Maggie's American Dream: The Life and Times of a Black Family [School & Library Binding]

James P. Comer (Author), Charlayne Hunter-Gault (Foreword)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0833554069 | ISBN-13: 978-0833554062 | Publication Date: November 1989

When Maggie Comer left abject poverty in the rural South, she never dreamed she would become the mother of five children who share thirteen college degrees. Here is an inspiring family success story that illustrates how to find the grit to succeed, despite the odds stacked against one. Photo insert.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Maggie's eldest child, the first of her five offspring to achieve advanced degrees, here remembers three generations of his black American family. Resurrecting the tradition of oral family history, Comer, a child psychiatrist, transcribes his mother's reminiscences. She was born in Mississippi in 1904 and matured in an extended sharecropping family, struggling against rampant poverty and racism. Her indomitable spirit, pride and financial acumen would later provide her own children a standard of living unusually high for most blacks and many whites of the Depression years. Interesting contrast is provided in the book's second part by the autobiographical account of the author's formative years. Descriptions of his gentle father's intolerable working conditions at a steel mill, which led to his premature death, are heartbreaking. As the author shows, the quest for personal honor, intellectual excellence and economic success in our bigoted society remains the most valued parental legacy of Maggie's children.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

This poignant book is several stories: the oral history of the struggles of a black mother who saw education as the road to the American dream and propelled her five children to 13 college degrees; the autobiography of a son who credits his mother with his becoming one of America's foremost specialists on the role of social problems in mental health; and proof that social commitment can help solve problems in black communities. More than the document of a single family, this book encapsulates the black South-to-North movement, from days of segregation to days of flickering hope. Highly recommended for Afro-American and American social history collections. Thomas J. Davis, SUNY at Buffalo
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• School & Library Binding: 228 pages
• Publisher: Tandem Library (November 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0833554069
• ISBN-13: 978-0833554062
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,349,168 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring and insightful look at an amazing life, January 1, 2001

By 

"mamabookworm" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Maggie's American Dream: The Life and Times of a Black Family (Plume) (Mass Market Paperback)

This "dual biography" impressed me in many different ways. First, it is a lovely tribute to a wonderful mother who was extremely devoted to her children. I'm so glad the author kept the first part of the book in his mother's own words--it made me really get a sense of her. Second, it provides a description of black life (both in the South and later, in Indiana) that I found extremely compelling. Third, the last part of the book tells of some of the experiences the author has had in his field of education that are very insightful. This book really got me thinking about what is would have been like to be in Maggie's shoes. She was kind and wise and I learned much from her experiences. My life is richer for having "known" Maggie!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is absolutely wonderful!, May 19, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Atlanta, Georgia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Maggie's American Dream: The Life and Times of a Black Family (Plume) (Mass Market Paperback)

After reading this book, I read it a second time so that I could highlight parts of it. I was so inspired by the love that this woman, Maggie Comer, had for her family.

The author, Dr. James Comer uses very simple, yet descriptive language to tell the story of his mother's dream for her children. It is a beautifully written tribute that will certainly inpsire the reader. In addition, because the story spans several generations, it is entertaining to both younger and older audiences alike. Parents should share this book with their children, and discuss it at length.

"Maggie's American Dream" is an easy read. After you start reading it, you won't want to put it down.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An 'American Dream' Realised, May 5, 2003

By 

Burak Kilic (Istanbul, TURKEY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Maggie's American Dream: The Life and Times of a Black Family (Plume) (Mass Market Paperback)

I did a research study on American Dream in America during the 20s-30s decade. I've read a lot of books concerning the subject; literary works, forming the main portion of my resources. These ranged from Fitzgerald's 'Great Gatzby' to Steinbeck's 'Grapes of Wrath', from Dreiser's 'An American Tragedy' to Lewis's 'Main Street'. In addition to these quite old literary works, I collected statistical, analytical information about the particular decades, to verify what I've acquired from the novels. It was a hard study, but I managed to write a reasonably concise thesis, with the help of not the sources I listed, but with this book, 'Maggie's American Dream' instead. Why?

Almost all of the books I've read were productions of imagination. Even Dreiser, who was inspired from a real account, did not stick to facts in his book, but altered them to create a fiction. However, 'Maggie's American Dream' is a true story. It is told from James Comer's point of view, in a very poetical fashion. The second part of the book is his mother's story, which is again expressed by James. The book also contains a nice section of pictures of the Comer family, which are quite interesting after reading about the family.

James P. Comer had a very hard childhood, as it could be expected during the years of never-ending racism issues. Comer beautifully expresses how they managed to stand tall, and get their share in the competition of living. Mr. Comer is now working as a psychiatrist in New Haven, after having completed his doctoral work in Yale University. It is a dream that is realised, indeed.

This book will provide you with a lot of insights about the lives of black families, American societal norms, family relations during the 20s and 30s, which you cannot find easily in any other source this clearly and truely.