Having It All?: Black Women and Success (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Karen Grigsby Bates (Foreword) "CONGRESSWOMAN MAXINE WATERS collect Aunt Jemima memorabilia..." (more)
Key Phrases: black curator, young black women, Aunt Jemima, Anita Hill, African Americans (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In a series of interrelated essays, Chambers (Mama's Girl), explores the lives of middle- and upper-middle-class African-American women. Throughout, Chambers nicely weaves historical and literary anecdotes into her insightful narrative. While identifying this population as linchpins in the astronomical rise of a black middle class, she pursues such questions as how their "creative and indomitable spirit" translated into corporate reality while black men languish; why they no longer feel the need to choose allegiance between race and gender; what the image of Aunt Jemima declares about today's affluent African-American woman; and why they are more likely to be alone than any group of black women before them. Nonetheless, these women, Chambers says, have a strong sense of community and a renewed feeling of empowerment, which enables their transition into a predominantly white mainstream culture. Largely based on interviews of black women defying conventional perceptions, and written for those "who have crafted successful lives without role models or media coverage," the book lends a panoramic effect to such figures as former Whitney curator Thelma Golden, television host Star Jones, Barbara Bush's former press secretary Anna Perez, Anita Hill, and the growing population of African-American stay-at-home moms.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Yes, agrees journalist Chambers (Mama's Girl) as she peers into the lives of successful middle- and upper-middle-class African American women, these go-getters have progressed academically, professionally, and financially. But they still have to deal with being stereotyped in the media.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday; 1 edition (January 21, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385506384
• ISBN-13: 978-0385506380
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,450,504 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Chambers, Teachers ARE Successful, College-Educated Professionals! , March 9, 2007

By	Ms. Green (New York, New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Having It All?: Black Women and Success (Paperback)

I have one peeve with this book: The author excludes teachers as successful, college-educated professionals (pg. 6 Introduction, hardcover)! Teachers, at the time she wrote this book and today, are required to earn a Bachelors degree, to receive specialized, professional training to be certified, AND they must obtain a Masters Degree within about 5 years after completing the training just to keep their jobs. With all of those educational requirements, how could Chambers say that teachers are not "college-educated professionals"? Then to make matters worse, Chambers says that she uses "success" in the "broadest terms" to include teachers. So teachers aren't successful in her eyes. According to her, a successful Black woman must be an attorney or a doctor or have earned an MBA or have earned a Bachelors degree from an Ivy League school. Even though I meet her standards for the successful Black woman, I can appreciate the ambition, brains and professionalism in my past teachers. Moreover, I have family members who are teachers, and they are just as ambitious, smart, and (dare I say) more humble than some of the women Chambers praises in this book. I hope she realizes that it took successful teachers to help those Black women she features in this book to get to where they are. And those teachers, as well as many others, are just as successful as any other degreed middle and upper-class professional she'd put on a pedestal.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow, January 23, 2003

By	J. Clampet "jasonclam" (Philadelphia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The only book I've ever read that makes discussions about race and gender exciting. Perfect for anyone trying to understand the changing face of success in America.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WOW!!!, May 22, 2003

By A Customer

This book should be read by everyone! Its depth, humor, intelligence and sensitivity reflect the predicament of resilient African-American strivers. But, its real value and appeal lie in the complex, universal humanity conveyed by the interviewees. Whether you're the object of the the issues so expertly handled by Chambers, friends, loved-ones, or allies in addressing them, or interested newcomers, you will benefit from this affirming work.