With grace and quiet dignity, Native American activist LaDonna Harris recounts the highlights of her remarkable life. Born on a Comanche allotment in southern Oklahoma at the onset of the Depression, she defied convention by marrying Fred Harris, an ambitious white law student with a promising political future. Later, as the wife of a U.S. senator, she utilized her considerable people and campaigning skills to forge her own extraordinary career as an advocate for American Indian causes. Insisting that her own personal success has its roots in the life-sustaining Comanche values taught to her by her revered grandparents, LaDonna extols the virtues of family loyalty, communal responsibility, and respect for all persons. This brief, unpretentious autobiography provides a rare insider's glimpse into Native American culture and politics.
Margaret Flanagan
Review
"This brief, unpretentious autobiography provides a rare insider''s glimpse into Native American culture and politics."—Booklist
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Booklist )
"[A] very readable autobiography"—Library Journal
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Library Journal )
"Harris is considered one the country’s foremost American Indian fema (Sunday Oklahoman )
"LaDonna Harris is an American original, Oklahoman and Comanche. . . . Now, Harris describes . . . [her] heritage and her contemporary leadership roles. Stockel . . . has edited Harris''s story unobtrusively; it is Harris who speaks. . . . Harris is a model for everyone. Her book is a must read for those with interests in ethnic, women, and family histories, and for political activists as well. . . . All levels."—Choice
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Choice )
"This well-conceived and thoughtfully constructed work offers great insight into both the public career and private experiences of the most influential Native American women in contemporary society. Authored in a rich, conversational style, LaDonna Harris: A Comanche Life provides for the reader a colorful account of some of the more memorable moments of Harris’s very memorable life.”—West Texas Historical Association Newsletter
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West Texas Historical Association Newsletter )
"This inspirational book chronicles LaDonna’s rich life of laughter, energy, spirit, intellect, and organizing. She is always weaving together ideas, people, and resources to make things happen. She has had a significant impact on Native American policy in the U.S."—Wilma Mankiller, author and former principal chief of the Cherokee Nation
(Wilma Mankiller )
"This is a major contribution to the role of American Indian women in the political arena. Almost nothing has been written in this area. The subject matter is extremely important in understanding the expanding role of women in tribal and national issues."—Troy Johnson, coeditor of Red Power: The American Indians’ Fight for Freedom
(Troy Johnson )
