Customer Reviews

Barbara Jordan: American Hero

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Before reading this book, my recollection of Barbara Jordan was of an eloquent speaker who said what she meant and meant what she said. I opened the cover of this book hoping to learn more about this much admired woman. By the book's conclusion I felt as if I was bidding farewell to a friendn as I mourned her passing. Along the way I learned about a woman whose courage, compassion, and sense of justice and fairness helped open doors for so many of us, not just African-American women. I met a woman who overcome seemingly insurmountable odds and did it on her terms, never compromising, and not yet never harrangueing either. In so doing, she charted a course in rough waters and became a beacon for the Democratic Party, as well as the nation, during frequently turbulent times.Mary Beth Rogers does a masterful job of laying out Barbara Jordan's life in a way that both respected her passion for privacy and educated her admirers on her personal life and struggles. I highly recommend this book.

Too often the reviews of biographies and history books end up reviewing the actual person or subject rather than the book. Barbara Jordan was a great, great woman. There's no doubt about that. Of all history's politicans, religious leaders, civil rights advocates, political figures and intellectuals, she is the one person who truly shows us all how we should handle the issue of race in this country.

This book honored her. It was truly a great read. Descriptive, informative and thought provoking. Whenever I ask someone about Barbara Jordan, they always respond with something like, "Wow, have you ever heard her speak?" I was born too late to hear her more popular speeches. But, the author's effective use of excerpts from Jordan's speeches makes me feel like I was right there watching her. This well researched book gave me a deeper understanding of the events of the Nixon impeachment process, the Carter Administration, politics in itself and the plight of both African Americans and women in government. I really enjoyed this book and I highly recommend it.

This biography of Barbara Jordan written by Mary Beth Rogers is truly wonderful; it captures the essence of this remarkable woman in all of its many and varied nuances. It is most poignant when it shows how her advancing illness changes Miss Jordan's way of viewing life. It should be an inspiration to anyone, and in this era when we are given so few people to admire in a real way it is refreshing to think that we had one such individual among us.

This is a well written and effective biography of one of America's most amazing personalities. Mary Beth Rodgers tells Jordan's story with the advantage of being an insider; her access to those who knew Jordan well shows in her insightful and complete telling of Jordan's life.

Jordan is widely remembered by her public persona, the booming orator from Texas - the intellectual constitutional scholar who presided over Nixon's impeachment. But element that makes this biography compelling is Rodgers' depiction of the wheeling and dealing that allowed Jordan to cross barriers and operate effectively in the good-old-boy white male backrooms of the Texas Senate. We get to see Jordan the idealist armed with the constitution in our nation's capital, but we also get to see Jordan the pragmatist cutting deals over a scotch in Austin Texas.

An effective biography of an amazing American figure.

A personal look at one of the greatest women of our time. She truly was a trail-blazer for women of all races and stood true to her ethical beliefs to the very end. Rogers also gives us an inside look at politics at it's very worst and very best. The book bogs down in details of political infighting but is worth the effort for the lessons learned.

This was a very inspirational book. Barbara Jordan's life was really incredible and the reason she accomplished as much as she did had to do with her innate abilities as well as her willingness to deal with the enemy. She kept her overriding goal utmost - the welfare of the people of East Texas.

Lots of what she experienced and spoke out against we see today. We could really use her moral voice of authority. She is missed.

I'm glad that Jordan is not hear to see how the gov't of the people, for the people, by the people has been so completely perverted by special interests and neo patriots, such as George W. Bush and John Ashcroft. I was only a boy, when like many, I was captivated by this incredible person. She gave me hope that govt could actually serve the people. This book does a great job to capture her spirit and remind us that govt was once a tool and not force for opression.

IT IS THE BEST BOOK EVER!