It was an interesting idea to walk across america to gain wisdom and to gain different views of the country we live in. I did love the stories of the people he met and lived with, they were fantastic. I was also intriged with how many people would invite a stranger to stay the night with them, or live with them based on the idea of trust. I would NEVER do that! I guess that is a pity about the world we live in today, that we never trust strangers and think twice before we rea...more

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Mar 13, 2010 Lisa Eggers rated it 5 of 5 stars

I'm giving this book five stars for enjoyability. I thouroghly enjoyed each and every word. Okay, ya, I know Jenkins is not Shakespeare, but isn't that what makes it all the more awsome? He's a simple guy who just starts walking across the whole county, and here's his story. I liked his prose a lot, in fact. It felt extreamly honest and raw. Like he was writing everything at the moment it was happening, only you knew he wasn't since he talks about his little code he scribbled on the bottom of hi...more

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Sep 24, 2012 jen-jen marie rated it 4 of 5 stars

the story of a man who decided, you know what? fuck it, i'm walking across america. and then he did.

this is one of the most inspiring books i've ever read. it's the 1970s and a young jenkins has a rightfully jaded outlook on the world, on his country, on his life...so instead of following the 'correct' path, he he takes his dog, some gear, and walks.

this book is an account of his walk from new york to louisiana. jenkins discovers many amazing people along the way and has some incredible experie...more

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Aug 07, 2010 Alicia rated it 3 of 5 stars

I liked this book more than I expected. I thought it would be boring, but it wasn't. I liked the relationship he had with his dog; the quirky things Cooper did.

The time he spent with the black family and on the Farm made me uncomfortable. First of all, the black family was really nice to take him in, but they acted victimized and drank too much. I feel like the same crap is going on today with families like that.

The Farm was just creepy. I felt they were irresponsible hippies, who wanted everyo...more

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Apr 24, 2009 Natalie rated it 2 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jul 30, 2012 Ann rated it 4 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this book very much. I enjoy travel, and one of the best things about travel is the people one meets along the way. We are all brothers and sisters regardless of skin color, how much wealth we have or don't have, language we speak, or where we live. Peter's adventure to find himself and the essence of America reinforces this belief. I liked the fact that he had posative as well as negative experiences with people along the way. After all, there are good and bad people across the world....more

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Sep 03, 2009 Jim rated it 3 of 5 stars

I can see this as one of those books Jr. High kids are supposed to read as part of a curriculum formed to teach objective social thinking. It has many of the elements a young person would need to form their own way of thinking about many of the social issues we are faced with here in America.

This book began like a peek at a mans travel journal and was somewhat uninteresting. Not until the middle of the book in the chapters describing his experiences (both good and bad)in North Carolina did the...more

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Jun 28, 2009 Marsha rated it 4 of 5 stars

Since I’ve been out of work, I have been fantasizing what it would be like to just take a walk across America to explore new places and meet new people. Peter Jenkins’ motivation to take this long walk came out in the early 1970s. He had graduated college, but the Vietnam War was still going on and he did not feel too favorably about our country and about us being at war in a country that did not want us there. He wanted to see America, to see what’s it really about.

Initially, he started his wa...more Since I’ve been out of work, I have been fantasizing what it would be like to just take a walk across America to explore new places and meet new people. Peter Jenkins’ motivation to take this long walk came out in the early 1970s. He had graduated college, but the Vietnam War was still going on and he did not feel too favorably about our country and about us being at war in a country that did not want us there. He wanted to see America, to see what’s it really about.

Initially, he started his walk with his dog Cooper in the fall, and as it got colder, it became harder for camping out, and when he started to run of money, he stopped at a southern town to look for work. However, with his long hair, and admissions that he was walking across America, the towns people thought he was some kind of hippie freak, drug pusher. A police officer let Peter stay with him, but even the police officer and his family started to get harassed by local folk who wanted this “drug pusher” run out of their town. So disillusioned and afraid, Peter continued his walk. He stopped at another town and thought that he might try his luck there in finding work. A couple of young black boys saw him and asked what he was doing. He told them that he was walking across America and they told him to come home with them to meet their family. He did and the family took him under their wings, gave him some room and board and took him to their church, which he found was an enjoyable, lively experience because of the inspirational singing and laughter. He did some labor work and it helped him get through a few months of cold and helped him save some money to continue his walk.

