From a life of poverty and crime to influential political leadership, this is the inspiring story of Kweisi Mfume, revered African American congressman and newly appointed president of the N.A.A.C.P. From his days of growing up on the gritty streets of west Baltimore to his role as one of the most respected and influential leaders in the U.S., Mfume's is a story that transcends the issues of race and class and bridges the chasm between despair and hope in America. Simultaneous hardcover release from One World/Ballantine. 2 cassettes.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Library Journal
Former congressman Mfume tells of his journey from the ghettos of Baltimore to the halls of Congress to leadership of this country's oldest and largest civil rights organization, the NAACP.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From the Publisher
People I've talked to outside of publishing think that it's a glamorous job, and we get the chance to meet with many celebrities, prominent figures, and literary lights. That's not always the case, but I was fortunate enough to be involved in the production of Kweisi Mfume's NO FREE RIDE. Before doing the book, I hadn't heard much about Mr. Mfume. After all, he was a congressman from Maryland, and the only thing I knew about Maryland was that it was the home of crabcakes and the Baltimore Orioles.
As it turns out, Mr. Mfume, besides being a Congressman and eventually being selected to head the NAACP as its Chief Executive Officer, is a huge Orioles fan. In fact, baseball plays a particularly large part in his recollections of his youth. His youth league coach, Mr. Smitty, is a wonderfully drawn character and the kind of man that many young people need in their life--tough, demanding, and generous of time and spirit.
As work on the book progressed, I got the opportunity to speak to Mr. Mfume on several occasions. Invariably our conversations drifted toward the Oriole's progress toward the playoffs and an eventual showdown with the dreaded Yankees. I suppose that in a lot of ways, the Yankees have represented for generations of baseball fans the same things that Mr. Mfume has battled against in his long career--wealth and privilege. In these jaded times, some may dismiss his rise from a hardscrabble youth to the halls of Congress and beyond as just another one of those inspirational stories.
But the radical transformation Mr. Mfume underwent, his incredible devotion to his mother, and his return to faith in himself and the vision his mother had of his future can't be easily dismissed nor easily explained. Just as we sometimes wonder how someone from a privileged background can go so wrong, we should celebrate those times when a man swims against the tide of his life circumstances and emerges triumphant.
Isn't that the kind of story we love to hear about a baseball game? At the risk of being too trite, Mr. Mfume was down to his last strike, and he came through in the clutch. His is a great story and one we should all be glad to hear again and again. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
As it turns out, Mr. Mfume, besides being a Congressman and eventually being selected to head the NAACP as its Chief Executive Officer, is a huge Orioles fan. In fact, baseball plays a particularly large part in his recollections of his youth. His youth league coach, Mr. Smitty, is a wonderfully drawn character and the kind of man that many young people need in their life--tough, demanding, and generous of time and spirit.
As work on the book progressed, I got the opportunity to speak to Mr. Mfume on several occasions. Invariably our conversations drifted toward the Oriole's progress toward the playoffs and an eventual showdown with the dreaded Yankees. I suppose that in a lot of ways, the Yankees have represented for generations of baseball fans the same things that Mr. Mfume has battled against in his long career--wealth and privilege. In these jaded times, some may dismiss his rise from a hardscrabble youth to the halls of Congress and beyond as just another one of those inspirational stories.
But the radical transformation Mr. Mfume underwent, his incredible devotion to his mother, and his return to faith in himself and the vision his mother had of his future can't be easily dismissed nor easily explained. Just as we sometimes wonder how someone from a privileged background can go so wrong, we should celebrate those times when a man swims against the tide of his life circumstances and emerges triumphant.
Isn't that the kind of story we love to hear about a baseball game? At the risk of being too trite, Mr. Mfume was down to his last strike, and he came through in the clutch. His is a great story and one we should all be glad to hear again and again. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very Inspirational!,
By
This review is from: No Free Ride (Paperback)
I enjoyed this book greatly. It has inspired me to reach my goals. I have learned from reading this book that anyone can make it if they try hard enough. I do not understand the previous reviewers and there negative reviews but I found this book to be very uplifting.
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Everyone can make a difference,
By Beverly C. Sanders (USA, Baltimore, MD) - See all my reviews
This review is from: No Free Ride: From the Mean Streets to the Mainstream (Hardcover)
This was a very interesting book. It was a quick read and it was a story told with a considerable degree of brevity. I have had the opportunity to meet the author and think that he could do more in his interactions with members of his organization than what I have been successful in reaching him.
2 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
This is a five star story with four stars of events omitted,
By A Customer
This review is from: No Free Ride (Paperback)
This story could and should be more inspiring. There are people and events that contributed to his life saving and/or transformation...from the path of destruction to enlightenment to civility to purpose to personal achievement. There's civil service but little mention of community service and community servants (i.e. Allen "Dickie" Burke, Walter Lively, etc.) including places like the Community College of Baltimore, Operation Champ, Teen Centers, The African Heritage Shop, etc. Acknowledging and developing the people and events related to these places would make this story more sensitive, human, and inspiring. I'm sure there were lessons learned -both from good and bad experiences- from the previously mentioned people and places that built the bridge from the mean streets to mainstream. Their impact is vital. This story should conclude with accounts of how often he has crossed the bridge back to the meanstreets to bring someone across or helped someone stalled on the bridge to reach the other side. Their plights together would give this story additional character and broader appeal.
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