Books.org participates in affiliate programs including Bookshop.org and the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. We may earn a commission from qualifying purchases made through links on this page, at no additional cost to you.
Overview
A profoundly courageous and insightful memoir, An American Story documents the events that have shaped journalist Debra Dickerson's conscience.The daughter of former sharecroppers, Dickerson never imagined she would emerge from her squalid St. Louis neighborhood to become an acclaimed journalist with a Harvard Law degree. A constant reader and a straight-A student, nevertheless Dickerson's lack of confidence kept her from accepting the many colleges offers she received. Instead she enlisted in the U.S. Air Force, quickly rising through the ranks. In spite of her success, she recognized within herself deep-seated conflict at being a working class black woman living in a white man's world. Her path to self-acceptance is at the heart of this refreshing narrative.
Synopsis
A profoundly courageous and insightful memoir, An American Story documents the events that have shaped journalist Debra Dickerson's conscience.
The daughter of former sharecroppers, Dickerson never imagined she would emerge from her squalid St. Louis neighborhood to become an acclaimed journalist with a Harvard Law degree.
Publishers Weekly
"[Dickerson] stirs the cauldron with a no-holds barred look at her humble Midwestern beginnings, scrappy clan, career strivings and personal miscues and victories. Rarely does a memoir strip away so much emotional armor to expose so many defects as well as strengths... If Dickerson is ruthless in her appraisal of others, she is twice as hard on her own shortcomings, especially the views about poor and lower-working-class blacks trapped in poverty and despair she held as a young woman... This tough, sassy memoir dramatically underscores the importance of hope, family and truth in one person's quest to reach and sustain her version of the American dream.
Editorials
From Barnes & Noble
Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers"It would be years before I'd realize that my travels from the inner city to places like Korea, Turkey, and the Pentagon were not the real journey. The real odyssey was the pilgrimage from…self-hating to sane, from mental ghetto to mental freedom," writes journalist Debra Dickerson in her remarkably insightful, fiercely honest memoir.
Dickerson's tale is of an extremely bright young African-American woman's journey of discovery: her struggle to find herself, and her evolving feelings about race and class. From her parents' upbringing as the impoverished children of sharecroppers in the South to her own poor childhood in a north St. Louis ghetto with five siblings, Dickerson's early life was a seesaw of happiness contrasted with abuse from her father, an ex-Marine who wielded an iron fist. Her self-loathing and doubt grew along with her constant struggle to come to terms with her heritage. Burying herself in books, Dickerson's driving ambition to succeed clashed with her depressing surroundings and her parents' attitudes. Her decision to join the Air Force at twenty-one was a major turning point, followed closely by the birth of her political conscience and the evolution of her views about blacks and their circumstances. After the Air Force, she went on to get her law degree from Harvard and soon began a career in journalism.
This strong woman's steadfast search for self, and her ability to reinvent herself, have been the building blocks of her success. An American Story is a shrewd, boldly truthful book, one woman's journey toward her own American Dream.
Publishers Weekly -
"[Dickerson] stirs the cauldron with a no-holds barred look at her humble Midwestern beginnings, scrappy clan, career strivings and personal miscues and victories. Rarely does a memoir strip away so much emotional armor to expose so many defects as well as strengths... If Dickerson is ruthless in her appraisal of others, she is twice as hard on her own shortcomings, especially the views about poor and lower-working-class blacks trapped in poverty and despair she held as a young woman... This tough, sassy memoir dramatically underscores the importance of hope, family and truth in one person's quest to reach and sustain her version of the American dream.VOYA
The daughter of sharecropper parents who migrated north, Dickerson grew up in a family sharply divided between conservative and liberal beliefs. During her youth, she came to believe that education was her way out of poverty. When attempts to discover the studies that would ignite her passion for learning failed, Dickerson joined the U. S. Air Force where she quickly rose through the ranks. Ultimately, she realized that a military career belied her social convictions. Dickerson again found herself searching for the career path that would lead her to some semblance of happiness. A Harvard law degree and a stint as a successful attorney soon gave way to a distinguished career in journalism. Dickerson had at last found her niche. Dickerson's search for her identity as an adult, as a woman, and as an African American is the focus of this frank autobiography. Her story is anything but typical, yet it will reach out to readers, especially female readers, with its honest portrayal of the difficult decisions all people face as they try to find their way from childhood to adulthood. In many ways, Dickerson's odyssey is the story of an "everywoman." The narrative is fast paced, brash, and thoroughly engaging. There are far too few autobiographies of successful contemporary women. This book is a great addition to a genre that sometimes focuses on a past that does not always speak to contemporary teens. Photos. VOYA CODES: 5Q 3P S A/YA (Hard to imagine it being any better written; Will appeal with pushing; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12; Adult and Young Adult). 2000, Pantheon, 304p, Ages 16 to Adult. Reviewer: Teri Lesesne SOURCE: VOYA, June 2001 (Vol. 24, No. 2)Library Journal
A child of the Great Migration of blacks from the South, journalist Dickerson (formerly with U.S. News & World Report) gives a spirited account of her own migration from North St. Louis to the U.S. Air Force and finally to Harvard Law School, where she discovered her true calling as a writer. Along the way, she tried on a succession of personal and political styles, each of which she describes with uncommon insight and unsparing wit. Dickerson owes her survival skills and self-discipline to her family background and military training, but she would not have overcome poverty, abuse, rape, prejudice, and her own insecurity without a lifelong passion for reading, sparked by her early discovery of the public library. Parts of her memoir read like a well-crafted novel, but other parts would not seem out of place in a military recruitment brochure; the author could have omitted some details of military life without detracting from the strength of her story. Nevertheless, this moving and well-written account is highly recommended for academic and public libraries.--Susan M. Colowick, North Olympic Lib. Syst., Port Angeles, WA Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.\School Library Journal
Adult/High School-Dickerson recounts her alienating experiences growing up in St. Louis through Harvard law school. She describes herself as having been a studious but self-conscious child with very low self-esteem. Her voracious reading habits resulted in highly impressive SAT scores. Nonetheless, the young African-American woman decided against going to college and worked as a waitress instead. She soon enrolled in community college and, later, had a highly successful career with the U.S. Air Force, mastering the Korean language, and then earning her bachelor's and master's degrees. As she approached 30, she became increasingly disillusioned with military life and wanted to be in a position to help working-class people achieve success. She quit the Air Force and entered law school. At the end of her memoir, Dickerson includes five pages of acknowledgments in which she admits to having "amalgamated events and moved things around in time or location for ease of storytelling." Readers will admire her frankness and honesty in admitting to these literary liberties in a nonfiction work. Her tale of achieving the American dream should be inspiring to teens-especially those who come from underprivileged backgrounds. This memoir shows young people that they can become successful without having to become athletes or entertainers.-Joyce Fay Fletcher, Rippon Middle School, Prince William County, VA Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.Janny Scott
It is a startling thing to hear an American speak as frankly and un-self-servingly about race as Debra J. Dickerson does in An American Story...The book is full of breathtaking observations of all sorts of things...—New York Times Book Review
Dorothy Rompalske
An honest and revealing memoir...—Biography Magazine