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book_concierge's review against another edition
3.0
Not sure this is really a subtitle, but printed on the cover is this statement: In 1968, a visionary priest recruited 20 black men to the College of the Holy Cross and changed their lives and the course of history.
This was a very interesting look at how their experience at Holy Cross influenced these young men. Their time in college coincided with my own years at Marquette University (another Jesuit institution). The historical events depicted were familiar to me and really took me back to those days.
Brady focuses on seven of the recruits: Stanley Grayson, Gilbert Hardy, Eddie Jenkins, Edward P Jones, Arthur Martin, Clarence Thomas and Theodore Wells. All but one of these men went on to law school and had distinguished careers. Clarence Thomas, of course, is now a U.S. Supreme Court justice. The lone non-lawyer is Edward P Jones, who penned the Pulitzer-prize-winning The Known World and is a professor at Georgetown University (yet another Jesuit institution).
But the person who really stands out in this tale is Rev. John Brooks, the priest who recruited the students, fought for funds, mentored them, championed their causes, and kept them engaged and focused on the goal – a sterling education that would give them the boost they needed to succeed.
This was a very interesting look at how their experience at Holy Cross influenced these young men. Their time in college coincided with my own years at Marquette University (another Jesuit institution). The historical events depicted were familiar to me and really took me back to those days.
Brady focuses on seven of the recruits: Stanley Grayson, Gilbert Hardy, Eddie Jenkins, Edward P Jones, Arthur Martin, Clarence Thomas and Theodore Wells. All but one of these men went on to law school and had distinguished careers. Clarence Thomas, of course, is now a U.S. Supreme Court justice. The lone non-lawyer is Edward P Jones, who penned the Pulitzer-prize-winning The Known World and is a professor at Georgetown University (yet another Jesuit institution).
But the person who really stands out in this tale is Rev. John Brooks, the priest who recruited the students, fought for funds, mentored them, championed their causes, and kept them engaged and focused on the goal – a sterling education that would give them the boost they needed to succeed.
sde's review against another edition
4.0
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway.
Growing up Catholic in Greater Boston, I though I knew a fair bit about Holy Cross, but I had no inkling of this inspiring part of the college's history. This book tells the stories of Father Brooks, the Holy Cross priest, dean and theology professor who personally took on the task to actively pursue black students to diversify the campus in the late 1960s, and some of the amazing young men he was able to recruit. Father Brooks was a couple of years ahead of the time and offered his hand-chosen recruits full or almost full scholarships. He appears to have had a knack for picking out talent, not just based on grades, but on attitudes. Those students who stayed to graduate from Holy Cross ended up with amazing careers - such as Supreme Court Justice, prize-winning author, attorney to celebrities.
The author gave a good sense of the times on college campuses through the personal lens of a handful of students. The author takes the reader through the transformation of these students from bewildered and academically unprepared to fighters standing up for their rights to confident and accomplished men. A lot of their experiences are still valid today since racial tension is far from being eradicated. The discussion of why the students wanted an all-black hallway even after winning the chance to break into a white institution can help whites understand why things such as Black Student Unions are still important today - not as a call for separation, as they are sometimes perceived, but as a support for the students.
The book was more focused on the group than on any individual student. In fact, there were so many students discussed, that I was confused for the first few chapters and had to keep flipping back to their bios in the front. I would have liked just a brief listing to help me keep them straight (e.g. Ted Wells - from DC, quiet). The group story is very interesting and important - how the students interacted with each other and helped each other move ahead - but it does leave the reader wanting to learn more about what the individual experience was like for each student - what motivated them to come, how did they feel when they got there, what were the pros and cons of their experience, how did it affect their futures? The author provides bits and pieces of this, of course, but we don't get anyone's full voice.
I had entered the drawing for this book because I am the PTA president at a school where a large number of African-American males are falling behind. I was hoping the book would give me inspiration on what sorts of things could help these kids move beyond where they are now and aspire to more. Because we get very little back story on the students, the book doesn't provide that. By time the story starts - right before the students enter Holy Cross - all the students are fairly accomplished, although many of them are poor. We don't get much of a sense of what got them to that place in their late teens.
Even though this book wasn't what I thought it might be, it was a highly enjoyable and interesting read. I was surprised to see the book reviewed in the latest issue of the Christian Science Monitor. (Now that I've written my review, off to read that one to see how they compare!) The book is likely to make a bit of a splash in certain circles of readers.
Growing up Catholic in Greater Boston, I though I knew a fair bit about Holy Cross, but I had no inkling of this inspiring part of the college's history. This book tells the stories of Father Brooks, the Holy Cross priest, dean and theology professor who personally took on the task to actively pursue black students to diversify the campus in the late 1960s, and some of the amazing young men he was able to recruit. Father Brooks was a couple of years ahead of the time and offered his hand-chosen recruits full or almost full scholarships. He appears to have had a knack for picking out talent, not just based on grades, but on attitudes. Those students who stayed to graduate from Holy Cross ended up with amazing careers - such as Supreme Court Justice, prize-winning author, attorney to celebrities.
