Customer Reviews

Step by Step: A Memoir of Living the American Dream

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I have known Bertie for 35 years, since I was a messenger on the Foreign Relations Committee. Years ago, Bertie told me some of the stories in the book; I witnessed many; and I knew about many more. Bertie used to introduce me as his cousin to his friends in the Senate, to their surprise. I leave it to the reader to guess my color.

I never learned more than when I worked for Bertie. If a reader wants to understand the backstage workings of the Senate, they will read this book.

I have had the privilege of knowing Mr. Bowman for many years. His book is a story of dignity, determination and persistence.His story stands with many other distinguished titles in the canon of civil rights sagas, modern American history and memoirs.

I highly recommend this excellent memoir by a person who overcame very humble beginnings to create a wonderful and successful life. His success was attained through hard work, a work ethic you don't see much nowadays, an enthusiasm that was contagious and came through in the book, and his courage, honesty and humility. I saw the interview with Bertie on "Sixty Minutes" and just had to buy his book. His story is fascinating, especially the parts about some public figures you might consider racist who were friends with him, helped him, and were very kind to him. This book will make you feel good and may even inspire you.

I gave this to my mother-in-law who is originally from a small town outside Charleston, S.C. but who now lives in Maryland. She called and told me that she could not put the book down over the weekend since it bought back so many memories to her about that time. She mentioned she and her husband laughed at some of the anecdotes since they had some very similar experiences when they had moved from their small town to a "big city." She is sharing this book with her sisters and brothers and recommends it highly.

I enjoyed the book. I saw Bertie on 60 Minutes and ordered his book. The book was very inspirational. He has had quite a remarkable journey. I applaud the fact that Bertie doesn't advocate doing what he did for today's youth. The world is very different and a lot less friendly.

In Step By Step: A Memoir of Living the American Dream by Bertie Bowman, we learn how a 13 year-old black boy left his home in Summerton, South Carolina in 1944 and claimed the American dream for himself. Bowman heard South Carolina Senator Burnet Maybank state, "If you all ever get up to Washington, D.C., drop by and see me." Never mind that Senator Maybank was addressing a white crowd, this was all the impetus Bowman needed to leave his father's farm and the drudgery of farming, which he did not want to be his life career. Bowman takes on his extraordinary journey from sweeping the steps of the U.S. Capitol to being the hearing coordinator for the Senate Relations Committee.

During the 60 years the memoir covers, Bowman is an eyewitness for the events that have shaped our country; death of FDR, Civil Rights Movement, Vietnam, and Watergate and learned all about the backroom dealings of politics. One of the interesting aspects of the book was Bowman's relationships with some of the staunchest segregationists of his time. While many may not agree with these relationships, you will admire his integrity and respect that existed on both sides of these relationships.

This is an inspiring story with life lessons we can all learn from. Bowman bases his success on hard work, taking responsibility, a positive outlook and expecting and giving the best to people. I recommend this book to all readers who enjoy reading memoirs.

Reviewed by Beverly

APOOO BookClub

October 18, 2009

I am white, born and reared in small Western towns where black people were rarely seen. Nevertheless, I was raised with a strong sense of social justice, I was good friends with the only black high school student in my town, I was drafted into the Army and served in the segregated South, I went to Washington DC on a fellowship where I interned first with a segregationist House Member, I was privileged to serve for a decade as Assistant to the Majority Leader of the United States Senate, I was one of four staffers to serve on the Senate Floor during the many weeks of filibuster that culminated in the historic Civil Rights Act of 1964 ... and I became friends with Bertie Bowman, author of "Step by Step."

Bertie Bowman's extremely readable memoirs serve two main goals: 1) they document the incredible life's journey of a poor black child from South Carolina to be a respected staffer of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee and 2) they give the reader an intimate and authentic view of race relations in this country as lived and viewed from below. This is the story of a wise self-effacing man who remained true to himself through adversities that would have defeated most of us.

Bertie and I are contemporaries. By the time I arrived in the U.S. Senate as a young newspaperman, he had been there for years and still worked out of the "basement" (as he describes in his book). He, his lovely wife, Elaine, and I became good friends and saw each other often. Especially dear to me were the many pleasant evenings spent at RFK Stadium watching the old Washington Senator baseball team play. Later, after I was married, Bertie and Elaine cared for our child in their home while Marcie and I continued on to RFK to watch the Washington Redskins play.

Race obviously was a much-discussed topic in our relationship. But with a difference. I can attest that the magnanimity of spirit that shines through Bertie's book is absolutely authentic. Bertie genuinely saw (and sees) each person in his life, high or low, black or white, partisan or not, as a human being -- nothing more and nothing less. His life is one of kindnesses received and kindnesses given. And in Bertie's life, his own goodness has been rewarded time and again.

I retired back to the West but Bertie soldiers on as a valued staffer of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. His autobiography comes at the perfect time. Its publication in 2008 coincided with the winning presidential campaign of a fellow African-American, Barack Obama. I am thrilled at the successes of these two good Americans and feel privileged to have been a part of their lives.

It is my hope that "Step by Step" will become a staple reading item in history and government classrooms throughout this land, especially where young readers are involved, as well as in countless adult reading clubs. It is that good.

Bowman did something in 1944 that you'd have to be crazy to do now; he ran away from home to live on his own at 13, took a job as a janitor, and slept rough until he got a room in a local boarding house. It was another two years before he contacted his parents.

Bowman didn't end up on drugs or in a gang, however. He started out as a sweeper in the Capitol Building, and by the end of the century was the hearing cordinator for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. This is more than the average memoir, for Bowman has all the inside info on the workings of the Senate. We learn what kind of people LBJ, Fulbright, and Strom Thurmond were like in "real life."

What's interesting about the story is the kind of city Washington DC was in the 40's and 50's. There was a large population of men living in boarding houses in the city, where they worked and sent money to their families in the Deep South. This is one of the reasons Bowman says he ran away to DC; first, Senator Maybank said "come up and see me if you're ever in DC," and secondly, he often saw well-dressed men in his South Carolina town who said they had well-paid jobs up north in the Capital. Fortunately, this 13 year old boy wasn't introduced to any bad habits (like drinking and gambling) by the grown men he lived and worked with. I guess the woman who owned the boarding house kept her (all male) tennants in line.

Bowman ends the book with a warning not to follow everything he did. Running away from home and looking for work at 13 may have worked in "44, but it would be too dangerous nowadays.

Bertie Bowman had a interesting life, met interesting people and has a very positive outlook on life. The book is an easy and fascinating read. You'll learn little-known facts about politicians from the past and how their public life didn't always resemble their private lives, but you learn all of this in a very respectful manner. You'll see Congress in a whole new light.

A very interesting book. As a 13 year old country boy he made the improbable journey to Washington D.C. where his friendliness, willingness to help others and loyalty to the senate led to a career and friendships with people both humble and in high places. I highly recommend this book.