Book Description
When I Was White is the mesmerizing story of a black woman born to white parents during the most unforgiving years of official racism in South Africa. Sandra Laing was officially registered and raised as a white child. But when she was sent to a conservative boarding school, she was mercilessly persecuted because of her dark skin and frizzy hair-the results, her parents said, of a genetic throwback. In 1966, when Sandra was ten, the police removed her from school and she was reclassified as 'colored.' In a bitter court battle followed closely by the press, Sandra's parents fought, and lost. Then, as a teenager, Sandra eloped with a black man, and her parents disowned her. She struggled with poverty, illness, and the injustice of race laws. With the end of apartheid in 1994, Sandra vowed to find her mother. Her long, troubling search and their ultimate reunion forms the book's surprising and deeply moving conclusion. Drawing on a wealth of research, including extensive interviews with Sandra Laing, her family and friends, as well as access to previously sealed government files, Judith Stone has written a close-up, compelling account of a remarkable woman whose life stands as a tribute to the extraordinary resilience of the human spirit.
Customer Reviews:
A Translated Life.......2007-09-24
I want to commend Judith Stone for the phenomenal work she has done in discussing a number of difficult subjects: Sandra Laing herself, the history of South Africa, and the nature of memory, family, and the examined life. Clearly, Sandra's lack (repression) of memory, and her inability to articulate her feelings, left Stone with an enormous challenge. She works through this brilliantly by marshaling the journalistic reports from the time and later, interviewing people who know Sandra, and sensitively explaining and exploring Apartheid's tortured history. Stone uses her knowledge of studies of PTSD, false-memory syndrome, and other relevant fields in psychology to examine Sandra's individual and South Africa's collective forgetfulness/refusal to admit reality. All in all, Stone has done a stunningly professional and sensitive job in illuminating one person's life, the cruel and terrible absurdities of Apartheid South Africa, and, more broadly still, what it means to live in a world where an ideological rigidity based on lies and hypocrisy sucks the life out of everyone--oppressor or oppressed.
An emotionally charged, highly recommended pick........2007-08-04
When Sandra Laing was born in 1955 to a pro-apartheid Afrikaner couple in South Africa she was registered as a white child - but upon entering a white boarding school, was persecuted by students and teachers because of her brown skin. Her parents believed an interracial union back in their family history was to blame, but neighbors thought Mrs. Laing had committed adultery with a black man and the entire family was shunned. She was reclassified as 'coloured', her parents fought the South African courts to reverse the determination, then as a teen Sandra eloped - with a black man - and her parents disowned her. WHEN SHE WAS WHITE: THE TRUE STORY OF A FAMILY DIVIDED BY RACE crosses back and forth along discrimination lines and is riveting. Impossible to put down, it will enhance any general-interest lending library and is an emotionally charged, highly recommended pick.
History Is So Interesting.......2007-08-01
Histry is so interesting. It is the tie to learning about how things use to be. This book is full of history and tells us how the African people were treated long ago. The sad thing is that even today these people are still treated very different. My nieces who are black and white are beautiful, but experience racism everyday. The book can be difficult reading in some parts because it is history. So be patient and enjoy it. I experienced many feelings while reading it. Makes me want to go talk to my 95 year old grandma and just listen to all her stories.
Sisters speak.......2007-06-04
With great anticipation, i began to read a riviting life story. However, i couldn't get through the first two chapters because of the dry manner in which the book was written. It was an extremely difficult read. I never finished the book. I was very disappointed.
A story of a mixed-race girl in Apartheid South Africa.......2007-05-30
Sandra Laing was born in the wrong place at the wrong time. South Africa was in the midst of apartheid, and the little girl didn't fit in to the country's strict classifications of white, black and Coloured. Instead she baffled family and neighbors in Eastern Transvaal by sprouting kinky hair that shaped her dark complexion, much to the dismay of her ethnically Dutch, Afrikaner parents. Judith Stone writes the history of this troubled girl, from her first encounters with racism all the way to her middle-aged life in the present day.
Sandra's parents tried to turn a blind eye to their daughter's physical differences, but the white boarding school she attended would do no such thing. Parents and faculty were outraged that an obviously non-white student was being admitted to their school and mingling with their fair-skinned children. Apartheid was about separation and segregation, and Sandra was getting in the way of their long-established system. Her mother was accused of sleeping with a black man, and her father had to constantly defend his paternity. Admitting to some "color-mixing" in their ancestry was not acceptable in such a polarized climate, even though this had gone on unspoken in South Africa for decades.
When Sandra was finally escorted off the grounds of her school, she had no idea what she did wrong. Her father was launching his own private campaign to keep her white; Sandra didn't see things in color yet, and her mom and dad were determined to keep it that way. But she did see that her parents treated her differently from her brothers, and she did notice the disgustful looks of those who had been in charge of her care. She knew that something about her was just not right. At the hands of government officials, Sandra's official race changed from white to Coloured to white again. She realized that she must take her fate into her own hands, creating an identity for herself that no one would be able to take away from her.
WHEN SHE WAS WHITE isn't a traditional biography. It chronicles not only the life of the protagonist but also the struggle of those who tried to bring her life into the public eye. In this way, the book is both a story and a study in psychoanalysis, in sociology and in consumer culture. Sandra was a willing but confused eyewitness to her own history, and half the struggle of chronicling it has been in getting the story straight. Sandra doesn't see herself as a hero or a representation of the ills of apartheid. All she sees is the pain that she feels she caused her family, and her only wish is for their forgiveness --- not recognizing that they are the ones who have a lot to be forgiven for.
This book does much to present the contradictions of apartheid to those outside of South Africa. It also paints a strong picture of the landscape and individuals who made the country what it was. The expanse of the Transvaal countryside sharply contrasts with the polarized societies who lived there, and it is as if it were a beautiful cake on top of a precarious tower that was threatening to come crashing down at any second. Sandra represented some of the flaws of that cake, and she was therefore shunned by those who wanted to keep things as they were.
WHEN SHE WAS WHITE is the print edition of the movie "Skin," which is scheduled to appear in 2008. It is a story in its own right, though, and shouldn't be left on the shelf in anticipation of the film. Judith Stone speaks of both the cruelty and the perceived justification of apartheid, and no one is presented as a simple-minded individual. Bigotry runs deep in South Africa's history, but the focus of this book is in healing the wounds from the past and embracing this new, free country, where government-regulated racial caste systems no longer exist.
--- Reviewed by Shannon Luders-Manuel
Customer Reviews:
Worth it.......2007-10-01
This books illustrations tell a story within the story and is worth every penny spent.
wonderful!.......2007-08-25
Fantastic, amazing, stirring, engaging, empowering. I could go on... This book is a treasure & I am so glad to have it in our personal library. We bought this for my daughter and I thought it was so good I had to read it aloud to my husband that same night. Kadir Nelson is always spectacular in his illustrations, and he once again rises to the top in this book. The story is very moving, and with a few words it accomplishes the task of taking you inside the emotions and the questions, fears, and faith within Harriet Tubman's heart. I am extremely satisfied with this book & happy to give it to my daughter. I hope she shares it with her children some day.
