extraordinary ordinary people a memoir of family

That spring two bombs exploded in Rice?s neighborhood amid a series of chilling Klu Klux Klan attacks. But by 1963, Birmingham had become an environment where blacks were expected to keep their head down and do what they were told-or face violent consequences.

But until she was 25 she never learned to swim, because when she was a little girl in Birmingham, Alabama, Commissioner of Public Safety Bull Connor decided he'd rather shut down the city's pools than give black citizens access. Throughout the 1950's, Birmingham's black middle class largely succeeded in insulating their children from the most corrosive effects of racism, providing multiple support systems to ensure the next generation would live better than the last. Her achievements run the gamut from helping to oversee the collapse of communism in Europe and the decline of the Soviet Union, to working to protect the country in the aftermath of 9-11, to becoming only the second woman-and the first black woman ever-to serve as Secretary of State. Includes a 16-page photo insert.This is the story of Condoleezza Rice that has never been told, not that of an ultra-accomplished world leader, but of a little girl-and a young woman-trying to find her place in a sometimes hostile world, of two exceptional parents, and an extended family and community that made all the difference.Condoleezza Rice has excelled as a diplomat, political scientist, and concert pianist. 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.Ĭondoleezza Rice: A Memoir of My Extraordinary, Ordinary Parents and Me is a fascinating and inspirational story for young people. Rice also discusses the challenges of being a precocious child who was passionate about music, ice skating, history, and current affairs. 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. She grew up during the violent and shocking 1960s, when bloodshed became a part of daily life in the South. Her life began in the comparatively placid 1950s in Birmingham, Alabama, where black people lived in a segregated parallel universe to their white neighbors. In this captivating memoir for young people, looking back with candor and affection, Condoleezza Rice evokes in rich detail her remarkable childhood.

Extraordinary ordinary people a memoir of family