Customer Reviews

From the Mississippi Delta

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4 star:		(1)
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'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.

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.

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.

This incredible story is not only the life history of one courageous and determined black woman, but also serves as a testament to the indominitable spirit of a people who have survived in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. This book is a "must read", regardless of race, gender, class or age, because it IS history, and unless we know where we came from, as an American people,cross-culturally,it is difficult to appreciate where we stand today and upon whose backs we have climbed to arrive here.

This is an excellent book that captured my attention from start to finish each of the three times I read it. I cannot think of any people in America that would not benefit from reading this very touching and true story of the deep south. The history of the south after slavery is eloquently highlighted in this very moving story by Endesha and should be fireside reading for children of all ethnic backgrounds.

I greatly admire Endesha's strength to overcome the tragedies she experienced, her ability to forgive those responsible and her wisdom to share this achievement with the world. I congratulate Dr. Endesha Ida Mae Holland on her accomplishments as a strategic survivor, a courageous civil rights activist, a concerned citizen, a stellar scholar and an accomplished author. There have been many books written about the south after slavery, and I have read several of them. From The Mississippi Delta by Endesha Ida Mae Holland, Phd. is the one you must read.

It's rare to read a book that captures the soul of a people--FROM THE MISSISSIPPI DELTA does. Through the eyes of a woman-child, we see a segment of Black America, a segment that was used and misused, a segment that was forgotten, a segment that stood up and fought back. This segment is all of Black America! I cried and cried and cried as I read this book. As a Black woman I couldn't hold back the pain. This book is a must-read for all teens at risk. This book is a must-read to better understand race relationships. This book is a must-read for men that want to better understand the evils of abuse. I'm so sorry that Dr. Holland had to experience what she did, but I'm happy that God gave her to us and gave her the ability to write!!

Thank you Dr. Holland for sharing your amazing story with the world. Your book should be required reading for all .Your story brought back feelings of youth that I haven't felt for thirty years. While reading , I could hear the sounds and smells and see the Mississippi Delta, a place I have never been to.Usually I wait many years to reread a book, but I know I will begin this book again in the next few months.

Dr. Holland introduced me to the spirt of her Mama, a benevolent and vibrant self-assured woman who nourished the self-esteem of her household and of broken, bruised, battered and dejected women of the Delta at a time when the Midwife was the soul-doctor and social worker and role-model of the black community. Dr. Holland presents a stinging portrait of local people, surpressed in body but not oppressed in spirit, lunging forth to their destiny against the tide of racism in a small southern town. Her genesis as a poor and proud girl submerged in sexual abuse and a too-sudden rise to wanton womanhood as a prostitute, to emerge as a heroine of the civil rights movement, is a testament to the power of the human spirit to rise from the dust of the greatest impotency. Being black, female, poor, unvalued and uneducated in the racist south, and then to rise from that to a Ph.D. and College Professor, signals all women everywhere -- and indeed, all humanity, that abuse of any kind from any quarter, especially the "killing kinds" like racism and marital and sexual abuse -- and all the social "isms" designed to keep people mentally, emotionally and economically chained, can be severed like a dry thread in a high and intense flame. Dr. Holland's encouragement to any woman who has been a "Ho" on page 113 -- is a hallelujah cry, a victory shout, an anthem to the soul; That anyone tired of a bitter, dark and fruitless sojourn in painful and pointless lives, can successfully and fully abandon it and bring out the best within themselves , if they so desire -- if they will but pay the price to ransom themsleves and wrest their own precious soul from the hand of destructive and intimate enemies, including that "intimate other" who lies in one's bosom -- as close as a husband or a wife; proclaiming to love, but forging fetters of steel to keep the spirit wounded and bond. Leaving her husband and leaving Greenwood, Mississippi -- Dr. Holland strikes out to become a Woman of Destiny -- a brave scout of the future leaving a clear trail for her sisters like me, coming behind her -- to follow. Telling me, "yeah, I may have gotten off to a bad start, may have loved the wrong man, may have made incredible mistakes, but rather than staying where I am -- broken down, she shows me how to make a "breakthrough" to a new world. Dr. Holland shows the way to "self-forgiveness" and the "truth-telling" one must do to one's ownself in one's life -- in order to be free. This book is a road-map out to a renewed life, with encouragement from Endesha's Mama's spirit and with dogged examples of truth and determination from her own life. It rocked my world and moved me to reinvent my own life, with Endesha as my living heorine, my guide and life-mentor. It has inspired me to leave the "Mississippi Delta" of my own mind.

