Features:
- ISBN13: 9780684850139
- Condition: New
- Notes: BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed
- Author : Lynne Olson
- Binding : Paperback
- Dewey Decimal Number : 323.092275
- EAN : 9780684850139
- ISBN : 0684850133
- Is Eligible For Trade In? : Yes
- Label : Scribner
- List Price : $17.00 (USD)
- Manufacturer : Scribner
- Number Of Items : 1
- Number Of Pages : 464
- Package Dimensions : 1.17 inches (Height) x 8.50 inches (Length) x 1.04 pounds (Weight) x 5.42 inches (Width)
- Publication Date : 2002-01-01
- Publisher : Scribner
- Studio : Scribner
Although men like Martin Luther King Jr. and Stokely Carmichael grabbed the headlines, women provided not just the backbone but frequently the leadership of the civil rights movement, this punchy popular history reminds us. And not just during the 1950s and '60s: Ida Mae Wells spearheaded an international anti-lynching campaign in 1892, Mary White Ovington helped launch the NAACP in 1909, and Pauli Murray led the first sit-in in 1944. The civil rights and feminist movements have been intertwined since the 19th century, notes Lynne Olson, who doesn't flinch from describing the ways in which sex has been used as a weapon to define and divide black and white women. Olson, coauthor of The Murrow Boys, again displays a marvelous knack for knitting sharp individual portraits into a cohesive group biography within a lively, accessible narrative. She makes it clear that women like Rosa Parks, Diane Nash, and Ida Mae Holland were not mere foot soldiers for male generals. Parks's record of civil rights work dated to the 1940s, long before she sparked the Montgomery bus boycott. The 22-year-old Nash revitalized the Freedom Rides after male colleagues nearly abandoned them in the wake of white violence. Holland transformed herself from an 18-year-old prostitute into a determined activist inspired by the older women she called "mamas" who could be seen on the front lines of every march, singing and testifying. Ella Baker, Jo Ann Robinson, Septima Clark, and Fannie Lou Hamer are among the other neglected figures who finally get their due in Olson's moving tribute. --Wendy Smith
- Amazon.com Review
THE FIRST COMPREHENSIVE HISTORY OF THE VITAL ROLE WOMEN -- BOTH BLACK AND WHITE -- PLAYED IN THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT In this groundbreaking and absorbing book, credit finally goes where credit is due -- to the bold women who were crucial to the success of the civil rights movement. From the Montgomery bus boycott to the lunch counter sit-ins to the Freedom Rides, Lynne Olson skillfully tells the long-overlooked story of the extraordinary women who were among the most fearless, resourceful, and tenacious leaders of the civil rights movement. Freedom's Daughters includes portraits of more than sixty women -- many until now forgotten and some never before written about -- from the key figures (Ida B. Wells, Eleanor Roosevelt, Ella Baker, and Septima Clark, among others) to some of the smaller players who represent the hundreds of women who each came forth to do her own small part and who together ultimately formed the mass movements that made the difference. Freedom's Daughters puts a human face on the civil rights struggle -- and shows that that face was often female.
- Product Description
Customer Reviews:
Customers rated Freedom's Daughters: The Unsung Heroines of the Civil Rights Movement from 1830 to 1970 4.5 stars out of 5.0 based on 10 reviews:Uplifting and Powerful History of Women Leaders
by hasselaar (Belgie) - 2010-04-20
This is one of the better books that I have read on the Civil Rights movement in the United States. The perspective taken is that of the heretofore briefly mentioned female contributions and leadership to the cause. One hears much of Dr. King and others, this book revealed the blatant sexism with which the women had to contend in order to achieve their goals. It was a surprise to learn that so many of the most esteemed male leaders were so unenlightened when it came to women's participation in the movement. Just as African Americans were fighting the fight of their lives to achieve equality,the women of the movement were fighting a battle upon 2 fronts - racism and sexism. It is remarkable to read the descriptions of the various women, their competency is unquestioned, without them much less would have been achieved. One is left with the feeling of sadness that so much brilliance and talent was put-down and brushed aside by the male members of the Civil Rights Movement. These women should have been every bit as well known as Abernathy, King and the rest. There are many mentions of women who were crucial to the movement who have receded into the mists of time. This is a shame. This is one of the very best books that I have read of the struggles and achievements of the Civil Rights movement. I recommend this book most highly to all. In particular to those interested in the struggles inherent in the fight for not only the rights of African-Americans, but also for the rights of all women, everywhere.Inspirational Masterpiece.
