Review by Clemens Nickleby -- From Liberty to Magnolia: ...
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[Following is a volunteer review of "From Liberty to Magnolia: In Search of the American Dream" by Janice S. Ellis.]
[rbc=4]id260560-125[/rbc]
Her story begins on a small family farm where she was born and raised by her parents. One of seven children, she learned early the value of hard work. Her phobia for insects and animals drove her to work inside, where she spent many hours reading. Her love for reading and learning drove her to excel in her studies at school. Her excellence in her studies drove her to pursue higher education and a professional career. But all of this was done amidst a backdrop of the most virulent institutional racism to be found in the United States at that time. What is astonishing is that resources and opportunities were available, even in that horrific setting.
On a personal level, Ms. Ellis had the blessing of a strong family. Her mother played a key role in her development, even though she often warned her against making "castles in the air." Whether this was due to her own frustrated desires or because she felt her daughter's dreams were not obtainable, what is clear is that she had a deep and abiding love that sought to protect and ground her daughter. The support she received from her family during the failure of her first marriage, while she continued to pursue her academic goals and raise two sons, was invaluable.
Professionally, Ms. Ellis had a varied career after finally receiving her Ph.D. in communications. She was heard on the radio delivering political commentary in the vein of her hero, Eric Sevareid. Her resume' ran the gamut from working for the Mayor of Milwaukee and developing a new municipal budget system, to assembling a managed health care organization, to working in the marketing department of a major pharmaceutical corporation. Her mother called her driven, and it was clear from her performance in each endeavor that nothing but excellence would do. However, this was not enough to propel her past what she calls " the plexiglass ceiling." Plexiglass cannot be broken. It is her distinct feeling that as things stand, women and blacks cannot achieve the highest positions available either politically or in the corporate sphere. Barack Obama's presidency should be a welcome encouragement for her!
I truly enjoyed reading Ms. Ellis's memoir. She is a passionate and interesting woman. But I have to challenge some of her ideas, in part because what she is advocating as a solution to the problem of discrimination through government intervention will only further institutionalize the very thing she is fighting against. If she were actually for a system based on merit, rather than any other consideration, then nothing but merit would be necessary for the allotment of resources or opportunities. In her own case, the excellence of her work opened doors of opportunity for her, even in the midst of extreme racism. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. talked about the content of a man's character, not the color of his skin. The Civil Rights Movement was successful in that desegregation occurred and more opportunities were made available by making existing laws apply equally to everyone. The real plexiglass ceiling is human nature, which tends to greed, theft, and murder, regardless of race or gender. Overcoming individual cases of discrimination requires equal standing before the law, which we have. Ms. Ellis won a settlement on the basis of her merit being passed over, not her race or gender.
Ms. Ellis pays great homage to Eric Sevareid and Walter Lipmann in her account. She studied Lipmann's work extensively and wrote her doctoral dissertation on his ideas. According to Lipmann, who is a master of propaganda, the Contemporary man must be told how and what to think because he cannot make intelligent decisions due to the inadequacy of information flow and his propensity to function in a pseudo-environment. Never mind that Lipmann himself is one of these Contemporary men and therefore subject to the same inadequate information and is functioning in a pseudo-environment himself. If Contemporary man must be guided to think along proper lines, who is making the determination of what is proper? If, as Lipmann says, what is proper is the greatest good for the greatest number, the minority would never have a chance! The so-called Good Society might actually only be good for a percentage of people, not everyone. Dare I say, much like pre-Civil war society in the south. The 'guiding' of 'proper' thought can be quite dangerous. I would have hoped that as a Christian, Ms. Ellis would have seen the ethical brilliance of treating others as you would wish to be treated. If you would not wish to have carefully scripted and controlled information fed to you, don't feed others with it. If you do not wish to be discriminated against, don't discriminate. Lipmann would have done better to have acquainted himself with this concept if he wanted to create a truly "Good Society."
The book itself is a pleasant read, although it would have flowed better with information about her immediate family placed more evenly within the story. The treatise on Walter Lipmann and his work was enlightening, but a bit much. I would have appreciated more of her perspective on what he said. I enjoyed reading the snippets of commentary she shared from her radio addresses. Later in the book, I was a little confused about her offering forgiveness for those who hurt her and then providing a detailed list of grievances. While I do not think that one who forgives should necessarily forget, I find it odd that one would make sure the whole world knew what was forgiven in bullet points. The questions in the study guide at the end were a little odd too. Are we, the Contemporary reader, being guided as to what is proper? Just what will we find in our search for the American Dream, driving from Liberty to Magnolia in a vehicle that runs on Lipmann style propaganda?
In conclusion, the book appears to be well-edited and is beautifully arranged. I did find a number of errors, but nothing overly egregious. Ms. Ellis has shared a fascinating look at how the Civil Rights Movement and Feminism impacted her life. The excellence of the book earns it 4 out of 4 stars. This would be a great book for those who enjoy memoirs, history, or politics. Due to the frank discussions of sex, mild cursing, and domestic violence, this book is better suited to adults. The American Dream is made of "castles in the air" and I hope Ms. Ellis will have the blessing to be able to enjoy hers for a long time to come. Her drive has taken her a long way From Liberty to Magnolia: in Search of the American Dream.