The author gave a good sense of the times on college campuses through the personal lens of a handful of students. The author takes the reader through the transformation of these students from bewildered and academically unprepared to fighters standing up for their rights to confident and accomplished men. A lot of their experiences are still valid today since racial tension is far from being eradicated. The discussion of why the students wanted an all-black hallway even after winning the chance to break into a white institution can help whites understand why things such as Black Student Unions are still important today - not as a call for separation, as they are sometimes perceived, but as a support for the students.
The book was more focused on the group than on any individual student. In fact, there were so many students discussed, that I was confused for the first few chapters and had to keep flipping back to their bios in the front. I would have liked just a brief listing to help me keep them straight (e.g. Ted Wells - from DC, quiet). The group story is very interesting and important - how the students interacted with each other and helped each other move ahead - but it does leave the reader wanting to learn more about what the individual experience was like for each student - what motivated them to come, how did they feel when they got there, what were the pros and cons of their experience, how did it affect their futures? The author provides bits and pieces of this, of course, but we don't get anyone's full voice.
I had entered the drawing for this book because I am the PTA president at a school where a large number of African-American males are falling behind. I was hoping the book would give me inspiration on what sorts of things could help these kids move beyond where they are now and aspire to more. Because we get very little back story on the students, the book doesn't provide that. By time the story starts - right before the students enter Holy Cross - all the students are fairly accomplished, although many of them are poor. We don't get much of a sense of what got them to that place in their late teens.
Even though this book wasn't what I thought it might be, it was a highly enjoyable and interesting read. I was surprised to see the book reviewed in the latest issue of the Christian Science Monitor. (Now that I've written my review, off to read that one to see how they compare!) The book is likely to make a bit of a splash in certain circles of readers.
jmorr290's review against another edition
2.0
2 1/2 stars. Interesting subject matter but the book was too long and tedious at times. Also wasn't crazy about the writing . I ended up skimming through a lot
of the book.
rwill88's review against another edition
4.0
This is a wonderfully written scholarly yet pleasant read of the makings of great men and the tribulations of not only integration of universities but if acceptance and support of African-Americans in university. It read mostly as a memoir, there were a few moments when I was reminded this is an academic book and not a pleasurable fiction read. All in all I thoroughly enjoyed reading it!
clockless's review against another edition
5.0
This is a very good account of one man's impact on the world when seen through the eyes of a small group of students he personally mentored. It's an important book, too, because this is the type of story that would never get told otherwise; people like Father Brooks are not the type of people that write autobiographies, they are too busy trying to make a difference to draw attention to themselves.
This is a very good read, and it provides a great deal to think about -- not just in terms of the particular problems and policies that are depicted here (as this took place in the late '60s/early '70s, race relations and the Vietnam War play a large part), but in the larger questions of the usefulness and impacts of diversity and integration of all kinds.
One example in particular strikes me, It is very easy to see both sides of the issue, and see why it was so difficult to resolve, especially because Brady does an excellent job of bringing in everyone's perspectives. You get to know the men here, and you start to understand why each feels as they do.
This is not a book of answers, its a book of lives. I suspect that this book will stay with me for quite some time.
I received this free through Goodreads First Reads (thanks!)
This is a very good read, and it provides a great deal to think about -- not just in terms of the particular problems and policies that are depicted here (as this took place in the late '60s/early '70s, race relations and the Vietnam War play a large part), but in the larger questions of the usefulness and impacts of diversity and integration of all kinds.
One example in particular strikes me,
Spoiler
when some of the black students petitioned for a specific black wing in a dorm.This is not a book of answers, its a book of lives. I suspect that this book will stay with me for quite some time.
I received this free through Goodreads First Reads (thanks!)
coruscate68's review against another edition
4.0
A wonderful window into a very specific moment in time that has had far reaching consequences for so many in our country. This is a testament about what one person can achieve with a bit of imagination and a lot of heart. A story well told.
pmcintosh's review against another edition
3.0
The story is very interesting. True story of young black leaders recruited as a cohort to be the class of '72 at an almost entirely white elite catholic university. The campus environment, the time, the struggles and solutions of these young men were all gripping. The telling of the story was meh and felt repetitive.
blkmymorris's review
3.0
It sags a bit in the middle because the author stick a bit to drily to recount events.
The beginning when we meet the young men on Dr. King's death is poignant and compelling. The last year of school rushed by. I wish there was a bit more follow up on Rev. Brooks and the men after graduation. I wanted to know how much they interacted if at all.
The beginning when we meet the young men on Dr. King's death is poignant and compelling. The last year of school rushed by. I wish there was a bit more follow up on Rev. Brooks and the men after graduation. I wanted to know how much they interacted if at all.
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