Arguing that first-person narratives can illustrate communication theories and concepts found throughout basic communication course texts and can serve as first-person examples of the effects of racism and stereotyping, this paper summarizes two "powerful and engaging" texts that illustrate the standpoint of African-Americans in the United States. It begins with a summary of "Warriors Don't Cry: A Searing Memoir of the Battle to Integrate Little Rock's Central High" by Melba Pattillo Beals, which describes in detail the physical and mental abuse suffered by nine African-American high school students who integrated Little Rock's Central High School in 1957. It then discusses "Life on the Color Line: The True Story of a White Boy Who Discovered He Was Black" by Gregory Howard Williams, currently Dean of the Ohio State University College of Law, who at the age of 10 learned that his father was of African-American descent. The paper concludes that students can gain a glimpse of the challenges faced by persons of other races and classes by being exposed to such autobiographies; the power of standpoint theory cannot be overlooked. (RS)