Summary

Owens opens Blackout with a description of her childhood, centered around her grandparents. She visited their home in Stamford, Connecticut, a different reality from her home in a “small, three-bedroom apartment within a run-down, roach-infested building” (14). She describes the life of her grandfather who was born into the segregation of Jim Crow in North Carolina. Watching his father disrespect his mother and shrink from responsibility, Owens’ grandfather made the decision to “prioritize his family above all else” (15). She describes that her grandfather experienced “real racism in his childhood,” and outlines the Democratic Party’s segregationist policies in the 20th century, including the KKK (16). Owens’ grandfather met his wife in Connecticut, and when he was 17 he was married. Owens’ describes living with her grandparents as “a bit of culture shock,” with Bible readings, rules, prayers, and responsibilities (22). As a teenager, Owens’ rejected the teachings...