Maniac Magee

Maniac has a sort of blindness. He fails to see things like the fact that big kids don’t like being shown up by little kids, and that some kids don’t like kids who are different—especially a different color.

Maniac doesn’t understand “this color business.” He doesn’t understand what makes the East Enders “black”; he doesn’t understand what makes him white. He looks himself over, and he can’t find a truly white shade anywhere. It’s a relief to him, since being plain white would be pretty boring. However, there’s still a growing dislike all around him. He can’t see it—until, one day, he can.