Great Book .......2007-06-08
I am an elementary school teacher, mom of three and children's book lover. This book is visually enticing and a wonderful read. All of my children as well as my students loved it!
super good book .......2007-06-08
The cover says it all...and thanks to a great seller for fast shipping and smooth transaction!
Beautiful!.......2007-05-08
What I most appreciate about this book is the way it incorporates the role faith played in Harriet's life into the story of her leading daring escapes from slavery to freedom. Most of the history we learn in school attempts to secularize the truth about the people and events that we hold so dear, but this book does a phenomenal job in telling a more accurate, unbiased story of a remarkable woman. Illustrated by Kadir Nelson (who is GIFTED!!!!!), this is a welcome addition to any children's (or adult's, for that matter) library. I know am already collecting a slew of books
Book Description
Celie is a poor black woman whose letters tell the story of 20 years of her life, beginning at age 14 when she is being abused and raped by her father and attempting to protect her sister from the same fate, and continuing over the course of her marriage to "Mister," a brutal man who terrorizes her. Celie eventually learns that her abusive husband has been keeping her sister's letters from her and the rage she feels, combined with an example of love and independence provided by her close friend Shug, pushes her finally toward an awakening of her creative and loving self.
Customer Reviews:
Issues of Feminism.......2007-09-21
"The Color Purple," involves struggles of women to achieve recognition as individuals deserving of fair and equal treatment, in face of male dominance. Both the book and the movie, of the same title, shed light on feminist issues.
The male dominance is in various forms and includes physical aggressiveness. Albert (Mr.) adamantly declares to Celie, "Men spose to wear the pants" (1982: 272).The narrator conveys by way of letters from one person (Celie) to another, the epistolary form. The feminist level of stance is powerful in the novel. Celie struggles to find peace and establish her worthiness. She was abused and raped by her "father," she was dispossessed of her infant children, she is forced to marry Albert (Mr___) who she does not want, she loses her sister Nettie because of her adulterous husband's sexual aggressiveness and philandering.
Women are heavily exploited, more so Celie who in the marriage is made to look after Albert's offspring, to toil on the farm, and to submit to all of Albert's demands and those of his offspring. Celie writes, "Mr...marry me to take care of his children. I marry him cause my daddy made me. I don't love Mr___and he don't love me" (1982: 64). The book dramatically displays how female inequality is rampant. The preacher condemns and attacks Shug for her looseness, whereas Albert's wanton infidelity is tolerated. Celie's relationship with Albert is unloving and vile. Mary Agnes solicits a white uncle to help get Sofia out of prison, the uncle rapes her. Albert attempts to force Nettie (Celie's sister) to submit to him, but she leaves after successfully fighting him off. Physical violence against the women is common, apparently even in relationships of lovingness, such as that between Harpo and his wife Sofia. Harpo beats Sofia because, as he says, "The wife s'pose to mind" (1982: 64). Harpo even considers it respectable to physically violate his wife.
The narrator conveys the message that woman must full-fledgedly oppose the treatment of unfairness meted on them by men, and that they should achieve this through uniting and helping each other. The women in the novel, often converge in taking a feminist stance. They band together to hold each other up in support and sustenance, even those with interest in the same men. Feminist bonds of sisterhood are borne out as important, these we see in Nettie and Celie, in Sophia and Odessa, even in Mary Agnes and Sofia, in Albert's sister and Celie. in Tashi and Olivia, and in Shug Avery and Celie. The latter, in their relationship, encapsulate the twin roles of sisters and lovers.
Some of the women, such as Sofia adapt to fighting for and defending themselves. Sofia is of strong character, she is not subservient, she is powerful and physically strong. She can be quite aggressive but this spills into a dreadful experience at the hands of the police after she had the nerve to talk back to the white mayor. Subsequently, Sofia is sentenced to be the mayor's servant; doing dull, irksome, and fatiguing work for many years. The sisterhood feminist bond between Sofia and Mary Agnes is stronger than their mutual interest of affection for Harpo. Mary goes as far as enduring rape on behalf of attempting to get Sofia released. And when Mary Agnes goes off to pursue a singing career, it is Sophia who looks after her child.
The most feminist liberated and independent-thinking woman, of them all, is Shug Avery; despite the verbal attacks meted on her by church elders because of her lifestyle. She is a career blues singer, an occupation that offers her much more freedom than the others who are under the confines of home, housework and bringing up children. Shug's stance on sexual freedom is stronger than that of many other women, she has numerous affairs. Her feminist strength still involves her strong belief in God, she does not worship or believe in the conventional way. Indeed it is the relationship between Shug and Celie that is the central theme in the novel. Shug will liberate Celie in numerous aspects of her life. Shug simultaneously becomes a sister, friend and lover to Celie as she guides her into emotional and financial independence. Shug's feminist stance stands out. Her gender and opinions do not preclude her from being humanly equal to everybody and possessing the integrity. She passes these qualities onto Celie. Paradoxically, it is the occupation of sewing, "a woman's job," that significantly gains Celie independence--but the product is trousers, to be worn by women. Celie becomes strong enough to point out to Albert that the qualities of honesty, integrity, and independence are valid for both genders. Celie criticizes Albert's contention that, "...Shug act more manly than most men. I mean she upright, honest. Speak her mind and the devil take the hindmost. You know Shug will fight...Just like Sophia. She bound to live her life and be herself no matter what" (1982: 270). This exemplifies addressing the issues of feminine and masculine temperament in the novel. The novel asserts that women, as people can be just as weak and strong as men, therefore gender should never be a yardstick for perceptions of human qualities.
The book is a complex weaving of events in a woman's life that are hard to completely represent in a movie. Nevertheless, the movie maintains most of the heartbreaking issues which mirror the hardships that happened in the author's life. Whoopi Goldberg artfully plays the shy and abused Celie, Oprah Winfrey is powerful as the strong and no-nonsense Sophia, Margaret Avery is the gifted and independent singer Shug Avery, and Danny Glover is the abusive husband who disallows Celie having contact with Nettie and others. The issues that were toned down or understated in this movie, such as the lesbian loving and the violence, would probably be more graphically played during this era. That was 1985, not that long ago, but film-makers were less blunt with their images. The "lesbian" (the word is not mentioned in the book) acts are not conceived as being lesbian at all, but as a means (for Shug) to show Celie that a person can be loved and not just used as a toilet for sex. Compared to the book the movie rendition can sometimes appear to be too glamorous, too glorified, and too sweet. Director Spielberg commendably images the brutality of a rape by showing hanging leather belts banging against the head of the shaking bed.
