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This was an eye-opening book for me. I hope to read more about this subject. I am proud though that my Dad was one of the paratroopers of the 101st Airborne Division who were sent to Little Rock to protect Little Rock Nine.
An amazing memoir of an incredibly strong group of people and the major civil rights battle of Little Rock. The absolutely mind blowing strength of character the intergrationists displayed is one that should humble you and inspire you to be open minded and kind when it comes to others.
Really admire Daisy Bates for her courageous life and her contribution to civil rights progress in the early part of the movement. Her story as recounted in this book is compelling if a bit precious in parts. An incredible story nonetheless.
An amazing Civil Rights memoir that demonstrates incredible courage and insight into race relations in the 1950s South. You know that is going to be good when Elenore Roosevelt writes the original foreword!
"How long? How long?" Daisy Bates questions. How long will racial inequality last in the United States? Mrs. Bates has since passed, but in 2012 evidence that this country still has miles to go remains.This story of the Little Rock Nine compliments other memoirs, notably that of Melba Patillo Beals, and is told from the perspective of an adult woman experiencing the persecution of the forced integration of Central High School.I really enjoyed the explanation of each student as well as the unabas...
One of the best books I've read this year. Published in 1962, The Long Shadow chronicles the integration of Little Rock's all-white high school. The narrative is riveting, and the detail appalling. What resonates so strongly in 2018 is that Daisy Bates wrote this memoir in the midst of the struggle for civil rights. She didn't know which way the citizens of the United States were going to go. Whether they would honor the founding principal that all people are created equal, and have the right to...
I was reading this as background research for a graduate school paper, and kept getting sucked in by the story. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone studying the Brown v. Board decision, the Little Rock crisis, or just the Civil Rights movement or the NAACP in the 1950s. She tells the story with an excellent narrative voice and I was constantly left short of breath, thick tears in my throat. I think it made it all the stronger for me that I read it right after I read Virgil Blossom's...
I read this years ago and really enjoyed it. Because of an upcoming event at my local library, I got a digital copy of her book and now it's in my hands. What kind of crushed me is her way of watching that man who had a hand in killing her mother. That was compelling. I liked to feel that God put them on the path of each other for a reason. So this man can see what he's caused, and she can face her mother's killer. But finding out about that did something inside her that just turned ugly for her...
A powerful book. Mrs. Bates describes her life with honest facts that shed light on the not so subtle reality of Jim Crow. She does not try to manipulate the reader. As a native of Little Rock, I found the book to be historically significant and even though it was written in the 60s, I would recommend it to anyone as a way to better understand the daily steps that we can all take to improve civility for all mankind.
Although the content (was good) of the history of the Little Rock Nine of whom Mrs. Bates was the advisor and daily chaperone whom the nine studied with each day, the writing of Mrs. Bates could have used more polish. This short book was lagging in several places. The best part of the content was Mrs. Bates' description of each of the students and how they were able to withstand the disgrace of attending an all white school, both teachers and students.2/2/2018
I read this book for my class The Turbulent 1960s, and I thought it was a harrowing, gripping, well-written memoir. I gasped out loud several times during reading. Reading specifically as the story talks about the LR9 and their experiences when they finally get into classes just wowed me.Although I'm giving this 3 stars, it was a very good memoir, but I just liked it, didn't love it because it was dry and drug out at times!
Heartbreaking and powerful. Interesting to read a different perspective (an adult helping) on the Little Rock High School integration in 1957, in Arkansas, USA, comparing it to A Mighty Long Way and Warriors Don’t Cry written by two of the students. While the writing isn’t that complex, the subject matter is compelling and inspiring.
really dissapointed to give this only 2 stars. i love daisy bates and her story, but this book is just not written very well. i would still say it is one of my favorite books, but purely b/c of my admiration for her.
Everyone should read this memoir and then think hard about racism in today's world.
Excellent and devastating record of the struggle to integrate Central HS in Little Rock
Another fascinating look at what happened during the 1957 Little Rock high school integration.
Daisy Bates' book about her experiences growing up in a segregated south, racism and tragedy marking her from a young age, and how that spurred her into becoming the leader she turned into is a must for anyone trying to understand not only the crisis of 1957 in Little Rock, but also one of the most famous civil rights leaders of the time. I do wonder if some of her comments about how the kids were all doing just fine, after being subjected to what they endured, was just a bit of sugar coating it...
This was a fascinating look at a piece of US history I was not as informed about as I thought. It was amazing to be able to read and experience what the children, and the adults around them, actually went through. This was written in 1962, not too many years after the events that she wrote about occurred, so there isn't a lot of time to see the impact of what happened on the United States in regard to race relations. While it may appear there has been a lot of improvement in these areas, it is a...
Leader of the historic Little Rock school desegregation battleFirst person detailed account from the leader of the desegregation of Little Rock's Central High in 1957 and the struggle that followed. Daisy Bates chronicles her childhood in a mill town in southern Arkansas including the racist rape and murder of her mother, that she was too young to remember. Explains how her early experiences steeled her to become a national leader. Then goes on to describe the Little Rock events with a level of
It’s more important than ever to learn about people like Daisy Bates and the Little Rock Nine. Her memoir is poignant and personal, and humanizes the children who endured years of abuse all for the honorable pursuit of desegregation. It helps me to put in perspective what the work is, what has been done, and how much we still have left to do, as well as the temerity and honesty needed to achieve it.
A well written memoir about Daisy Bates and her role in the desegregation crisis in Little Rock. Much respect and admiration for Mrs. Bates and all those who risked a tremendous amount in seeing that a quality education should be the right of everyone, regardless of skin color. This book should be a part of Arkansas history curriculum in every public school in the state.
A must read
Its quite interesting to read this book in 2019. Written in 1962, Daisy Bates describes how things have changed (or not) in the five years since the Integration Crisis of 1957.
I had to put the book down at least ten times just to take in the events that happen in this story, so shocking is the book. I am in awe of this woman's strength and courage to improve education for American citizens. She needs more schools, more highways, and more libraries named after her.I have wanted to read this book ever since visiting the Central High School historic site in Little Rock, Arkansas. Not only is this an astounding memoir of freedom struggle, it is an extraordinary read about...