Customer Reviews

Proud Shoes (Black Women Writers Series)

5 star:		(4)
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2 star:		(1)
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Pauli Murray was reared in an extraordinary extended family of Northern Freedmen who had come South after fighting with the Union Army & Southern aristocrats-Indians-Slaves. Her great-aunt donated the land in Chapel Hill on which sits the University which denied her admission.

This is a story of the courage of the "Yankee Schoolmarms" (including her Grandfather)who brought education to the newly freed slaves, and the courage of those who sought the education he offered. Her aunts also followed their father in lives devoted to education. One of the most moving moments in the book is when her Aunt Pauline read the Supreme Court's decision to integrate in 1954, the year before her death. "Thank G-d, I have lived to see this day," she said.

Murray's own life was more than worthy of the ambitions they instilled in her. This is the way an autobiographical family story _should_ be written: if only such writers were thick on the ground.

Proud Shoes is a moving tale of an African-American family from mid-nineteenth through mid-twentieth century. Pauli Murray writes vividly. Her story is one of triumph as she achieved personally and professionally. Her family's experiences also show the horror of how persons of color were treated, including the story of a neighbor boy who was killed by a white man who said he trespassed, but the crime was never prosecuted.

This is one of a group of books all Americans should read to understand our past and the courage of those who triumphed despite all obstacles.

I heard about Pauli Murray in my North Carolina History. I chose to read her book as a book report and was blown away. The book was easy to understand and i could relate to the author.

My Civil War history professor required us to read this for his class. I was always taught the horrific side of the Civil War and Reconstruction and I will always have that side in my memory. I never knew the real story of the few blacks that well off than their poorer counterparts. Pauli Murray should consider herself thankful for being allowed to grow up in her racially tolerant neighborhood. This should be required reading for high school and college students.

I have to admit, I did not like this book. While parts were ok, on the whole it failed to grab me and entirely failed to satisfy. Random memories with little semblance of order, all dramatized a bit too much.

The story line has a lot of potential, but the presentation needs a lot of work.