Passport to Citizenship

Born deep in rural south Alabama, in one of the poorest corners of the poorest counties in the state, the grandson of people born into slavery, Arthur N. Dunning left Alabama as a young airman while the Vietnam War raged half a world away. And then, the burden of accumulated trauma inflicted by the racial caste system he experienced in Alabama melted away when he was removed from it, leaving him free to grapple with and come to terms with it. When outside the United States, Dunning felt free to wander unfamiliar neighborhoods, eat different foods, speak with foreign people, and analyze his experiences without having to look over his shoulder--literally and figuratively. By seeing himself and his country through other people's eyes, experiencing the rich and ancient traditions of nations around the world, Dunning ended up, like James Baldwin, a new man in a new world. A person curious about the human condition.