The backdrop for On Being Afraid of the Dark is an 82 year old white Mississippi grandfather who finds his granddaughter engaging in a consensual sexual encounter with a young black male. Assuming it is a rape, he kills the lover. Charged with a hate crime, murder, he begins a fascinating exploration of internalized racism through a prism of the author's own lifetime experiences with racism. It is autobiographical in a fictional setting. Soon the theme broadens to the story of man and his proclivity to dominate others, especially those who are different. The fear is of the unknown, that which challenges our belief system. Darkness encompasses much more than racial divide. Varying shades of discrimination are examined in a search for answers to prejudicial thought and action.