The actors performed their roles exceptionally well. These include Whoopi Goldberg who plays the shy and abused Celie, Oprah Winfrey who plays the strong, no nonsense Sophia, Margaret Aver as the gifted singer Shug Avery, Danny Glover as the abusive husband to Celie who goes to the extent of not allowing Celie to have any contact with her sister Nettie, among others. The movie depicts the female characters as generally good persons, not flawless. The women are of unique backgrounds, conditions and talents, and they weave together to help each other out, in feminism strength. The men are generally likeable, save for abusive Danny Glover (who, anyway, later redeems himself); so it is difficult to look at the movie and the book as an attack on black masculinity in the course of displaying black (or overall) feminist strength. Consider that Rev. Samuel the missionary adopts Celie's children; Buster the boxer dates and does not try to overrule the strong-willed Sophia; even Shug's husband, Grady (in the movie version) accepts Shug for who she is, despite knowing her past of licentiousness.
Both the book and movie turn out to be amongst the most powerful in addressing issues of feminism in everyday life. Alice Walker prevalently employs black English and black characters, but this is a book and movie that almost anyone, near and far, can relate to. The book offers much more in that sphere than the movie, but both declare that triumph in a woman's life often happens when misfortune and adversity are challenged by feminist unity and forthrightness in face of a male dominated world. Women's issues come in various shapes and sizes, as the book and movie illustrate, but strength is indeed in numbers, ambitiousness, education, and becoming outward looking other than insular. A woman is to significantly love and cherish herself, get rid of the oppression blocking her, before she can fully appreciate and enjoy herself as well as others.
Incredible.......2007-09-14
I have seen the movie a million and one times but this book did it in for me. Although the movie was amazing, you have to read the book. There was a lot in the book I felt should have been in the movie. Overall this is a great book to read.
Excellent product........2007-09-11
Absolutely loved this book. It was in almost perfect condition. Better than described. Thanks for the great book and the great price.
a timeless story about redemption and the power of forgiveness.......2007-09-05
This gem of a story is about Celie, an abused
woman that uses the magic of reading and writing
letters to help her overcome the abusive life
she lives with Mister, her husband in an arranged
marriage. Through her friendship with Shug Avery,
and her belief in God, she learns to stand up
and value herself as a human being. She eventually
forgives those that abused her when she realizes
that they cannot have power over her if she doesn't
let them.
Some have accused the author and the story of being
anti-black men but the story is anti- a system that
oppressed the meak, and that's something that
everyone can relate to if they are willing to open
their minds to this wonderful book.
Lovely Reading.......2007-07-13
This story is a captivating and wonderful tale of a family torn apart by abuse. It's lovely but may not be suitable for younger audiences because of some sexual content. I feel in love with this book once I got to the end. I wont spoil it but I greatly recommend it.
Book Description
Hugely charismatic, humble, and possessed of preternatural luminosity of spirit, Wangari Maathai, the winner of the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize and a single mother of three, recounts her extraordinary life as a political activist, feminist, and environmentalist in Kenya.
Born in a rural village in 1940, Wangari Maathai was already an iconoclast as a child, determined to get an education even though most girls were uneducated. We see her studying with Catholic missionaries, earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees in the United States, and becoming the first woman both to earn a PhD in East and Central Africa and to head a university department in Kenya. We witness her numerous run-ins with the brutal Moi government. She makes clear the political and personal reasons that compelled her, in 1977, to establish the Green Belt Movement, which spread from Kenya across Africa and which helps restore indigenous forests while assisting rural women by paying them to plant trees in their villages. We see how Maathai’s extraordinary courage and determination helped transform Kenya’s government into the democracy in which she now serves as assistant minister for the environment and as a member of Parliament. And we are with her as she accepts the Nobel Peace Prize, awarded in recognition of her “contribution to sustainable development, human rights, and peace.”
In Unbowed, Wangari Maathai offers an inspiriting message of hope and prosperity through self-sufficiency.
Customer Reviews:
Extraordinary Women's memoir.......2007-06-27
This memoir is an inspiring example of what one woman can do, bit by bit, and eventually have an internationally positive influence. The author's story resonates with anyone who wants to make a difference in her/his own molecule of the world.
Perseverance and hope.......2007-04-05
When Wangari Maathai was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004, questions were raised regarding her choice by the Nobel Committee. Why should an environmentalist receive a prize that was identified with peace and human rights, voiced the critics. Reading Maathai's memoir sets the record straight, and justifying her selection for the award. In this fascinating and very personal account, she paints a vivid picture of her life, embedded in the realities of Kenya before and since independence. Her experiences during the Moi regime, in particular, demonstrate the challenges a young educated woman confronted in the face of traditional prejudice as well as political oppression.
Raised in rural Kenya, Wangari Maathai never lost the deep connection with the land and its the natural beauty. Over the years, she noticed the changes and the increasing fragility of the environment. Trees for her became a symbol and a tool for protecting the vulnerable ecosystem and assisting rural population to stem the growing poverty.
Thanks to the intervention of her older brother and the support of her mother, she was able to attend school beyond the primary level, which was all girls at the time could reach for. As luck had it and, being a bright student, her convent school was one of those selected to send graduates to the US under what became known as the Kennedy Airlift: a program to send young Africans to American colleges for further education. These young people were being primed to become future leaders of their societies in the soon to be independent African states. Maathai returned to Kenya with a Master's degree in biology, a subject that for her combined her scientific interests with her deep love for her natural environment. She was encouraged in her research and added a PhD in veterinary medicine to her record. Life should have been easy after that with a good husband, a blossoming academic career and three wonderful kids. But women in Kenya were not supposed to be independent and strong. Her fight for women's equal rights broadened her environmental commitments. Eventually she lost her academic position, her husband divorced her and she ended up as poor as she was a child. Not deterred by the adversities she was facing, she continued fighting on several fronts. She started the Greenbelt Movement to plant trees to reclaim the land as a campaign for and with rural women. Over time it gained such prominence that it was perceived as a threat by the authorities. Public show of opposition, such as the demonstrations to save Uhuru Park in Nairobi from President-friendly developers, increasingly identified Maathai and the Greenbelt Movement as a focus for opposition forces. They fought for human rights and dignity, anti-tribalism and democracy. The details of these struggles, the friendships and solidarity that Maathai experienced, both in Kenya in internationally, supported her morally and probably saved her life more than once.
Maathai's memoir is very personal and written from the heart. We get to know her thinking and feelings as well as a detailed description of the difficult life women and men who opposed the Moi regime faced. Her easygoing and conversational style softens the impact of her description of the arduous and sometimes even brutal experiences that she relays. At the same time, her story is a stirring example of how one person's strength and perseverance can make a difference to a people and the world. The Greenbelt Movement is now a motor for tree planting around Africa and beyond. This is an inspirational book as well as a historical record. Reading it will make you feel enriched. [Friederike Knabe]
Didn't grab me.......2007-03-09
I heard the author speak on NPR awhile ago, and thought this would be a fascinating book. However, I just couldn't get past the first couple of chapters. I think the lady has an interesting story to tell, but I just couldn't connect with what she had to say.
Impressive, Incredible, & Motivational. It will have you believing in the Impossible!.......2007-01-27
I enjoyed this book! "Unbowed" is a straight-forward, gripping, and majestic effort by Wangari Maathai --- a formidable woman who faced unimaginable hurdles in a noble effort to help others ... and shape the destiny of her country.
