At fifteen going on sixteen the only thing that Dave wants is to become a man. Tired of plowing the hard ground and sick of the lack of respect he gets from his elders, Dave sees his way of becoming a man by having a gun. A gun has power and will give him the respect he needs.

The dramatization of the short story "Almos' A Man" by Richard Wright places before us the struggle of a young Black boy trying to come into manhood in an environment destined to break his spirit. This coming of age story shows the struggle of an adolescent coming into manhood which is common to all young boys. In this story the struggle is much deeper because we have a Black youth who must deal not only with his personal struggle but also that of a racist environment.

Levar Burton gives an excellent performance of this young boy struggling to come into his manhood. Madge Sinclair plays his stern mother who is willing to bend a little even if her husband disagrees.While watching this story you will be shown the struggles that Black parents have to endure to try and keep their children safe as well as the inner promptings of Dave's misguided sense of what it means to be a man.

Circumstances back fire on Dave as he sees that he lacks the maturity to handle certain things. So what can he do? Where can he go? Can a young Black boy become a man in hostile southern territory especially since he has become a wage slave to the white farmer? Wright challenges us to reflect on this question. Dave's rebelliousness is more than the usual stage of adolescent development. The mere fact of his race makes his choices narrower. Sit back, relax and enjoy "Almos' A Man". See how a boy in a limited world tries to become that which is denied to him and his people.

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