From the Mississippi Delta [Hardcover]

Endesha Ida Mae Holland (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 8, 1997

om poverty and prostitution to acclaim and self-respect as a professor and a playwright. Now, in a memoir that is by turns funny and angry, this remarkable African-American woman candidly recounts the story of her fascinating life. of photos.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Born in Greenwood, Mississippi, the heart of the Mississippi Delta, Endesha Ida Mae Holland came of age as the civil rights movement was changing the lives of black Mississippians. Dirt poor, she dropped out of high school and became a prostitute when she was barely into her teens. By the time she was 18 years old, Holland had served two terms in the county workhouse for theft and for assault. A chance encounter led her to become involved with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), and she became an activist and organizer, taking a new path that eventually led her to the University of Minnesota, where she earned a doctorate and became a college professor. From the Mississippi Delta is a gritty, inspiring memoir.

Review

No one with a sense of history and humanity--no one who has been as far down as Holland says she was, who has had helping hands as Holland has had, who had a Mama like hers--can read her book with dry eyes. -- Los Angeles Times Sunday Book Review, Kay Mills

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster; 1ST edition (October 8, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684810115
• ISBN-13: 978-0684810119
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,488,860 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The redefinition of inspiration, March 7, 2000

By 

KMF, playwright in Marina del Rey - See all my reviews

This review is from: From the Mississippi Delta: A Memoir (Paperback)

'Inspirational' has become one of those watered-down adjectives like 'brilliant'. Though we know certain words might signal something monumental, perhaps our frequent usage of them has lost some of the grandeur in their meaning. We no longer arch our backs or allow a goose bump to rise. Behold, along comes a work like From the Mississippi Delta: A Memoir. Dr. Endesha Ida Mae Holland turns the term, 'inspirational' on its ear. What is most remarkable about 'Delta'? Is it the phenomenal story itself or is it Holland's gift for unrelenting and witty story-telling? Holland never abandons humor even at the crux of tragedy. Her pen is as brazen as it is impeccably descriptive. She writes with an immediacy to jar the reader's sense of time so that we relive her most defining moments with bated breath. From Emmett Till's death to Dr. Martin Luther King's visit, Holland's simplest daily encounters mark turning points in American history.

Notably, 'Delta' celebrates the tenacious spirit of a true woman-child. Holland narrates from a clever perspective that never quite chooses between the wise narrator looking back and the rambunctious girl reaching forward. This devise is poignant. Arguably, young girls (in particular, young, black girls) are some of society's most disenfranchised members. When Holland employs that voice, the reader is humbled. One is reminded of Anne Frank's influence. When the worst aspects of humanity are articulated through the voice of a little girl, we see ourselves so clearly--vulnerable, restless, but especially hopeful. Thank you, Doc. Your struggle is instructional. Your literary prowess is an inspiration.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A MAGNIFICENT READ !, January 25, 2000

By 

Gwen Wood (Chicago, IL ~ [e-mail]) - See all my reviews

This review is from: From the Mississippi Delta (Hardcover)

Aside from being a celebration of the human spirit, Ms. Holland's Memoir offers a fresh, interesting, and unique glimpse into the early days of the Civil Rights Movement. This focus alone, I believe, renders the book meritorious.

Ms. Holland tells the civil rights story from the perspective of individuals born and raised in the muck and mire of Mississippi's lethal brand of white supremacy and racial hatred. Through her eyes, we get a close-up view of what had to be overcome; and, what was required of ordinary folk brave enough to get involved in a situation that could and DID, literally, cost them their lives and the lives of their loved ones.

These unsung heroes deserve national attention and recognition if the story of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States of America is to be told in its entirety.

But, if this isn't reason enough to add Ms. Holland's book to your "must read" list, I believe the author's superior craftsmanship will certainly convince you her work is worthy of the acclaim she is sure to receive once her book gains a wider readership. And, above all, the Memoir is a magnificent read!

Usually, I find it awkward and sometimes unnerving to read books written in a black, southern, vernacular. However, as in the case of Zora Neale Hurston, Endesha Ida Mae Holland writes with such a pure and authentic voice, I found myself falling effortlessly into her rhythm.

