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Green Book and Life in the Middle
Watch the movie before reading further!
I don’t normally watch slow-paced movies, but I’d rate this one a 10/10. I laughed, I cried — it’s an absolute masterpiece.
This movie is special in so many ways: its historical backdrop in the 1960s, its educational portrayal of racism in American society at the time, and, most importantly, the brilliant performances of Tony Lip and Dr. Donald Shirley.
As an immigrant in Poland, building a life far from home, I found myself resonating deeply with Dr. Shirley — hence the title of this article, Life in the Middle.
In the movie, Dr. Shirley is portrayed as a genius who works tirelessly to achieve his goals, allowing him to perform in elite, predominantly white establishments. However, despite his talent, genius alone was not enough.
Before Tony came along, Dr. Shirley endured mistreatment in silence, accepting discrimination as long as it enabled him to perform and complete his tour.
As an Indonesian immigrant in Poland, I relate to this experience. Coming from a middle-class family in Indonesia, I never had many options when it came to “climbing the ladder” in either industry or academia. I had to sustain myself financially, and my career choices depended on that necessity.
