White Resistance to Somewhere in Darkness I feel compelled to revisit the one novel we read that created the most resistance in me and most likely would in a significant population of whites. readers: Somewhere in the Dark by Walter Dean Myers. Whether the book is well written or has value for readers is irrelevant here – I agree with both enthusiastically. What is more concerning in this discussion is the notion of resistance to the book that could easily be encountered among a particular population of white, suburban readers, namely those who appear to have the most in common with Jimmy and who, paradoxically, would most likely be resist the book. The readers who make up this group have a lot in common with Jimmy. They are largely lower-middle class and either come from fatherless homes, which could easily be considered dysfunctional two-parent homes, and/or live in extended families in place of their natural parents. In all cases, the parents are likely away from home most of the time, involved in various dating and sexual promiscuity practices, involved in illegal activities, and often incarcerated or have been oppressed by drug addiction. a certain type, and/or often living in an environment of subtle or overt racism. I have made no effort to quantitatively justify the details of this description, although such a study would undoubtedly prove illuminating. Rather, I assert this general description based on 12 years of experience living in a white, lower middle class suburb. In some ways, we could easily consider these readers insiders in that they share with Jimmy some elements of a common family experience, but these are the cultural differences between whites and... middle of paper. ..... Ility: there is no hope for me or mine. A white reader's resistance to Walter Dean Myers's novel, Somewhere in the Darkness, is inevitable, especially when that white reader has more in common with the protagonist than not. It seems that the closer the white reader is to Jimmy, the more he might resist his cultural differences, because these underlying cultural differences cause Jimmy to act in ways that seem unlikely to a white reader. The key is to be aware of these differences and be willing to see what Jimmy sees – from his point of view. If we are willing to do that, then Myers' work is a wonderful and effective way to learn more about Jimmy and his culture, but also about ourselves and the hopes we have for our lives. Works Cited: Myers, W.D. Somewhere in the Dark. New York: school book services.1992.