Gini F. (passionforbooks) -
Helpful Score: 3
I really enjoyed this autobiography of Essie Mae Washington-Williams. She lived through many disappointments but came out a winner in life. The rejection she feels by her father's lack of public acknowlegement of her existence comes through loud and clear. She is generous in her praise for him in the one area where he never let her down - in his financial support. In spite of the many challenges in her life, Essie Mae was a successful woman in her own right - which her father was proud of.
Helpful Score: 2
An excellent book. Essie Mae shines through as a kind, loving, and compassionate woman. She depicts Storm accurately. I would recommend it unhesitatingly.
Barbara M. S. (SWEETIE) reviewed Dear Senator : A Memoir by the Daughter of Strom Thurmond on + 180 more book reviews
Everybody has heard about Strom Thurmond. He became an icon in the South. Read about his hidden daughter. People in the South understand an old problem presented by his daughter in a new world.
Alice B. reviewed Dear Senator : A Memoir by the Daughter of Strom Thurmond on + 3563 more book reviews
This is an excellent book. I was very surprised to hear that Strom Thurmond had a half black daughter with his 15 year old maid and he then was 22 years old. I was glas Essie May went public.The south is full of hypocrites like Strom Thurmond who will have a child with a 15 year old maid but do not want it known publicly. Now she is a member of his family openly and they acknowledge her. She is an excellent writer and this is an excellent story.
Glenda V. (Glenda) reviewed Dear Senator : A Memoir by the Daughter of Strom Thurmond on + 25 more book reviews
From the back cover:
"In her New York Times bestselling memoir Dear Senator, Essie Mae Washington-Williams - daughter of the late senator Strom Thurmond - breaks her lifelong silence and tells the story of her life. Until the age of sixteen, Washington-Williams assumed that the aunt and uncle who raised her in Pennsylvania were her parents. The revelation that her father was the longtime senator from South Carolina - once the nation's leading voice for racial segregation - and that her mother was Carrie Butler, the Thurmond family's fifteen-year-old black maid, was a shock that would change the course of her life.
Set against the explosively changing times of the civil rights movement, Washington-Williams's memoir reveals a brave young woman who struggled with the discrepancy between the father she knew - one who was financially generous, supportive of her education, even affectionate - and the old-South politician, railing against racial equality, who refused to acknowledge their relationship in public. Told with elegance, candor, and spirit, Dear Senator is a classic American story that will be heard and cherished by generations."
"In her New York Times bestselling memoir Dear Senator, Essie Mae Washington-Williams - daughter of the late senator Strom Thurmond - breaks her lifelong silence and tells the story of her life. Until the age of sixteen, Washington-Williams assumed that the aunt and uncle who raised her in Pennsylvania were her parents. The revelation that her father was the longtime senator from South Carolina - once the nation's leading voice for racial segregation - and that her mother was Carrie Butler, the Thurmond family's fifteen-year-old black maid, was a shock that would change the course of her life.
Set against the explosively changing times of the civil rights movement, Washington-Williams's memoir reveals a brave young woman who struggled with the discrepancy between the father she knew - one who was financially generous, supportive of her education, even affectionate - and the old-South politician, railing against racial equality, who refused to acknowledge their relationship in public. Told with elegance, candor, and spirit, Dear Senator is a classic American story that will be heard and cherished by generations."
Robin P. (sleepy) reviewed Dear Senator : A Memoir by the Daughter of Strom Thurmond on + 54 more book reviews
I didnt care for this book - it was all one sided I think she is Full of BS .. I think it all has to do with money (Wanting his money) since his death I hate When people do that after Someone dies ... A Family member Of mine worked for Senator Thurmond for years and I Know for a fact that this woman and her kids were VERY WELL taken care of .. So you cant Believe Everything you read ..
