Joycelyn Elders, M.D. : From Sharecropper's Daughter to Surgeon General of the United States of America [Paperback]

Joycelyn Elders (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1997

In a dazzling American success story, Dr. Joycelyn Elders rose from an impoverished childhood as the great granddaughter of slaves to the highest medical position in the nation. Here is her inspiring life story, told with the candor and conviction that has made her a champion for the poor, people of color, and women. photo insert. Website promo.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Dr. Elders, with David Chanoff, has written a folksy and humble account of her life's journey from sharecropper's daughter in rural Arkansas to Surgeon General of the United States. Interestingly, given the controversial circumstances of her forced resignation when she was demonized by the Republican right for open discussion of sexuality, Dr. Elders reveals an upbringing suffused with the sort of family values that she was accused of destroying. "There wasn't any alcoholism," she writes, "nor was there any talk of men beating their wives, or of separation or divorce either." Her own sex education was typically scant, and indeed one has the impression of a woman who remained somewhat naive on such matters even as she gained an education beyond the comprehension of her parents. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

Elders (b. 1933), a professor of pediatrics at the University of Arkansas, began life in the rural town of Schaal, Ark., as the oldest of eight children born to a poor sharecropper father and a mother who taught her to read by the time she was five. In candid, gripping prose, Elders describes the segregated world of her youth, then details her career through her appointment as surgeon general. Awarded a scholarship to Philander Smith College in Little Rock, Elders became a physical therapist and joined the army to study medicine. Her work attracted the attention of Governor Bill Clinton, who appointed her director of the Arkansas Health Department and, later, surgeon general of the U.S. Her outspoken advocacy of sex education for teenagers caused controversy, and she was forced to resign. Elders does not blame the president for her resignation, and believes that Clinton's political enemies may have initiated the arrest of her son for selling drugs. Writer Chanoff has collaborated on nine other autobiographies. Photos not seen by PW. Author tour.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Harper Perennial (October 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380786486
• ISBN-13: 978-0380786480
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #721,003 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book had me crying and cheering all at the same time, September 30, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Joycelyn Elders, M.D. : From Sharecropper's Daughter to Surgeon General of the United States of America (Paperback)

Dr. Elders memories are both inspirational and heartbreaking. She is truly a woman who came up from the depths of despair and poverty by her own bootstraps. She never backed down from those hypocrites in Washington and Arkansas and in her book she makes no apologies for anything that she has said or done. I feel like I know her better now that I've read her book, it is truly heartwarming and worth a read. The writing was well done and very well presented. This book deserves more than five stars. You go Joycelyn!!!! This book has made me believe that I want to dedicate my life to helping those of our country who are less fortunate, helping them will concrete goals and ideas, instead of empty promises that leave them hungry and homeless with no hope. Joycelyn is truly an American hero, and one of the greatest women of the century

5.0 out of 5 stars They could not handle the truth!, July 27, 2007

By 

E. Webb "Book Lover" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Joycelyn Elders, M.D.: From Sharecropper's Daughter to Surgeon General of the United States of America (Hardcover)

I loved this book. It was exciting and very sad at the same time. Teaching our children about their bodies is very important. Dr. Elders dedication to her community and the mentally disabled young women needs to be applauded. When she said to the young lady "I want you to have two healthy babies" it made me want to cry, that was a very loving act. All you have to do is listen to the news and read the papers to know that the sexual behavior of politicans is why the had to keep her quiet! I say like the other reader, "YOU GO GIRL!"

2 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars It scares me that this women become the Surgeon General, April 15, 2002

By 

Claire Foster (Birmingham, Alabama United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Joycelyn Elders, M.D.: From Sharecropper's Daughter to Surgeon General of the United States of America (Hardcover)

I bought this book because I had heard many things about Elders that made me think, "God Lord, how did she ever become the Surgeon General, she sounds like a radical sex obsessed idiot." then i read the book, and it confirmed my previous hypothesis. And from watching Fox news, I've also learned that she is promoting a book about how pre pubecents should engage in sex and be given condoms in school. She has also previously tried to have Grade Schools teach MASTURBATION to children. She sounds like a lunatic who came into power not from intelligence or morality, but because of other reasons that I will not say because people tend to get up in arms about certain topics. I Found the book to be badly written, and though she only CO WROTE it, I can only imagine how it would have been if she had written by herself...