Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Civil rights activist and
leader Height looks back on seven decades of crucial work-as speaker, social
worker, protestor; as a member of the national staff of the YWCA from
1944-1977 and president of the National Council of Negro Women from
1957-1998-in this thorough but impersonal memoir. Height reports Molotov
cocktails and secret civil rights meetings in back rooms, along with more
quotidian aspects of racism-being invited by mistake to rush a white
sorority, for example-with the same smooth tone. Although the changes Height
helped bring about were dramatic, her manner is not. To adverse events, she
was creative rather than reactive: her response to a TV program called "The
Vanishing Black Family," for example, was to organize the Black Family
Reunion celebrations. Of particular interest is her account of her close
relationship with Mary McLeod Bethune and Eleanor Roosevelt, and her
restoring to the history of the Civil Rights Movement the important role
played by the little-known Wednesdays in Mississippi project, in which
"biracial, interfaith teams of distinguished women" held weekly meetings
that established "a ministry of presence." Dignity, discretion and a certain
delicacy-the very elements that made her such an effective agent for social
change-make her memoir a somewhat prosaic book. It chronicles days of
committees, conferences and conventions, of persistent pushing for change
while working within existing structures. It is a public account of public
activities, an autobiographical record with none of the intimacy of the
memoir. Its value for historians of the civil rights era and of black
women's organizations is central, but although Height was always there, she
doesn't take the reader with her. 8 page b&w photo insert not seen by PW.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Height has devoted her life to
the struggle for civil rights. Now 91 years old and still serving as chair
and president emerita of the National Council of Negro Women, Height walks
us step-by-step through a remarkable lifetime of witnessing every
significant event in the fight for racial equality. Most apparent is
Height's focus on and tremendous devotion to furthering the progress of
African American women. Amusingly, Height's matter-of-fact tone recounting
her experiences belies the magnitude of their historical significance.
Spanning more than 70 years, Height's memoir reads like a primer on the
trajectory of the civil rights movement. From facing threats of physical
harm in the integration-resistant South to her work with Mary McLeod
Bethune, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Bill Clinton, Dr. Height remains proud yet
grounded about her accomplishments and those of her colleagues. What is most
striking about this book is Height's recurring insistence (and proof!) that
a sincere commitment to excellence is the tool that can afford remarkable
opportunities to anyone. Terry Glover
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Milwaukee
Journal-Sentinel, June 7, 2003.
"The memoir reveals a woman
with the capacity to learn and grow continuously, a woman passionate about
doing good."
Library Journal, June 15,
2003.
"an intimate and extended
vision of the Civil Rights movement, from a very special black women's
perspective."
Ebony, June 2003.
"a long-awaited memoir from a
veteran freedom fighter and witness to history... [a] personal and inspiring
story."
Newhouse News Service,
June 13, 2003.
" a long-awaited event for
those who have badgered Height for years to tell her story."
Baltimore Sun, June 22,
2003.
"made of grace and a titanium
backbone... Put her inspiring memoir on your daughter's reading list - and
your own."
Book Description
A heroine of the Civil Rights
Movement tells the remarkable story of her life, her work, and what it means
to be both black and a woman.
Dorothy Height marched at civil rights rallies,
sat through tense White House meetings, and witnessed every major victory in
the struggle for racial equality. Yet as the sole woman among powerful,
charismatic men, someone whose personal ambition was secondary to her
passion for her cause, she has received little mainstream recognition--until
now.
In her memoir, Dr. Height, now ninety-one,
reflects on a life of service and leadership. We witness her childhood
encounters with racism and the thrill of New York college life during the
Harlem Renaissance. We see her protest against lynchings. We sit with her
onstage as Martin Luther King Jr. delivers his "I Have a Dream" speech. We
meet people she knew intimately throughout the decades: W.E.B. DuBois,
Marcus Garvey, Eleanor Roosevelt, Mary McLeod Bethune, Adam Clayton Powell
Sr., Langston Hughes, and many others. And we watch as she leads the
National Council of Negro Women for forty-one years, her diplomatic counsel
sought by U.S. Presidents from Eisenhower to Clinton.
After the fierce battles of the 1960s, Dr.
Height concentrates on troubled black communities, on issues like rural
poverty, teen pregnancy and black family values. In 1994, her efforts are
officially recognized. Along with Rosa Parks, she receives the Presidential
Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor.
About the Author
Dr. Dorothy Height has more
than twenty honorary degrees. In addition to the Presidential Medal of
Freedom, she has received the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Freedom Medal and
the Citizens Medal Award, which President Ronald Reagan awarded her in 1989.
Now 91, she continues to serve as chair and president emeriti of the
National Council of Negro Women. She lives in Washington, D.C.
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