If Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II were right when they wrote, in the musical South Pacific, that you’ve “got to be taught…to hate all the people your relatives hate,” then part of the path to a more equitable and tolerant society involves “unlearning” what you’ve been taught as a child. In Mark Twain & Me: Unlearning Racism, theatre professor, performer, and Shakespeare expert Calvin Pritner examines how unlearning happened in his own case, and in the case of American literary icon Mark Twain.
Building on the fact that he and Twain both were born in the midwest a century apart, Pritner, who performed as Twain in a one-man show, explores the experiences and influences that moved both men toward a more enlightened understanding of how race permeates American culture.
This is not an academic treatise, but a conversation and self-examination that illustrates that unlearning racism is ongoing, and takes time, experience, research, and self-reflection. At a moment when racial tensions in America are high, and the call for white people to “do the work” has gained increasing attention, Pritner provides a description of what such work might look like in practice. “Old white guys like me,” he writes, “have a chance to make a difference by analyzing and reporting how we taught ourselves to change. In fact, it is crucial that we do so.”
Mark Twain & Me: Unlearning Racism stands as a gentle but urgent encouragement to readers to explore their own relationship to race in this country.

“In Mark Twain and Me, Calvin Pritner recounts–in an honest, entertaining, and thought-provoking manner–his and Mark Twain's mutual journeys toward "unlearning racism." In an era of social media, as well as widespread misinformation and disinformation, Twain and Pritner offer a timely and eloquent reminder that even as adults we can unlearn racism, and become more responsible, compassionate, and empathetic citizens in an increasingly multi-cultural society.”
Daniel S. Pierce
Interdisciplinary Distinguished Professor of the Mountain South
University of North Carolina Asheville

“A terrific read. We may know that the unexamined life isn’t worth living, but few of us are willing to do the work, especially when it comes to issues of race. As Cal Pritner casts an unflinching eye on himself, his country, and his literary hero, he reminds us that history is not dead. We are living it.”
Bradley Whitford
Actor and Activist
The West Wing and The Handmaid’s Tale

“Cal Pritner used to transform himself into a white-suited Mark Twain look-alike to perform his powerfully enlightening one-man show Mark Twain Traveling. This memoir revisits our great American humorist's process of overcoming his early entrenched views alongside Cal's own remarkable life journey that includes baseball, military service, journalism, theatre, travels abroad, interracial marriage, and -- through it all -- unlearning racism.”
Felicia Hardison Londré
Curators’ Distinguished Professor Emerita of Theatre
University of Missouri – Kansas City

“This book is a near perfect blend of the personal and the historical. It could not be more relevant than at this moment when our collective histories on race collide. As an older white guy, I too seek to be engaged in unlearning racism and forging new paths forward. Cal's own journey and his deep connection and understanding of Twain has been an inspiration to me.”
Michael Fields
Producing Artistic Director
Dell'Arte International

University of Missouri-Kansas Citymarriage, and -- through it all -- unlearning racism.

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