Charlayne Hunter-Gault — In My Place

Farrar, Straus & Giroux 1992 Hardback, 257pp. In this direct, winning memoir, Charlayne Hunter-Gault tells the story of her life from her birth in a Deep South still living out the legacy of the Civil War to her historic role in desegregating the University of Georgia, a high point in the Civil Rights Movement. Charlayne's father, an army chaplain from a family of preachers, was away more than he was home, so she was raised by her mother as part of a lively, affectionate extended family. From Due West they moved to Covington, Georgia, and eventually to 'L. A'. - Lovely Atlanta, as it was known in the Black community - where Charlayne began to show signs of the leadership that would characterize her later career. A year on an army base in Alaska provided her first full exposure to the white world. But it was in 1961, when she was one of two students to desegregate the University of Georgia and make that place hers, too, that she found herself calling fully on the reserves of courage, fortitude, and conviction instilled in her by her parents. In My Place is a resonant success story a story of triumph over obstacles, of recognition and empowerment - but even more it is a testament to the strength of family love, self-reliance, and self-esteem. Generous, witty, warmhearted, and dynamic, it tells how a remarkable woman became remarkable. DJ. (ISBN: 9780374175634). Good.