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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Enjoyable, but many gaps in the story,
By monicae (Sacramento, CA USA) - See all my reviews
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: An American Story (Hardcover)
As an African American woman, who also served as an officer in the Air Force during the same time frame of Ms Dickerson, I was anxious to read about her journey through the military. I saw many similarities in our experiences. I found the book to be most compelling in the first 100 pages; her memoir about the foundation laid to make her the person she is today. This was poignant and affecting writing. After high school, she turns from a living, feeling, and thinking young girl to a two-dimensional character. Important events are glossed-over/minimized. For example her treatment of sex and her relationships with men or really...anybody. There was little or no acknowledgement of her relationships with anyone outside of her parents and her little brother. She occasionally mentioned a boyfriend by name, but apparently other than getting her into Harvard Law School, they had very little impact on her life or the way that she sees the world. Same goes for roommates during OTS and her time as an enlisted person in the Air Force. These people are apparently (by theri ommission) unimportant to her intellectual/emotional development as an adult. Her journey became about the environment she was navigating and her perceptions thereof. A very sparsely drawn environment at that. It was the literary equivalent of her looking through the glass at other peoples lives and judging them rather than experiencing and examining her own life. She did address something that I think is unfortunately overlooked: how middle and upper class blacks feel and interact within their own culture and amongst themselves. She nailed it. I saw similar attitudes and behavior. Ms Dickerson seems to have bountiful book knowledge, but not necessarily emotional intelligence. Unless she is in charge, she doesn't seem to do well. Whether she had stayed in the Air Force, gotten a job at a big law firm or stayed with the NAACP, the social skills required are similar, and (on the basis of this book) it seems to be something she lacks/or doesn't have the stomach for. As a writer, she is her own boss and has a choice as to what to write. Her success is dependent on her choices rather than working with others (or working with others to a lesser degree). Weird, I get the impression that her success as a writer hinges more on her very impressive resume and connections, than on her ability to write (She is very good writer, though I would not characterize her as gifted). Ironic since she is such an Ayn Rand, by-your-bootstraps type of person. Either way, her world to me seems small and lonely, but none-the-less a triumphant. It takes a great deal of courage to write a memoir such as this and to leave oneself open to the thoughts and opinions of others. I salute Ms Dickerson's mettle; she is indeed quite brave and does in my opinion have a lot to say that is relevant, especially today. I did not see anything heroic or life affecting about this book; however, I do think Ms Dickerson is a talented observer and someone whose opinion would have great credibility in my world.
16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Thought-provoking journey across a spectrum of emotions,
By A Customer
This review is from: An American Story (Hardcover)
Even the most die-hard conservative/liberal will be nudged toward the center by Ms Dickerson's personal journey across the political spectrum--from self-actuating conservative to longsuffering liberal, landing somewhere in the middle. Woven throughout are powerful statements on the state of American society today, gender issues, and a refreshing take on the potential of the military to level the playing field. "An American Story" offers a balanced perspective on race and gender in these United States, without all the angry baggage, and with a writing style that insists that you read on. Highly recommended!
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A compelling odyssey,
By A Customer
This review is from: An American Story (Hardcover)
This is a compelling memoir of a remarkable woman's personal odyssey from a hard childhood in St. Louis to a brilliant career of a dozen years in the US Air Force, a college education garnered on the side, civilian reentry at Harvard Law School, and the choice of journalism and writing over law as a second career. Ms. Dickerson's story is compelling and well written, and thus it is hard to put down once you start. It offers original and insightful "takes" on racism, on segregation and integration, on the American military (including its successes in becoming a race-blind meritocracy and its failures in areas of sexual harassment and assault), on personal growth and self-knowledge, on being black as well as being female in modern America, and on where our society stands today in a variety of sectors. There is much that is painful here, but much that is funny and more that is uplifting and deeply thoughtful. The writing is crisp and the pace is rapid. A good read in every way.
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