During her fantastic journey, she became a mother of three, an inspiration for millions, and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. Her life is an eloquent triumph of good versus evil. Those who have asked: "What can one person do?" Need only to read about her "Green Belt Movement". I'll give you a hint: It is about trees, self reliance, and human endurance.
Prepare yourself for spell-binding details (page 277) on crime, corruption, and monumental waste of natural resources by so-called leaders --- who feed off the carcasses of their people.
"Unbowed" is a book that will have you believing in the unattainable. Exquisitely written ... it is a compelling story of incredible courage, tenacious will, and survival in modern day Africa.
I loved it. You will, too!
take a bow.......2007-01-14
I have never read such a heroic story. Every time I close my eyes they pop open again and I say but how could person like this possibly had the courage to do do all the things that she did. When I try to tell Olive about it I cant find the words to say what I want to say. I keep thinking what I want to say to you, what it has made me feel, but my mouth just drops open and I have no words to express my feelings. I am awed. I am overwhelmed at the things this person accomplished. Its almost as if it is not a human being doing these things. Perhaps its because I know where she went to school when she came to the US. Perhaps its because she is so close to the age of a lot of my younger friends. Perhaps its because I have only read of such bravery and devotion to a cause. Perhaps its because she is so close in age to many of the friends I have and I can associate personally with that. Perhaps I have never really felt this close to greatness. Perhaps I am just learning a little about life I never realized. Just perhaps.
Book Description
The story of a remarkable woman's rise out of the foster-care system to attain the American dream—and of the unlikely series of women who lifted her up in marvelous and distinctive ways
Born as a ward of the state of Maine—the child of an unmarried Yankee blueblood mother and an unknown black father—Victoria Rowell beat the odds. Unlike so many other children who fall through the cracks of our overburdened foster-care system, her experience was nothing short of miraculous, thanks to several extraordinary women who stepped forward to love, nurture, guide, teach, and challenge her to become the accomplished actress, philanthropist, and mother that she is today.
Rowell spent her first weeks of life as a boarder infant before being placed with a Caucasian foster family. Although her stay lasted for only two years, at this critical stage Rowell was given a foundation of love by the first of what would be an amazing array of women, each of whom presented herself for different purposes at every dramatic turn of Rowell's life.
In this deeply touching memoir, Rowell pays tribute to her personal champions: the mothers, grandmothers, aunts, mentors, teachers, and sisters who each have fascinating stories to tell. Among them are Agatha Armstead, Rowell's longest-term foster mother, a black Bostonian on whose rural Maine farm Rowell's fire to reach for greatness was lit; Esther Brooks, a Paris-trained prima ballerina, Rowell's first mentor at the Cambridge School of Ballet; Rosa Turner, a Boston inner-city fosterer who taught Rowell lessons of independence; Sylvia Silverman, a mother and teacher whose home in a well-kept middle-class suburban neighborhood prepared Rowell for her transition out of foster care and into New York City's wild worlds of ballet and acting and adulthood.
In spite of support from individuals and agencies, Rowell nonetheless carried the burden of loneliness and anxiety, common to most foster children, particularly those "orphans of the living" who are never adopted. Heroically overcoming those obstacles, Rowell also reaches a moment when she can embrace her biological mother, Dorothy, and, most important, accept herself.
Ultimately, The Women Who Raised Me is a story that belongs to each of us as it shines a glowing light on the transformational power of mentoring, love, art, and womanhood.
Customer Reviews:
Review.......2007-09-07
This was a well written book. The author gives a heartfelt account of her life in foster care. She begins her story as a small child in rural Maine and concludes as an adult actress in Hollywood. This is a great book that deals with foster care, mental illness, achievements, and adversity in a young woman's life.
Wanted more of an autobiography.......2007-08-16
I know the title says the women who raised me, but I really wanted to read more about how she got into acting, what it was like to be on the young and the restless and work with dick van dyke. She spends many chapters about her ballet years, but doesnt mention what it was like to get into tv acting, which is really her career, not ballet. She is known for being a TV star. She did a great deal of research into her families/friends - I think too much. I had to skip many many pages because it got boring. She mentions her marriage, but never talks about getting divorced. I never knew if she married Wynton or not, had to look it up on the net. She doesn't get into her relationships with men much or her children. I got the impression Wynton was raising her son? but who knows. She seems very multi talented though and it was great that she put so much time into writing a book in addition to her other charities/career.
Intriguing,surprising insights about foucs & tenacity.......2007-08-10
This is an exceptionally touching journey through the life of a foster child that was exposed to a number of phenomenal women.
All their lives were woven together beautifully by the author [Rowell]and revealed that despite backgrounds that were so different, these women all exhibited determined, giving spirits through their own talents.
A must read!!
The Women Who Raised Me.......2007-07-28
A very touching story , well written and informative. So sad at times. I loved that there were pictures of these incredible women to put faces on the heroes! Inspiring too, that with love and guidance, our children can thrive in difficult life situations.
As a grandmother to a mixed race child, very distubing also, that we still have so far to go in the US.
A wonderful book.......2007-07-01
I could not put down Ms. Rowell's life journey. I knew very little about her, only that she was an actress in a soap opera. She is an incredibly strong woman. I have great admiration for her. She could so easily have turned her back on her painful past and distanced herself from orphans; but she chose not to. She embraces her birth mother and all who assisted her.
Book Description
There are shelves of memoirs about overcoming the death of a parent, childhood abuse, rape, drug addiction, miscarriage, alcoholism, hustling, gangbanging, near-death injuries, drug dealing, prostitution, or homelessness.
Cupcake Brown survived all these things before she’d even turned twenty.
And that’s when things got interesting….
You have in your hands the strange, heart-wrenching, and exhilarating tale of a woman named Cupcake. It begins as the story of a girl orphaned twice over, once by the death of her mother and then again by a child welfare system that separated her from her stepfather and put her into the hands of an epically sadistic foster parent. But there comes a point in her preteen years—maybe it’s the night she first tries to run away and is exposed to drugs, alcohol, and sex all at once—when Cupcake’s story shifts from a tear-jerking tragedy to a dark comic blues opera. As Cupcake’s troubles grow, so do her voice and spirit. Her gut-punch sense of humor and eye for the absurd, along with her outsized will, carry her through a fateful series of events that could easily have left her dead.
Young Cupcake learned to survive by turning tricks, downing hard liquor, partying like a rock star, and ingesting every drug she could find while hitchhiking up and down the California coast. She stumbled into gangbanging, drug dealing, hustling, prostitution, theft, and, eventually, the best scam of all: a series of 9-to-5 jobs. But Cupcake’s unlikely tour through the cubicle world was paralleled by a quickening descent into the nightmare of crack cocaine use, till she eventually found herself living behind a Dumpster.
Astonishingly, she turned it around. With the help of a cobbled together family of eccentric fellow addicts and “angels”—a series of friends and strangers who came to her aid at pivotalmoments—she slowly transformed her life from the inside out.
