I picked this up on Audio from the library as a "Skip the Line Loan" Available for 7 days only, so I did have to prioritize it and speed right through it.
This is a non -fiction memoir written by the author, describing how she was born the child of Texas Sharecroppers and went on to become the President of Smith College and Brown University.
For me, this was interesting and educative, but as far as a piece of reading- it fell a little flat. The subject matter is so important that I can forgive it for not being an extremely engaging read. In it's favor- it is written in plain language, and follows Ruth's life in a very easy to digest linear fashion (I don't really like books that jump around in time, so this was very nice) and I can see it being easily read by young adults to old adults. Not in it's favor- the book itself has sort of the same timbre (if you will) throughout. Simmons was involved in several pivotal moments in time encompassing the rural sharecropping life, the end of segregation in the South, and the Civil Rights movement. These events are described in the novel in the same tone and timbre as descriptions of what was eaten for breakfast. I do get the feeling though - that part of Simmons life success is because she isn't prone to drama (unlike her teen years!) and faces things with a practical and matter of fact approach.
Definitely recommend- especially for older students in conjunction with American History classes, and for folks interested in learning more about how things were over time in the American South. I do feel like I learned quite a bit from reading about and learning from her experiences.
First Published : 1/2025
Pages: 224
Available as an Audio Book :YES
Trigger Warnings: Racism, Domestic Violence, poverty, Sexism, Parental death, Medical situations.
Not a full TW list, please read responsibly.
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