Day 38 in  #BookSpine365 . Visit a title a day from my bookshelf. Month Two. You ever read one or those type of books that impact you from the first paragraph, the first line or sentence? Enter Black Like Me by John Howard Griffin. My obviously wrinkled and battered trade paperback copy has stood the test of time in its 1976 copyright. The book is old. Very old. As in first edition, 1960 old. During this title's 66th printing at the time, over five million copies were already sold and counting. The book has already celebrated its 50th anniversary , and has sold many more. There's yellowing in the pages, and dogearred pages. Inscription unbeknownst to me from previous owner. Looks like..."Ginnie Herbert. Ya friend, L. B." in blue ink. I wrote my name at least seven times in it. I was young. I really wanted no one to have this book once I acquired it. Wait...where did I get it from? It's way too old for me to remember, and I would be giving away my age.  Speaki...

A letter can be a symbol of memories. A scent of cologne or perfume hinted on text from the writer to pass to the reader. In some cases, it's a piece of vital information that must be delivered as a means of communication. Enter the tale of John Boston, a slave in Maryland. The year was 1862. The month, January. The Civil War in full action with the beginning of the year authorizing President Lincoln to launch extensive and aggressive action towards the Confederacy. General McClellan later ignored this order, the President grew impatient and by April of the same year the battle of Shiloh was born. While the Civil War created a new type of modern weaponry (such as repeaters and submarines) the telegraph, war photographs, and most importantly letters were a means of communication-especially to slaves whom were often punished for knowing how to read or learning to read and didn't have access to modern technologies.  A letter alone could not be reliable, but could probably be in...