A Piece of Cake is unlike any memoir you’ll ever read. Moving and almost transgressive in its frankness, it is a relentlessly gripping tale of a resilient spirit who took on the worst of contem-porary urban life and survived it with a furious wit and unyielding determination. Cupcake Brown is a dynamic and utterly original storyteller who will guide you on the most satisfying, startlingly funny, and genuinely affecting tour through hell you’ll ever take.
When it came time for me to talk, I wasn’t sure which parts of my past to tell, which to keep secret, and which to pretend never happened. Uncle Jr. had already seen the welts on my back, so he wasn’t too surprised when I told them about some of the physical abuse I endured at Diane’s. Everyone else hit the roof, except Daddy. He got really quiet and started balling and unballing his fists.
I continued my update. Experience had taught me that adults have trouble accepting the idea of children having sex. I decided that from then on, that part of my life never happened. I picked up the story by telling them about Fly, the Gangstas, and getting shot.
I was dying for a cigarette. So it seemed a good time to announce that I smoked cigarettes—and weed.
After a moment Sam looked at me, smiled, and handed me one of her Marlboros. I preferred menthols, but beggars can’t be choosers. I kicked back, took a long drag, and closed my eyes.
Daddy and Jr. were silent. They seemed a bit shocked and unsure about how to respond.
“Well, Cup,” Jr. said, “it’s a little too late to be trying to raise you now. But those cigarettes will kill you. And weed will only lead you to stronger drugs.”
He didn’t know how right he was. But for me, it was too late to be worrying about stronger drugs—the only worrying I did was whether I could find a connection to get some. So I just smiled, nodded, and took another hit off my cigarette.
The eerie quiet returned.
—from A Piece of Cake
Also available as a Random House AudioBook and eBook.
From the Hardcover edition.
Customer Reviews:
Insightful and rewarding.......2007-09-29
I don't normally read memoir's, but the cover caught my attention first followed by the brief description of the book and the author. The history of Ms. Brown's life was riveting, insightful, and surprisingly inspiring. I feel as if she wrote this so the reader wouldn't feel pity, but rather could really understand what she was living through. I gained so much understanding of drug addiction and I was inspired by her recovery. So much so, I am incorporating some of her 12 step lessons into my own life.
Buy the book, you won't be let down.
Wonderful, Just wonderful........2007-09-21
I usually don't pick up a book because of the pretty cover but this one had me intrigued and by the time I read the description and a few pages, a book was purchased. Cupcake's story is the journey of a young girl who through no fault of her own was denied the right to live with the man she knew as her father after her mother died. Her biological father whom she had no relationship with thought there was money to be gained by pettioning the court for custody of Cupcake and her brother. Her biological father was soon to learn that there was no monitary gain to be found. Quickly, Cupcake began a life of foster homes that included sexual, physical and verbal abuse and then the discovery of drugs which escalated to a level not experienced by most people (or who lived to tell about it).
Cupcake went through hell but the one point I must make is that you never felt sorry for her. Cupcake through her sense of humor, sheer will to survive and an extaordinary intellect has the stuff of someone who not only survives but does it amazingly well. I loved this book and everyone whom I lent it to has wanted to lend it to others. I told them "buy your own".
Torn.......2007-09-16
I thought this was a riveting story with a great ending. However, some things didn't add up for me. I don't do drugs and I can barely remember what happened 2 weeks ago, let alone 10 or 15 years ago in as much detail as Cupcake. I do wonder how much of it is actual recollection or and how much is her own paraphrasing of her memory. However, the thing that bugged me the most was how or why would any decent law firm hire someone that dressed like a [...] and didn't brush her teeth? That makes no sense. I can't imagine they were that desperate for help. Also was it me or at the end of her book did she not say she didn't charge for speaking gigs, however, on her web site she has fees listed. I don't have the book in my possession so I can't vouch and correct me if I am wrong, but, I just thought it was hypocritical.
Interesting read but full of LIES.......2007-09-05
This book was a pretty good read and a page turner, but it's a memoir, and should be called "A Piece of Fiction". I did a lot of drugs when I was younger and I can tell you my "a lot" would be about 5% of what she claimed to have done. So how the HECK CAN SHE REMEMBER ALL THESE LITTLE STORIES AND BITS OF INFORMATION?!?! For her to write such a long book describing small details of what went on during the years of crazy drug use and "blackouts", she would have to have one of, wait, THE BEST memory on the planet, even after years of drugs and waking up next to a dumpster.
And sorry, but no law firm would hire a girl that came in dressed like a slut, talking back, and hadn't brushed her hair or teeth in weeks.
Nuff said.
Amazing !!!!.......2007-08-12
This was an excellent book ! I can't even begin to explain how this book touched my heart...I would encourage people both young and old to read this book...It is sad, yet inspiring...Cupcake Brown tells a life story that will make you cry...This is a must read !!! AMAZING !!!!!!
Average customer rating:
- I know why the Caged Bird Sings
- Unforgettable
- A canonical work in American literature
- Poor Print
- I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
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I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
Maya Angelou
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Gather Together in My Name
ASIN: 0553279378
Release Date: 1983-04-01 |
Amazon.com
In this first of five volumes of autobiography, poet Maya Angelou recounts a youth filled with disappointment, frustration, tragedy, and finally hard-won independence. Sent at a young age to live with her grandmother in Arkansas, Angelou learned a great deal from this exceptional woman and the tightly knit black community there. These very lessons carried her throughout the hardships she endured later in life, including a tragic occurrence while visiting her mother in St. Louis and her formative years spent in California--where an unwanted pregnancy changed her life forever. Marvelously told, with Angelou's "gift for language and observation," this "remarkable autobiography by an equally remarkable black woman from Arkansas captures, indelibly, a world of which most Americans are shamefully ignorant."
Book Description
A phenomenal #1 bestseller that has appeared on the New York Times bestseller list for nearly three years, this memoir traces Maya Angelou's childhood in a small, rural community during the 1930s. Filled with images and recollections that point to the dignity and courage of black men and women,
Angelou paints a sometimes disquieting, but always affecting picture of the people--and the times--that touched her life.
Customer Reviews:
I know why the Caged Bird Sings.......2007-09-07
Wonderful overview of who Mya Angelou actually is and what makes her the person she is. Very poignant, sometimes extremly funny and sometimes brings you to tears. A lovely, proud woman; someone you would be thrilled to call your friend, because if she was your friend, she would be true blue. She is sassy, proud, scared, fearless. I laughed when she laughted and felt some of the pain she must have felt when she realized things were not always as they seem to be.
Unforgettable.......2007-07-30
Maya Angelou brings to life an era that cannot and must not be forgotten. It was not that long ago in America that blacks were seen as another, inferior nation that was taught, explicitly and implicitly, to know its place. Anyone who wishes to understand the underpinnings of the civil rights movement of the 20th century, as well as African Americans' continued struggle for equality today, should read this book.
I found it particularly noteworthy that Angelou and her family in the rural South of the 1930s employed a very strong defense mechanism: They concluded that white people were the ones who were awkward, strange, inferior, possibly not even human. This was the only way for them to survive day to day.
