November 1, 2010
A pioneering black woman radio and television journalist and a daughter of the Depression in the Deep South, Davis tells of her encounters with volatile news stories from the Vietnam era on.
Copyright 2010 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
February 1, 2011
In five decades as an award-winning reporter, Davis witnessed changes in news gathering and the politics of race and sex. Born to a poor black laundress in a hardscrabble Louisiana town, she migrated with her family to California during the Depression. Poverty and an unstable family life caused her to miss an opportunity to go to college and to take refuge in early marriage. As a young wife and mother, she stumbled into freelance reporting for Jet and Ebony. Taking every random assignment and learning all she could, she moved on to radio and television, along the way meeting and interviewing celebrities, including Bill Cosby, Nancy Wilson, James Brown, Martin Luther King Jr., Huey Newton, Angela Davis, Michael Jackson, and Alex Haley. Her strong connections to the black community made her an asset as the media covered the social unrest, riots, and cultural revolutions of the 1960s. Davis chronicles her own struggles and political awakening as she pushed against the boundaries for women and minorities in journalism to become the first black female news anchor on the West Coast.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)
January 1, 2011
Pioneering journalist Davis, writing with Haddock, tells her fascinating story in this highly readable memoir. Davis grew up hand to mouth in Louisiana and then Oakland. Unable to afford college, she began writing for African American publications and later moved to radio and local television news. Despite resistance at every turn because of her race and gender, her fame and influence grew with each career move. Davis covered the defining events of her time and place, including the Berkeley protests of the late 1960s, Jim Jones and the massacre at Jonestown, the Harvey Milk/George Moscone shootings, and the rise of AIDS. She took reporting trips to Cuba, Israel, and East Africa. She also managed to raise two children, promote innumerable causes, and cultivate friendships with an impressive list of celebrities. While Davis is justifiably proud of her achievements, her lack of a college education and her feelings of inadequacy as a mother continue to haunt her. VERDICT Davis is an engaging, likable personality with an inspiring story. Recommended for any reader interested in journalism, history, or gender and race relations in the United States.--David Gibbs, Georgetown Univ. Lib., Washington, DC
Copyright 2011 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.