Condoleezza Rice: A Memoir of My Extraordinary, Ordinary Family and Me

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About Condoleezza Rice: A Memoir Of My

Product Description In this captivating memoir for young people, looking back with candor and affection, Condoleezza Rice evokes in rich detail her remarkable childhood. Her life began in the comparatively placid 1950s in Birmingham, Alabama, where black people lived in a segregated parallel universe to their white neighbors. She grew up during the violent and shocking 1960s, when bloodshed became a part of daily life in the South. Rice’s portrait of her parents, John and Angelena, highlights their ambitions and frustrations and shows how much they sacrificed to give their beloved only child the best chance for success. Rice also discusses the challenges of being a precocious child who was passionate about music, ice skating, history, and current affairs. Her memoir reveals with vivid clarity how her early experiences sowed the seeds of her political beliefs and helped her become a vibrant, successful woman. Condoleezza Rice: A Memoir of My Extraordinary, Ordinary Parents and Me is a fascinating and inspirational story for young people. Includes a 16-page photo insert. From School Library Journal Gr 7 Up-The former Secretary of State recounts her life, beginning with her family history and childhood in Birmingham, AL, during the 1950s and '60s. From extremely supportive parents she learned that she could become anything she put her mind to, despite the rampant racism that existed in the South. A 16-page insert of black-and-white and color photos adds detail, and the glossary has more information on the many political leaders whom Rice refers to in the book. This valuable memoir about breaking glass ceilings may inspire readers to test their own potential.-Stephanie Malosh, Donoghue Elementary School, Chicago, IL (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. From Booklist This slightly distilled version of former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s concurrently published autobiography, Extraordinary, Ordinary People: A Memoir of Family, hits all the high points of Rice’s life. Raised in Birmingham, Alabama, Rice was the daughter of parents who convinced her that, as she puts it, “even if she couldn’t have a hamburger at the Woolworth’s lunch counter, she could be president of the United States.” Filled with fascinating photos, this will not only introduce young people to a groundbreaking woman but will also give them a real sense of what life was like growing up in the segregated south in the 1950s and 1960s. High-school libraries might want the adult version of the book, but this one costs 10 dollars less. Grades 7-9. --Ilene Cooper About the Author Condoleezza Rice was the sixty-sixth U.S. secretary of state and the first black woman to hold that office. She was also the first woman to serve as national security advisor. She has served as provost of Stanford University and was the Soviet and East European Affairs advisor to the president of the United States during the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. Chapter One By all accounts, my parents approached the time of my birth with great anticipation. My father was certain that I'd be a boy and had worked out a deal with my mother: if the baby was a girl, she would name her, but a boy would be named John. Mother started thinking about names for her daughter. She wanted a name that would be unique and musical. Looking to Italian musical terms for inspiration, she at first settled on Andantino. But realizing that it translated as "moving slowly," she decided that she didn't like the implications of that name. Allegro was worse because it translated as "fast," and no mother in 1954 wanted her daughter to be thought of as "fast." Finally she found the musical terms con dolce and con dolcezza, meaning "with sweetness." Deciding that an English speaker would never recognize the hard c, saying "dolci" instead of "dolche," my mother docto