Like a River ever flowing, Mississippi Delta brings the reader into the lives of common everyday people and in particular the transformation of a girl named Ida Mae. Brave, bold and audacious the author weaves a telling tale of the fabric that changed the course of human history. The vivid characters portrayed bring significant meaning and motion to what life was like coming up in the Mississippi Delta. The author brilliantly captures the essence of a people showing despair yet defines a duty to a community that ultimately challenges the established order. The story offers insight and inspiration to the reader while establishing pride over prejudice, good over evil and true justice for all. It is truly a unique and delightful book full of tears, laughter, passion, pain, joy, sadness and most significantly a story of transformation that led to triumph over tragedy.

Definitly a MUST read story that all people should read.

Weep for the Dr Lady; weep foryour own sorry story which this dr lady is telling you isokay -- it's yours and for that it's gotta be beautiful or if it's not get busy to make sure it becomes beautiful, because of how you maneuver it into a work of artthrough your own insight and eventual usefulness to someone, something, or some idea -- your choice.She tells us through the simple honesty of pulling backthe curtains to her world, opening the door to her home, her heart, and herself that however humble our origins, wereally only have one way to goand that's up.Not everyone's climb is from such a depth but she assures us, implores us, helps us see that we can make the climb from wherever we think we are.Her's is a beautiful story forits honesty, pathos, its abject misery laid bare & mostespecially for the heights this Dr Lady has climbed usingher God-given gifts just as Hewould have directed.Many have God-given gifts thatare ignored, scorned, or mis-used so it's not as easy as it would seem to see true self-actualization at work among us.This girl's God-given gift -- oration, a sense of the theatre within her, and the ability to "work-it", including her wide-legged sreet walk swagger (which she triumphantly gave her fans, friends, and family on stage at her graduation to accept the Ph.D. degree).The first person delivery of her story lends authority to the fact that Dr. Endesha has re-visited Ida Mae from a truly different place but onlyshe can tell Ida Mae's story.The language used to actually share this story is beautiful in itself notwithstanding the added benefit of the pure honesty of the story. If the reader takes a moment while reading to sound the words andto appreciate the carefully captured phrases, we know we are in the midst of a true genius for dialog and language. She has truly captured the cadence and pronunciation of the rural South.Her Momma's language patterns are especially poignant --"...can't nosomebody cite better den you", her momma reminds Ida Mae after the teacher's pet is chosen to impress visiting whyte folks at the school. Or when Momma finds out Civil Rights leadersare coming to Greenwood, especially "dat man, Luther Kang" -- it just rings with such authenticty it makestears come to one's eyes for its beauty, simplicity, and honesty. Even without the pictures, we can see this ladyeven the pattern on her housedress and the hole in thebottom of her house shoes.It had to be a brave move to decide to go with this pattern of speech because it could appear off-setting to a casual reader and no doubt to an Eastern editor who could put up a logical case against it. To her credit, the authorhas included it and has endeared the people of Greenwood to us for their straight-forward candid language and authentic truth.Ida Mae's early time in jail for teenage misdemeanors prepared her for later incarcerations as a civil rights worker in the Delta andcertainly helped others--whyteand black to survive as conditions worsened for these folks.Ida Mae has generously taken us on a tour we couldn't pay to enjoy. A view of the historic Mississippi Delta from home-girl's view. No staying at the hotel and eating quiche and croissants. We get to go home and get the greens & ham hocks, and fried chicken right along with the family.In addition, we have history of this signifcant period comealive for us. The Civil Rights era is explored from ground center and we witness this girl's triumphant exit from an otherwise life of waste. We celebrate this metamorphosis with a woman we believe we know and can call afriend.