This is a must read for adults and teenagers alike.
A canonical work in American literature.......2007-07-24
Maya Angelou's memoir of growing up in the 1930's and 40's offers a cold, hard assessment of the petty indignities, fear and racism (both subtle and overt) African-Americans endured (and continue to live with.) But what makes this wonderful book shine is the way in which Maya (and her family and those around her) face, challenge and overcome these indignities. Added to this is Angelou's writing, which has a rythm, ebb and flow to it - in reading it is clear that she is a poet.
Added to the weight of racism, Angelou wrestles with sexism (making her doubly powerless: a woman and an African-American) and repeated and continuous displacement as she is shuttled from household to household. The transformation she makes from girl to womanhood is as powerful as it is moving. That she learns how to become the "formidible character" that many women of color are is a testament to her (and their) courage and strength. It is clear to me why this is considered such a seminal work in American literature. Easy to read yet powerful and uplifting, I highly recommend it.
Poor Print.......2007-05-28
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, is one of the best books of all time. Unfortunately, Heinemann Publishers did not do this novel justice. The typeset (by CentraCet Limited) is squeezed on a slim page less than five inches. The right margin is less than 3/8 inch and affords only distracting aesthetics. I wanted a hardcopy but only received a binding - I'm sure Maya could not have approved. I was truly disappointed with the printing because I wanted a copy of this novel that I could pass on to my daughters. Disappointed and Let Down!
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.......2007-05-16
The book taught a lot on the time before aparthied. It was a moving story on how fathers connect to their sons and the country being under racial segragation
Book Description
Hailed as "compelling" by The Washington Post and "stunningly honest" by The San Francisco Chronicle, this memoir has hit bestseller lists and earned critical praise from coast to coast. Rebecca Walker was born in 1969 to author Alice Walker and lawyer Mel Leventhal, who met and married in the heyday of the Civil Rights movement. But after their divorce, Rebecca was a lonely only child ferrying between two worlds-and trying to figure out where she fit in.
"Masterfully illuminates differences between black and white America...a heartbreaking tale of self-creation." (People )
"Walker skillfully depicts her tangled upbringing, full of disappointment and privilege." (Time)
"Compelling." (The Dallas Morning News)
"A poignant, spare memoir." (Chicago Sun-Times)
"Powerful." (Danzy Senna, author of Caucasia)
Customer Reviews:
An Excellent Memoir.......2007-05-30
I discovered how much I like Rebecca Walker's writing, voice and style after reading a forward she wrote for an anthology of mixed race writings. Then I heard her speak and I read "Black, White and Jewish" the next day. I didn't want to put the book down and I was sorry when her memoir ended because I wanted to keep on reading.
And no, at that point it had not yet occurred to me that she was Alice Walker's daughter. Besides, that would not have made any difference to me anyway. Both Alice and Rebecca are excellent authors, but the fact that they are related is not important to me. What matters is that Rebecca has written an excellent memoir.
Thank you Rebecca.
A story to share...........2007-05-07
What caught my eye at first was her last name...Walker. So I said to myself she must have inherited her Mom's way of putting into words her thoughts. Once I started to read the story, I could not put it down. The pain was felt through each chapter, each change of home every two years. What a way to grow up. But grow up she did into a very complex woman who can share her childhood with others who may also have the identity crisis of having not only parents from different racial backgrounds, but also of having the constant shift of "home". The book helped me understand what my daughters have gone through with their Mom being white, their Dad being African American and a military family with the moving every couple of years. Once I was done, I gave the book to my now 24 year old daughter, a mother now of half Honduran and the rest of her children. Thanks for opening her up to others being out there who may share her pain and to open our conversation up more than it already was.
Quick read, Had some insights........2007-02-26
ALthough I enjoyed the writing style and some of the portrayals of her family and multi-racial experiences, I expected this book to be more about the later and her coming of age rather than the attention given to her sexual experiences. This did not seem as important to the book as the themes on racism, black/Jewish relations, etc. I would have liked more of that. It seemed like she had a lot of rebellion against her dad and his wife, but they seemed more there for her than her mom. I found this book very interesting and I would like to read more by this author and on this topic.
Rebecca Walker is a Schlemiel and a Putz........2007-01-26
What do Lenny Kravitz, Craig David, Derek Jeter, Hale Berry, Barak Obama, Rain Pryor, Keanu Reeves, and The Rock all have in common? They're successfull bi-racial Americans of politics, arts, and athletics. Unfortunately, Rebecca Walker Leventhal doesn't measure up. She feels sorry for herself because she's half-white, and she's angry at her father for making her half-Jewish. Poor thing.
Leventhal's life is nowhere near as bad as she wants us to believe. Her father cared about her very much, and her stepmom sounds okay to me, but she writes about her father like he was neglectful. She's angry at him for moving the family to a suburb, but was that such a bad thing? What's wrong with wanting to live in a good area with great schools? She felt alienated from her white Jewish friends, but that was self-imposed. All these Jewish people WANTED to be her friend, but the suburbs just weren't good enough for her.
Her next complaint is her teen years. She acts like it was all pain and guilt, but from what I read, she had a great time. She had lots of interesting boyfriends, and spent a summer on the set of "The Color Purple." She graduated from high school, went to an Ivy League college, and that doesn't sound bad.
Walker's problem is her MOTHER. Alice Walker was a terrible parent. What kind of mother refuses to take her daugher to meet her principal? What kind of mother refuses to be involved in her daughter's life. I think the reason she complains so much is that she's realy angry at her mother, but seems guilty accusing her. After all, Alice Walker is black, and she can't accuse her black mother of anything. Her Jewish father is an easier target.
Leventhal (or Walker, whatever she calls herself) should stop thinking of herself as a victim and a mutant, and start thinking of herself as the product of two wonderful things. Lenny Kravitz was another Black Jewish American, and he had his lumps, including his parents' divorce. But being Black and Jewish didn't hold him back, it kept him going. Rain Pryor was a Black jew, and her dad was a cokehead, but she writes about her life with strength and humor.
At first I didn't think Rebecca had the wisdom commonly associated with American Jews. But then I realized she's one of us. How do I know? Her whining! Read "Born to Kvetch" and you'll learn why Jews are stereotyped as whiners. We're very vocal about things, including our problems. It's one of the ways that we avoid stress and anger, which in other cultures leads to drunkness, temper flashes and wife-beating. But we do other things besides complain, and that's all she does. Complain.
Thank You Rebecca !.......2006-11-30
While I believe you were more privileged than I was, thank you for telling the Jewish community what it needed to hear as opposed to what it wanted to hear.
As a fellow multiracial Jew, your assertions about the Jewish community were unfortunately more accurate than many would like to admit. Rebecca distanced herself from a community that didn't accept her. While I still express my Judaism at home and attend synagogue on the HHD, I don't attend schul due to racism myself. I got tired of being mistaken for the janitor, maid, or nanny. I deserve more respect than that, I'm a human being. She's getting a lot of criticism from people who want to believe in the "Jews never have race problems" crowd. Sorry guys, but its an issue.