******
From Liberty to Magnolia: In Search of the American Dream
View: on Bookshelves |
Her story begins on a small family farm where she was born and raised by her parents. One of seven children, she learned early the value of hard work. Her phobia for insects and animals drove her to work inside, where she spent many hours reading. Her love for reading and learning drove her to excel in her studies at school. Her excellence in her studies drove her to pursue higher education and a professional career. But all of this was done amidst a backdrop of the most virulent institutional racism to be found in the United States at that time. What is astonishing is that resources and opportunities were available, even in that horrific setting.
On a personal level, Ms. Ellis had the blessing of a strong family. Her mother played a key role in her development, even though she often warned her against making "castles in the air." Whether this was due to her own frustrated desires or because she felt her daughter's dreams were not obtainable, what is clear is that she had a deep and abiding love that sought to protect and ground her daughter. The support she received from her family during the failure of her first marriage, while she continued to pursue her academic goals and raise two sons, was invaluable.
Professionally, Ms. Ellis had a varied career after finally receiving her Ph.D. in communications. She was heard on the radio delivering political commentary in the vein of her hero, Eric Sevareid. Her resume' ran the gamut from working for the Mayor of Milwaukee and developing a new municipal budget system, to assembling a managed health care organization, to working in the marketing department of a major pharmaceutical corporation. Her mother called her driven, and it was clear from her performance in each endeavor that nothing but excellence would do. However, this was not enough to propel her past what she calls " the plexiglass ceiling." Plexiglass cannot be broken. It is her distinct feeling that as things stand, women and blacks cannot achieve the highest positions available either politically or in the corporate sphere. Barack Obama's presidency should be a welcome encouragement for her!
I truly enjoyed reading Ms. Ellis's memoir. She is a passionate and interesting woman. But I have to challenge some of her ideas, in part because what she is advocating as a solution to the problem of discrimination through government intervention will only further institutionalize the very thing she is fighting against. If she were actually for a system based on merit, rather than any other consideration, then nothing but merit would be necessary for the allotment of resources or opportunities. In her own case, the excellence of her work opened doors of opportunity for her, even in the midst of extreme racism. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. talked about the content of a man's character, not the color of his skin. The Civil Rights Movement was successful in that desegregation occurred and more opportunities were made available by making existing laws apply equally to everyone. The real plexiglass ceiling is human nature, which tends to greed, theft, and murder, regardless of race or gender. Overcoming individual cases of discrimination requires equal standing before the law, which we have. Ms. Ellis won a settlement on the basis of her merit being passed over, not her race or gender.
Ms. Ellis pays great homage to Eric Sevareid and Walter Lipmann in her account. She studied Lipmann's work extensively and wrote her doctoral dissertation on his ideas. According to Lipmann, who is a master of propaganda, the Contemporary man must be told how and what to think because he cannot make intelligent decisions due to the inadequacy of information flow and his propensity to function in a pseudo-environment. Never mind that Lipmann himself is one of these Contemporary men and therefore subject to the same inadequate information and is functioning in a pseudo-environment himself. If Contemporary man must be guided to think along proper lines, who is making the determination of what is proper? If, as Lipmann says, what is proper is the greatest good for the greatest number, the minority would never have a chance! The so-called Good Society might actually only be good for a percentage of people, not everyone. Dare I say, much like pre-Civil war society in the south. The 'guiding' of 'proper' thought can be quite dangerous. I would have hoped that as a Christian, Ms. Ellis would have seen the ethical brilliance of treating others as you would wish to be treated. If you would not wish to have carefully scripted and controlled information fed to you, don't feed others with it. If you do not wish to be discriminated against, don't discriminate. Lipmann would have done better to have acquainted himself with this concept if he wanted to create a truly "Good Society."
The book itself is a pleasant read, although it would have flowed better with information about her immediate family placed more evenly within the story. The treatise on Walter Lipmann and his work was enlightening, but a bit much. I would have appreciated more of her perspective on what he said. I enjoyed reading the snippets of commentary she shared from her radio addresses. Later in the book, I was a little confused about her offering forgiveness for those who hurt her and then providing a detailed list of grievances. While I do not think that one who forgives should necessarily forget, I find it odd that one would make sure the whole world knew what was forgiven in bullet points. The questions in the study guide at the end were a little odd too. Are we, the Contemporary reader, being guided as to what is proper? Just what will we find in our search for the American Dream, driving from Liberty to Magnolia in a vehicle that runs on Lipmann style propaganda?
In conclusion, the book appears to be well-edited and is beautifully arranged. I did find a number of errors, but nothing overly egregious. Ms. Ellis has shared a fascinating look at how the Civil Rights Movement and Feminism impacted her life. The excellence of the book earns it 4 out of 4 stars. This would be a great book for those who enjoy memoirs, history, or politics. Due to the frank discussions of sex, mild cursing, and domestic violence, this book is better suited to adults. The American Dream is made of "castles in the air" and I hope Ms. Ellis will have the blessing to be able to enjoy hers for a long time to come. Her drive has taken her a long way From Liberty to Magnolia: in Search of the American Dream.
******
From Liberty to Magnolia: In Search of the American Dream
View: on Bookshelves |
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