I'm a voracious reader and the authors I most enjoy are great storytellers. My current favorite is Barbara Kingsolver, and of course my all time favorite is Zora Neale Hurston. Endesha Ida Mae Holland "puts me in the mind of" both these writers.

She also reminds me of Frank McCourt (Angela's Ashes & 'Tis). Like McCourt, Ms. Holland transports you back to her childhood and growing up years with such seamless ease, you find yourself sharing her heartbeat through every single experience she lives to tell about. Almost immediately, I found myself caring deeply about her; I grew to love her mother, her child, her neighbors, her friends; and, I found no strangers among those who populate her world.

What an exquisite gift of storytelling she has! I certainly hope she plans to write more "from the Mississippi Delta," because her talent is as rich and fertile as her source.

Obviously, I've become a devoted fan of Ms. Holland and her work ~ a designation I'm hoping you and I will soon share.

Who knows, your reading experience with Ms. Holland may inspire you to join me in asking Oprah Winfrey to feature the author and her book on the Oprah Show, as well as making "From The Mississippi Delta," an Oprah Book Club selection.

I was moved to make this appeal to Ms. Winfrey because I believe we all benefit from an increased national and world exposure to brave and talented women like Ms.Holland. These women are profoundly inspirational and deserving of our applause and recognition.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A MAGNIFICENT READ!, January 25, 2000

By 

Gwen Wood (Chicago, IL ~ [e-mail]) - See all my reviews

This review is from: From the Mississippi Delta (Hardcover)

Aside from being a celebration of the human spirit, Ms. Holland's Memoir offers a fresh, interesting, and unique glimpse into the early days of the Civil Rights Movement. This focus alone, I believe, renders the book meritorious.

Ms. Holland tells the civil rights story from the perspective of individuals born and raised in the muck and mire of Mississippi's lethal brand of white supremacy and racial hatred. Through her eyes, we get a close-up view of what had to be overcome; and, what was required of ordinary folk brave enough to get involved in a situation that could and DID, literally, cost them their lives and the lives of their loved ones.

These unsung heroes deserve national attention and recognition if the story of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States of America is to be told in its entirety.

But, if this isn't reason enough to add Ms. Holland's book to your "must read" list, I believe the author's superior craftsmanship will certainly convince you her work is worthy of the acclaim she is sure to receive once her book gains a wider readership. And, above all, the Memoir is a magnificent read!

Usually, I find it awkward and sometimes unnerving to read books written in a black, southern, vernacular. However, as in the case of Zora Neale Hurston, Endesha Ida Mae Holland writes with such a pure and authentic voice, I found myself falling effortlessly into her rhythm.

I'm a voracious reader and the authors I most enjoy are great storytellers. My current favorite is Barbara Kingsolver, and of course my all time favorite is Zora Neale Hurston. Endesha Ida Mae Holland "puts me in the mind of" both these writers.

She also reminds me of Frank McCourt (Angela's Ashes & 'Tis). Like McCourt, Ms. Holland transports you back to her childhood and growing up years with such seamless ease, you find yourself sharing her heartbeat through every single experience she lives to tell about. Almost immediately, I found myself caring deeply about her; I grew to love her mother, her child, her neighbors, her friends; and, I found no strangers among those who populate her world.

What an exquisite gift of storytelling she has! I certainly hope she plans to write more "from the Mississippi Delta," because her talent is as rich and fertile as her source.

Obviously, I've become a devoted fan of Ms. Holland and her work ~ a designation I'm hoping you and I will soon share.

Who knows, your reading experience with Ms. Holland may inspire you to join me in asking Oprah Winfrey to feature the author and her book on the Oprah Show, as well as making "From The Mississippi Delta," an Oprah Book Club selection.

I was moved to make this appeal to Ms. Winfrey because I believe we all benefit from an increased national and world exposure of brave and talented women like Ms.Holland. These women are profoundly inspirational and deserving of our applause and recognition.