After African Americans won the civil war and were “guaranteed” new amendments under The Constitution, the southern black was terrorized continuously due to the lack of enforcing in the South. This is shown profoundly in Anne Moody’s Coming of Age In Mississippi. This autobiography shows great truth and despair of a young girl growing up in the south, post civil war. Anne Moody, Essie Mae, creates vivid descriptions of events that changed the course of history. As she writes, uncommon for a black women to have that knowledge, she expresses her feelings towards other black families and towards those who are white, and above her.
In the first part of the book, Anne Moody writes about her childhood she states many facts that are shown real today. Essie Mae had to go through many struggles growing up like being beat by cousin, moving to multiple different schools, being abused by her mom's boyfriend and the blaming of her house being burned down. First time she ever was faced with racism in public was at the Movie Theater before she had even realized what it was. She grew up with her mother and sister and brother, Adline and Junior, in Centreville, Mississippi where they meet two other kids that just had happened to be white. Katie and Bill, the white kids, would always ride in front of Essie Mae yard on bikes and skates. Essie Mae had never been associated with white kids and would never be. After forming a relationship with the white kids, Essie Mae began to see them on the same level. One Sunday they attended a movie, like any other Sunday, and Essie saw Katie and Bill. She then decided
