Anne Moody, writes an inspiring and touching autobiography about growing up in rural Mississippi, as a poor black woman. Coming of Age in Mississippi is not only about Moody's life, but also about how Jim Crow laws affected people of color and the fight for civil rights. This book is particularly revealing because it shows how Moody's thoughts vary with his age. Not only is it an autobiography but, in some ways, a history book. Moody discusses the difficulties of being black in the South early in the book. At first, Moody is the older of the two children. The difficulties of his sharecropper parents are clear as Moody and Adline had to be looked after by his cousin George who set the house on fire and also treats Moody very poorly. His father leaves them for a lighter-skinned woman named Florence, while Toosweet Moody's mother is pregnant with his baby. This shows not only the difficulties of being black, but also how difficult it was for a black woman to survive. The struggle can be seen when Moody has to take care of Adline and Junior at such a young age. The pain is evident as Toosweet works too hard and barely makes enough money to feed her children. While this story is not uncommon, it is told through the eyes of a girl who lived, breathed, and experienced these struggles from a young age. As Moody grows up, she soon realizes that the friends she had made in Centerville "all of a sudden they were white, and their whiteness made them better than her" (Moody 34). The professional lives of blacks in Mississippi are also demonstrated. in a heartbreaking way. Starting with Moody, she begins working at a very young age and it is evident that she is not as aware as an adult of the racial context...... middle of paper ......g of Age in Mississippi, this is not an unusual story for the early days of black history, but it offers the unique perspective of a black student and worker. This shows on a personal level the amount of work and hardship black people endure. Moody shows hatred of white people: “But [She] hated black people too. [She] hated them because they didn't stand up and do something about the killings. In fact, I think I had stronger resentment toward black people for letting white people kill them than I did toward white people. Regardless, it was at this point in my life that I began to view black men as cowards” (Moody 136). It also shows the strength and introspective power of a very passionate and dedicated young black woman. As personal as this autobiography is it shows the history of the civil rights movement and the power of an incredible black child who became an amazing black woman..