Having seen the movie before reading the book, I was really excited to read “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.” It tells the classic story of an enigmatic woman filled with secrets and strangeness. Right off the bat, it is clear that this book takes place in New York, because of the diversity of characters as well as the acceptance of a rather alternative, liberal lifestyle that the characters lead. Holly is a “free” woman — she sees many men, all of whom are older than she is, and she does not see any problem with this, though it takes place during a time when this kind of behavior was not so common and accepted. The narrator is a writer, immediately reflecting the kind of creative, independent soul that was common in New York City. Then there are the neighbors, namely Mr. Yunioshi. Also in the beginning of the novel we learn that there is a strong possibility that Holly is traveling around Africa. What I found a bit surprising about this book however, was that despite the diversity and seemingly liberal lifestyle lived by characters like Holly and Fred, there were still very apparent hints of racism held by the characters. Holly has no problem using the n-word, as well as other derogatory slurs to describe African Americans, which is ironic because of her mysterious Africa journey at the beginning of the novel. My guess is that this would actually be a very realistic depiction of how people were during this time, because even though New York was already a booming center of cultural diversity, African Americans were still one of, if not the most, discriminated against groups of people. Even though this was a realistic depiction, however, it made it difficult for me to really connect with Holly as much as I tried. I found her an interesting and strange character, but personally I could not relate on a deeper level because of her deeply inset racism.