The intercallary style of the book may annoy certain readers, but I felt they were a welcome literary device to evoke her deepest emotions. I believe she may be a bit self-indulgent at times, but I think she does display how many mixed people (and mixed Jews for that matter) feel about their communities. However, Rebecca's downward spiral into self destructive behaviors is more of a symptom of bad parenting than a community that rejects her.
I honestly don't think Rebecca is ashamed of her Jewish heritage. What Rebecca IS ashamed of how she was treated by her family and others. How would you feel about a community that doesn't consider you Jewish enough? Even worse, the same people tell you that you're not taking enough pride in your heritage, although it rejects you.
Guess what guys, the problem is mostly you, not Rebecca.
Average customer rating:
- Kincaid's Mad as Hell, and She's Not Going to Take it Anymore
- The lovely tourists
- A Small Mind Writes A Small Place
- An island paradise
- It is a Small place
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A Small Place
Jamaica Kincaid
Manufacturer: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
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ASIN: 0374527075 |
Book Description
A brilliant look at colonialism and its effects in Antigua--by the author of Annie John
"If you go to Antigua as a tourist, this is what you will see. If you come by aeroplane, you will land at the V. C. Bird International Airport. Vere Cornwall (V. C.) Bird is the Prime Minister of Antigua. You may be the sort of tourist who would wonder why a Prime Minister would want an airport named after him--why not a school, why not a hospital, why not some great public monument. You are a tourist and you have not yet seen . . ."
So begins Jamaica Kincaid's expansive essay, which shows us what we have not yet seen of the ten-by-twelve-mile island in the British West Indies where she grew up.
Lyrical, sardonic, and forthright by turns, in a Swiftian mode, A Small Place cannot help but amplify our vision of one small place and all that it signifies.
Customer Reviews:
Kincaid's Mad as Hell, and She's Not Going to Take it Anymore.......2007-01-11
Published in 1988 Kincaid's "A Small Place" is an unflinchingly angry portrayal of post-colonial, post-slavery life on the island of Antigua. To put it simply: Kincaid is as mad as hell, and she's not going to take it anymore. If you're white and can shelve your defensiveness for a moment this book is actually really enjoyable, it's written in first person and directed at "you," the British colonizer and/or the fat white tourist. Kincaid's sense of humor is wonderfully dark, and there are a lot of moments of humor if you keep an open mind. Still, at the heart of the matter is the story of Antigua's decay, left to rot by the British colonizers, with a population that doesn't vote openly corrupt officials out of office. She openly points out the irony of the celebration of emancipation alongside the valorization of the Hotel Training School, which teaches the residents of the island to be servants. In the end Kincaid concludes that no one is to blame, that after slavery the masters are no longer evil and the slaves are no longer "noble," but that everyone is merely human. She problematizes the matter, but offers no solutions, which might irritate those concrete sequentials among us. Also, she refers to Columbus, and the explorers in general, so adored in American culture, as "human rubbish" on multiple occasions. You might not agree with Kincaid, but this is one topic someone should be angry about, and her unapologetic narrative is about as honest as you can get.
The lovely tourists.......2006-05-01
I had to read this book for a Multicultural Literature class at my Uni, and, far from being informative, all it did was fill with me a contempt of my own. I am not a racist by any means, but when confronted with such a bitter, snide voice as the one Kincaid displays, I find myself unconsciously getting defensive. When she says, "you are a tourist; you are ugly," I find myself saying, "Fine, I'll keep my money and let you trade with seashells and beads." Kincaid is a master of the self-fulfilling prophecy: she says Antiguans are so oppressed and so downtrodden and so angry, and rather than doing anything to help it, she's exacerbating it by using such a bitter, over-the-top voice.
Other reviewers have stated that the vision of Antigua portrayed is a warped and extremely limited one, biased by Kincaid's apparent small mindedness, and I must confess that I'm glad to hear that. To think that the entire island is solely occupied by bitter people who imagine themselves to be ex-slaves would make me steer clear of the area any time I go on vacation.
Because, yes, I am a tourist. And no, being a tourist does not automatically make anyone ugly, despite what Kincaid's bitter rant might say.
A Small Mind Writes A Small Place.......2006-03-04
A major failing of this essay, which claims to be non-fiction, is Kincaid's sole reliance on her own memories of Antigua. As an eye-witness, Kincaid has the chance to provide a unique perspective on the issues of slavery, corruption, tourism, colonialism, and SIDS (small island developing states). Yet, she ruins this chance, in my opinion, with her complete disregard of any perspective other than her own.
A Small Place presents a biased and incomplete account of many of the issues facing Antigua and other islands in the Caribbean. Some of Kincaid's criticisms are certainly valid; however, others have been blown completely out of proportion. If one really wishes to know the history of Antigua and to understand the lingering consequences of colonialism, I suggest looking elsewhere.
What this book lacks in factual information, it does not make up for with a strong emotional appeal. Kincaid's story line is incomplete and unengaging. She repeatedly wanders from topic to topic and back again, giving no sense of what is most important or relevant. Additionally, whatever sympathy she may gain from the Western reader is repeatedly lost with her hateful generalizations.
I am sorry that I have to write such a negative review of this book. I believe that it is important for people in the West to understand the plight of developing countries, especially SIDS. However, I do not believe that A Small Place is at all helpful in promoting this dialogue.
It is important to understand the past. And I can sympathize with Kincaid's intense hatred of those who have and continue to oppress "her people". However, I think this text is short-sighted in its desire for change. After repeatedly criticizing tourists for their greed and laziness, does she really expect them to want to understand Antiguan society? I see the hatred and dualism expressed in A Small Place as a major obstacle in achieving a better tomorrow.
An island paradise.......2005-02-05
Antigua, an awe-inspiring vacation spot for Europeans and North Americans, takes on a different aura when discussed by native Jamaica Kincaid. Ms. Kincaid describes how the Antiguans feel about the tourists who visit: ugly people. Ugly because they invaded, then brought slaves to work for them so they could become rich while ignoring the needs of those who made them wealthy. Ugly because of what they've done to the island and the people who live there. Jamaica talks about the corrupt government and the hand that North Americans, British, Syrians and Lebanese play in that corruption. She describes how England paved the roads the Queen of England would travel when she visited, but left everything else in poor condition. Ms. Kincaid also mentions the drug dealers that the government ignores and those who build ugly condos for the wealthy and rent business space to the government who should be building their own space.
In a very few pages, Jamaica Kincaid says what a lot of former slaves would like to say but are perhaps too politically correct to utter. She does the job for us. Ms. Kincaid does not mince her words when it comes to what the British Empire did to the people of Antigua and the world for that matter. Frequently, I found myself wanting to stand up and cheer as I read her words of disgust and anger. While Ms. Kincaid is specifically speaking of Antigua, her words describe the slave trade and the destruction and poverty left in the wake of it no matter what country. It is well worth reading - more than once.
