Delacourte Press Books for Young Readers sent me a copy of this hardcover book that was published in October for review (thank you). It's for ages 11 and up. There was also an adult version published by Crown Publishers' titled: Extraordinary, Ordinary People: A Memoir of Family.
This story gives you a good look at a cross section of life as Condoleezza and her family knew it. They were black and segregated from the whites in the 1950's in Birmingham, Alabama. They weathered the changes in attitudes, lifestyles, and opportunities, and they still saw the limitations race can have on a person. But they were always looking forward, gave their children every opportunity to continue schooling and believed their children could accomplish whatever they chose to do. That belief helped their children find their way in a world that was not altogether welcoming.
She has written this book from a child's point of view. It explains how she felt about life as she knew it, how she took money from her parents to continue her education and didn't realize until later what they gave up to do.
I liked this book a lot, and I didn't expect to. (I don't read a lot of non-fiction.) I now have a much better understanding about who Condoleezza Rice is and I can see some similarities between her parents and mine. I was white and she was black, but Mom told me I could be president if I wanted to be - she just didn't think I'd like all the politics. (She was right.)
Let your child learn about racial challenges, life challenges, and hard work to achieve your goals. It will give them strengths to face their own challenges in life.
Happy reading!
1 comment:
Extraordinary ordinary people is a very fasinating memoir that is very hard to put down and she shares in this book her amazing life and were she got her strength and character from and what life lessons her parents taught her and how her faith and politics shaped her life.
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