Peter’s dog then dies after running into a moving truck. Peter is depressed and lonely but continues his walk and ends up in Alabama, where he meets Governor George Wallace. This is an enlightening experience for him as he finds that he loves Alabama and their southern hospitality, particularly in the city of Mobile.

Meeting other people on the way, eventally he makes it to New Orleans, where he meets a woman named Barbara. He loves having conversations with her about everything and anything, and he says that it is the first time he feels true happiness since Cooper’s unexpected death. But, then he realizes that he must break it off with her, because he needs to continue his long journey across America. However, torn between his feelings for Barbara and his need to compete his goal, the story ends with Peter and Barbara agreeing to continue the walk across America together. Thus, sequel time. (less)

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Sep 30, 2012 steffy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-books, book-club

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Aug 08, 2011 Mike rated it 1 of 5 stars

One would think that the memoir of someone's journey across the U.S. by foot would have a great deal to offer, and for some readers, this book might, just not for me. While I can put the book and its author in perspective of the time period, the writing and overall direction of the book left me wanting - wanting to read something else.

Yes, I get he was disillusioned with the country - one can only imagine what he thinks today. Yes, I get that the idea of his walk more than symbolic - that he wa...more

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May 23, 2010 Shannon Quay rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is a true story. I was in the mood for a true story when I read this book.

Synopsis:
Peter Jenkins had his heart broken and then wasn't too excited about living in the same country as the heart-breaking-lady-girl so he decided to walk across America with his dog to see if the country was worth living in. Peter and Cooper the dog trained like they were training for a sort of apocalypse-triathlon-situation so (needless to say) the pair was prepared for their journey.

Non-Synopsis Talk:
I was rea...more

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May 05, 2008 Sarah klapprodt added it

read this as a teenager (think it's the same book) and it really helped carve me into the quasi-hippie i am today...when the kids are older, we're getting a van, painting it with peace signs and setting off accross country to california...just for the experience...yeah,man....

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Jul 22, 2012 Joseph Mazzola rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was not the best book ever. Jenkins is very definitely not a writer and it shows. He tends to lack foreshadowing and the ability to emphasize a single recurrent theme consistently throughout.

That said, the book is still pretty alright. I've got the sequel on order at my library, as it happens. The reason I liked it is twofold: First it has value as a social history document, showing the real lives of real Americans from top to bottom in the 1970s, and how far we have come (and in some ways...more

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Sep 12, 2011 Jael rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010, america, animals, hippie, homesteading, nonfiction, outdoors, travel

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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About Peter Jenkins

Born July 8th, 1951 in Greenwich, Connecticut,

Peter is the eldest of the six children of Frederick and Mary Jenkins.

Graduated from Greenwich High School in 1969.

Attended Woodstock in summer of 1969.

Graduated from Alfred University in 1973 with a BFA, majoring in Sculptor/ Ceramics.
Began his Walk Across America on October 15, 1973 in Alfred, New York. It ended in mid-January of 1979 in Florence, Or...more

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“Mileage craziness is a serious condition that exists in many forms. It can hit unsuspecting travelers while driving cars, motorcycles, riding in planes, crossing the country on bicycles or on foot. The symptoms may lead to obsessively placing more importance on how many miles are traveled than on the real reason for the traveling...On foot, in a van, on a fleet motorcycle or on a bicycle, a person must be very careful not to become overly concerned with arriving.” — 1 person liked it

“After living in Smokey Hollow these three months my bearded face was darkened to a tan, and for more than a moment, I couldn't tell what color I was. Black is what I saw and what I expected to see. I grabbed a towel and rubbed to get a clear look. No, I was white. At least my skin was. I had been through so much with my family here, and all I had seen was black faces, that I forgot for a split second that I wasn't black too. For weeks after the flood in the bathroom, I remembered the morning I forgot my skin color.” — 1 person liked it

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