by Jonathan A. Weiss (New York, New York) - 2008-01-28
This history may be the best one written about the Civil Rights Movement. It certainly affords the reader a special perspective correcting the imbalance in others. The events unfold, the characters reveal themselves, and the politics astound in an intertwined masterful way. For those who were there, this study should be a great reminder (like Circle of Trust). For those who are too young to have any direct memories, this book should inspire hope, commitment, and new activity.Extremely worthwhile!
by M. Walker (Tulelake, California, USA) - 2005-09-09
So much was happening and so many strong women (and girls!) were working so hard for humane treatment while I was a youngster thousands of miles away. The least I can do in their honor is to tell others to read this book and learn!The Way it Really Was
by - 2002-02-27
It seems the anatomy of revolutions is that they metamorphose and become tarnished, and the civil rights movement of the 60s (the Revolution, Baby! as we called it then) was no exception. With history, they become glamorized and give rise to fantasized, self-appointed heroes and revisionism. This book is TRUTH without TARNISH, and sets straight the record devised by many during the past three decades of revisionism. From one who was really there, in Philadelphia Mississippi in early 60's, in again in 64-66, and during FBI investigations, I want to say: FINALLY, someone is telling it like it really was, without revisionism, without glorification of the johnnies who came lately, and without interest in creating a politically correct and marketable commodity. I knew many of the players Ms. Olsen seeks out and interviews, and I take great pride in hearing their story in the unadultuated truth. I also feel such gratification in learning how many of them went on, led lives, continued their educations, raised families and managed to put their disillusionments behind them. It's a source of healing for me, and now I too can perhaps say, at least I thought I was "doing something really important" -- a paraphrase from Diane Nash. I have tried so hard to forget the good times, because the years since have seen the initial dream tarnished and all but destroyed. Now, perhaps, I too can find some pride in what I helped to start, even though now it's clear, the civil rights movement didn't exactly end up the way those who started it intended it. My only regret is some of the truly brave, white women who stood up for their sisters, did not get more time from Ms. Olsen. One of the great heroes was Ms. Florence Mars -- probably the only woman in Neshoba County with a college education at the time -- and but a slight reference in Olsen's book. Her courage was most notable because she was of the white, wealthy elite who had everything to loose and nothing to gain by helping the Freedom Riders and using her own voice to influence. She could have spent her entire life living in her glorious Southern Revivalist house on Poplar Avenue, run her family's lumber business and never taken a chance, or lifted a finger to help. It is not risktaking, it is easy to participate, when one has nothing to loose, risk and can only gain. Ms. Mars didn't have to get involved at all. And, yet, she did -- for as she told Time Magazine when Missippi Burning (alas, revisionism at it's worst!) was filmed and released "it was the right thing to do." I want to go back to Philadelphia and see is Ms. Mars is still alive. She must be 80 now! Did she ever recover from her stroke -- I want to thank her for the greatest of kindness she showed me once in 66. And I want to tell her that I've come to realize that while there were many evil white people in the Southern heirarchy, there were many, many other good white people like her, good white women, and even good white men. People like Judge and Mrs. (Helen Patton) J. Skelley Wright. Thanks to Ms. Olson, for opening up this pandora's box of provocative, truthful thought. Maybe it will start a dialog about the way it really was.Intense and honest
by henry - 2001-08-10
This book fills a huge hole in civil rights history literature. Anyone involved in that struggle and other similiar type movements know the huge amount of grunt work that goes into a simple picket line. This work that the men scorned was the backbone of the movement and continues to this day. It shines a light on influential women in civil rights and goes into a their history and struggles. Many of these women have been mentioned in other books but that is all that is done - barely mentioned. In addition, Ms. Olson explores in an extremely honest way the relations between white women and black women and black men. These pages were some of the best writing I ever read on this topic.
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