Fire in My Soul [Paperback]

Joan Steinau Lester (Author), Coretta Scott King (Foreword), Eleanor Holmes Norton (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 6, 2004

Impassioned civil rights activist, champion of women's rights, hard-driving legislator -- U.S. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton is known in Washington as the "Warrior on the Hill." Fire in My Soul is the story of Norton's extraordinary political career, told from a personal perspective.

Author Joan Steinau Lester met Norton in 1958 while they were both students at Antioch College. Fire in My Soul charts their longstanding friendship and tells of Norton's rise to leadership -- from her early on-campus activism to demanding a Senate hearing for Anita Hill to standing before the Supreme Court to uphold first amendment rights. Filled with scores of Lester's conversations and correspondence with Norton, interviews with Norton's colleagues and confidantes, and dozens of original photographs, Fire in My Soul is a compelling biography of one of the greatest political pioneers in American history.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Norton, member of Congress, professor and longtime civil rights activist, lives by the motto "You can't win what you don't fight for." Syndicated op-ed columnist Lester (The Future of White Men and Other Diversity Dilemmas) tells Norton's extraordinary story through extensive interviews with colleagues and friends, but mostly through Norton's own words. Born in 1937 in segregated Washington, D.C., Norton was motivated by the knowledge that her great-grandfather had escaped slavery in Virginia. Smart and intense, Norton recognized early on that education and a strong work ethic were the recipe for success. After graduating from Antioch College (where she was the only black student) and Yale Law School, she became the assistant legal director of the ACLU. In 1970 she became New York City's first woman commissioner of human rights, and her ability to bridge racial and gender gaps made her a success. She went on to become the first woman chair of the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Norton has always seen obstacles as opportunities, and her civil rights crusades have become legendary, from helping organize the Free South Africa campaign to marching on Congress to get a hearing for Anita Hill. In 1990, she began her long career as congresswoman from Washington, D.C.-a post she still holds. A self-professed workaholic, Norton knows her demeanor and drive have endeared her to some and estranged her from others. Steinau's thorough portrait is a compelling and inspiring homage to a legacy still in progress.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Norton, an African American attorney and the congressional delegate for the District of Columbia, continues to effect political changes. Over the years, she has marched on Capitol Hill to demand a Senate hearing for Anita Hill, grilled army generals about sex abuse, and argued before the Supreme Court. This is the story of her struggles and triumphs.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Atria Books (January 6, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743407881
• ISBN-13: 978-0743407885
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.3 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,367,223 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

As a member of a biracial family, my lifelong passion is writing about "race"--how the concept ever came to be, issues of identity, justice...the whole package. All my books focus in one way or another on this immensely charged topic.

Black, White, Other is my first novel, and I loved approaching the issue from the lens of a fifteen-year-old girl, whose voice came to me quite naturally, probably from raising my own children and being close to other teens then and now. Having permission to create scenes, instead of being journalistically accurate, allowed me a fantastic freedom to explore the intricacies of family and friend dynamics playing out among people of different "races." I'm working now on two other novels, both variations on the theme I seem to have chosen as my life beat. Or perhaps it has chosen me. In any case, I feel privileged and honored to be able to practice my craft and at the same time provide healing and insight, as well as entertainment. Keep in touch!

JoanLester@JoanLester. com

Watch the video trailer for Black, White, Other on YouTube. My publishers did a terrific job. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqY069NyrAM

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring Woman, Inspring Book, January 30, 2003

By 

Malcolm (Washington, DC United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fire in My Soul (Hardcover)

The story of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton is one that not many outside of Washington, DC, may know, but it is one that needs to be heard and read. She is one of the great leaders of our time, and the author does a wonderful job of chronicling her life. The most poignant part of the book for me was the chapter about Eleanor Holmes Norton the mother, and how she has raised a daughter who is severely mentally and physically challenged. The daughter, now an adult, still lives with Holmes Norton, who is depicted as being committed to her family, city, and country. I loved the book! - Malcolm

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fire in My Soul--a timely, tight, terrific biography, January 13, 2003

By 

M. Brinkworth (St. Paul, MN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fire in My Soul (Hardcover)

We have needed a book like this: the story of an incredible woman of color of the twentieth century who has taken advantage of every opportunity to change, fight, modify and transform the culture of repression she found as a descendant of slaves in Washington, D.C. Well-researched, strongly-written; it'll grab you. Critics agree.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Both the writing and the subject get more than five stars, July 30, 2003

By 

Pete Baron (Chicago) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fire in My Soul (Hardcover)

In Fire in My Soul, Dr. Lester accomplishes a rare feat for a biographer. While she avoids the trap of painting too pretty or too perfect a picture of her subject, including a number of descriptions that are less than flattering, she is at the same time able to clearly allow her respect and admiration for this remarkable woman to come through.
The effect is that we see a real life heroine, warts and all, and we find her all the more admirable for this.
This is an important book, and I look forward to Dr. Lester's next effort.