Reviewed by alice Holman
of The RAWSISTAZ™ Reviewers
It is a Small place .......2004-09-21
In "A Small Place", Kincaid leads the western reader through Antigua, while invoking feelings of guilt. Kincaid draws the reader in by narrating through the reader's perspective. She does this to engulf the reader into the setting and workings of Antigua and its government, including it's abused cultural history. This is the style of narration that Kincaid uses in the first thirty-seven pages of the book, and is very effective in captivating the reader. I felt guilt and ignorance while reading through Kincaid's description of Antigua and the abuse it is subject to by a regressive white moderate. She passionately unveils the crimes and injustices that her people have suffered from. The read is passionate and truthful while forcefully shedding the ignorant presumptions of the reader about what a western reader would consider a "resort area." She skillfully illustrates how foreign landowners rob the economy and further suppress the Antiguan population. She combines the individual reader into a collaboration of his/her personal/cultural histories to make that individual feel responsible for his/her cultures actions. So not only do you read the book as yourself, but you read the essay as western cultures history. She doesn't stop there, but uncovers the evils committed by her own western placed government and calls into question the morality that the whole island revolves on. This is the reason the book has been banned in Antigua. Not only would the book have inflicted damage on commerce and tourism, but also it would have uncovered the committed evils of the persons in power there.
I thought the book was far from enjoyable, but an essential read that helped erase certain ignorance held by the western population. I would suggest the book to scholars and activists or anyone interested in the repercussions of cultural memory. All in all I enjoyed the read but wished that Kincaid had followed through with the "reader narrator" format, which she uses to pull the reader in but abandons after the thirty-seventh page.
Book Description
Born to a poor couple who were tenant farmers on a plantation in Mississippi, Anne Moody lived through some of the most dangerous days of the pre-civil rights era in the South. The week before she began high school came the news of Emmet Till’s lynching. Before then, she had "known the fear of hunger, hell, and the Devil. But now there was…the fear of being killed just because I was black." In that moment was born the passion for freedom and justice that would change her life.
An all-A student whose dream of going to college is realized when she wins a basketball scholarship, she finally dares to join the NAACP in her junior year. Through the NAACP and later through CORE and SNCC she has first-hand experience of the demonstrations and sit-ins that were the mainstay of the civil rights movement, and the arrests and jailings, the shotguns, fire hoses, police dogs, billy clubs and deadly force that were used to destroy it.
A deeply personal story but also a portrait of a turning point in our nation’s destiny, this autobiography lets us see history in the making, through the eyes of one of the footsoldiers in the civil rights movement.
Customer Reviews:
Not angry... Just historically honest.......2007-07-10
Though I read this book many years ago, I had to strongly disagree with part of the editor's initial characterization of this book as being "angry". Powerful, painful and anxiety producing, yes. Angry, no.
I personally came away with the lasting impression of a very honest and heart-felt description of the events and struggles that shaped Ann Moody's life, and her active participation in the Civil Rights Movement. She describes beautifully the fears and pains felt by communities during tragic events such as the murder of the young Emmett Till, and injects the intensity felt by the leaders of the Movement, including MLK Jr., as they constantly tried to dodge authorities.
I strongly believe, and echo other reviewer's opinions, that every High School and young college student should be required to read this book.
Descriptive, emotional, engaging.......2007-03-20
Thus a civil rights advocate was born.
I read this book seven years ago, on a whim, because I was wanting to understand why Southerners were especially proud of their heritage when there was so much suffering among its own people, especially its blacks.
Ann Moddy lived a life that most whites would be ashamed of, but that many blacks endured. This is a part of American history that mainstreem history books seldom cover in any detail and leave to the "Black Studies" department.
Moody lived her life struggling for identity, struggling for change, struggling for advancement. She made something of herself and has never looked back. (I read somewhere that she doesn't like to talk about her growing-up years and has lived a life of seclusion.). She can only be admired for what she has made of herself.
Moody never once expresses hurt. All she wanted was justice for all. She left Mississippi with more than a tinge of anger.
This book should be required reading for all social studies classes. It is engrossing without being sentimental or overly emotional (and it certainly is not "girly" at all.) For anyone, regardless of color, gender or legal status, this should be a must-read.
Wasn't reasonable or logical or comprehensible.......2007-03-05
I quit early on and here's why.
Anne's mother leaves her 6 month old infant and Anne (who is "almost 4") in the hands of her (anne's mother) 8 y/o brother, then later her 12y/o brother, for 12+ hours every day. According to Anne they never took care of them and in fact took off as soon as her parents were out of sight.
Who's feeding the 6 month old for those 12+ hours? They were living on a farm with lots of other black families. Surely the women had some kind of communal child care system going. Where's the wet nurse? I don't believe it.
Same happens with the next infant. Mom's never home. All male babysitters. One male adult would take all three kids (ages 5, 2.5 and a little over a year old) HUNTING with him in the swamps! I don't believe it. I don't believe Anne Moody.
How is it that Anne goes to school at age 5 but her mom's 8 y/o and 12y/o brothers don't?
In Anne Moody's story the boys and some men stayed home and babysat while the girls go to school/work. Now I always thought it was just the opposite. Girls usually stayed home and tended to their younger siblings, cleaned, cooked etc., while the boys if they didn't go to school, worked along side the men.
How is it that little 5 y/o Anne walks 2 miles up and 2 miles back to school everyday all by herself. Just try and picture that in your mind. A tiny little threadbare 5 y/o girl all alone walking 4 miles a day in the rain, humid heat or cold. Then hiding in the schools outhouse for as long as she can because she doesn't like school or the teacher! I don't see it. I don't believe it. Four miles is nothing for a healthy adult/teen/kid but a 5 y/o "baby"? I don't think they'd have the mind to do it nor the legs.
How is it that when Anne is 6 and back at school, her mom just leaves the 3.5 y/o and 1.5 y/o all by themselves, all day at the house, no babysitter? I don't believe it. Was Anne's mother mentally retarded? They're living in town at this time. What about the neighbors, friends or church? Women have always gotten together to help care for the children?
The story just wasn't adding up so I quit. Sorry.
I also don't believe the memoirs of Augusten Burroughs "Running with Scissors" etc. and Mary Karr "The Liars' Club".
Prompt Service.......2007-02-28
I do not have any complaints about Amazon.com service. I got my book on time and in the conditions stated on the site. I am very satisfied. The book is a great addition for my library and it is very helpful for my classes in college.
Remarkable, Unforgettable, Invaluable, Candid, Daring, Astounding..........2007-01-29
This book is one of the the best books to help you to REALLY understand the Civil Rights Movement and what it meant to be black in the south during that era. Anne Moody lets the reader into her life in a remarkable way and helps her audience comprehend what the south was like (not only for the black population, but for black women as well) and why Civil Rights workers, like herself, put up with so much for their cause. It is very hard for me to put into words what a great book this is-it will open your eyes to history even if you don't like history or reading I guarantee you will LOVE this book! Definitely a MUST READ.
Other books that compliment this book well, if you're interested in the subject are: Passing, Quicksand, and Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl
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Books Index
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