Four books in a week, it must be a new record

There are many reasons why I love school.  I love the atmosphere on campus.  I love that even though I am at least 15 years older than most of the students, I still fit in.  And I love to learn.  I love to gain new perspective.  I read four books last week for a class and I am humbled and greatly saddened by parts of American history.  The book titles are "Black Like Me" about a white man in the 1960's who became a black man and lived in Louisiana for several weeks.  It was amazing to read about his journey and see life through the eyes of someone else.  The second title is "Across the Wire", this book was about the US/Mexican border in Southern CA.  The devastation of how many of the people live is unfathomable.  People living in the landfills and making homes there, it's unreal.  The third book is titled "Lakota Woman" and it was fascinating to read the life story of an American Indian.  There is so much that we take for granted.  So much injustice done.  The fourth book was "Desert Exile" and this book was about a Japanese American family in Berkley CA in the 1940's.  I had no idea how life was for the Japanese Americans at that time.  The history books say the people were taken to refugee type camps, but what they really were were concentration camps.  They were kept inside, behind barbed wire fencing.  They did not have a choice to stay or go, they had to stay.  They were not killed as the Jews in Europe were, but overall, the Japanese Americans lived in almost uninhabitable conditions.  I know there are two sides to every story.  I know that this is just the perspective of a few individuals, and I know that every country has it's dark side.  It was fascinating to read about some of the history of our country and gain a greater respect and understanding for those different than myself.