Memoirs – Why We Write Them & How You Can Make Them Sell
August 3rd, 2011
By Jennifer S. Wilkov, host of the “Your Book Is Your Hook!” Show on WomensRadio
The Literary Agent Matchmaker™
As authors and writers, we’re always learning about resources and industry tools that we can use to improve our book project performance and the enjoyment of our writing and marketing experiences. Today let’s talk about memoirs and why we write them.
As a new friend of mine likes to say, “It is all about me, isn’t it?”
When it comes to memoirs, the response I give to writers is…No, not exactly. It’s also about the reader.
I really enjoy working with memoir writers as a consultant. The biggest disconnect I often have to address for the writer is:
1) WHO are you writing your memoir for?
and…
2) WHY are you writing it?
Oftentimes, the answers to these two questions will also determine whether your memoir will sell.
See, as a memoir writer, you must write it for you – to document, clear, understand and process what has happened to you. A memoir by its very nature is cathartic.
If you want to do this for your own health and well-being, then go for it! I cheer you on and I applaud you for it.
If you want it to be a wildly successful book for others to invest 8 hours or so of their lives to read and benefit from yours, you may want to give it a bit more thought.
How you write your memoir and who you write it for will make a difference in whether a literary agent will want to represent your book and whether a publisher sees the value in publishing it.
Here are some guidelines to help you:
1) Memoirs that are incident-based are more interesting to most people and most industry 
professionals. Books by business people like Sir Richard Branson or even some celebrities such as Jenny McCarthy’s book, Louder Than Words: A Mother’s Journey to Healing Autism or your favorite musician are not about their whole entire life from the moment they took their first breath. They are about the particular part of their lives they want to highlight and share.
The focus is on their career or a particular topic or time in their lives. The book and story serves the reader in some enlightening or entertaining way and has a clear beginning, middle and end.
2) Be honest. No one wants to invest their emotions, time and money into reading a book and connecting with a story that is supposed to be true only to discover that it’s not. It’s not only disappointing for the reader, it creates a lot of disgust too. Just look at the reactions to what happened when questions were raised about Greg Mortenson’s book, Three Cups of Tea, James Frey’s A Million Little Pieces, and books from other writers that weren’t true.
3) Determine if there is something more you can offer than just your story such as insights into what you learned and how the readers might practically apply this to their own lives.
4) Decide if you want to share more than just your story. Do you intend to write more books? Books that take off from your story? A memoir is also a great start to a career or a compliment to boost your career as a speaker.
If you intend to do more with your story than just tell it, write it in a way that it can be leveraged. Think twice about your title, subtitle and chapter titles.
5) Be responsible with family members and friends, especially if you want to take your memoir to film or television. If your memoir includes anecdotes about members of your family, close friends or co-workers, or if it reveals family secrets that others may want to keep hidden from the public, think twice about making your book a memoir. You may want to discuss that you are writing the book with the folks you intend to mention to at least make them aware of it and, if plausible, gain their support.
If you intend to pitch your book to the film or television industries, keep in mind that the producers may want a release signed by each person you name in the book to avoid legal issues or delays with the film later on.
6) Invest in a great editor before you attempt to get published. Many writers make the mistake of not having their memoir reviewed by an editor prior to seeking a literary agent or publisher. Although you may want to “say it the way you say it,” if your grammar, spelling, punctuation and line of thought are off or distracting in your manuscript, no one is going to enjoy reading it.
If you value your story and your work, take the time and invest the money in a solid round of editing by a professional. This is not the area to cut corners or ask a favor from someone you know who teaches English during the school year to high school kids.
A memoir can be written in such a way that it benefits both you and the reader.
Your book can also be your hook to bigger opportunities and career growth.
The truth about memoirs is, like any bestseller, first you need to write a great book. Begin with the end in mind. Consider how your tale benefits others. Evaluate what you want to do with it and how you intend to contribute to the Greater Good with it.
Whether your story educates, enlightens or entertains the reader, when you write your story, there is no doubt you will leave a legacy for yourself, your family, and the human race.
How you choose to leave that legacy via the publishing world is entirely up to you.
If you want to be published with your memoir and have a literary agent represent you, use these simple guidelines to help you get a leg up with your book.
“Your Book Is Your Hook” Show – Ziggy’s 40th Birthday & Lonely Planet
August 3rd, 2011
By Jennifer S. Wilkov, host of the “Your Book Is Your Hook!” Show on WomensRadio
Robert Reid, Lonely Planet’s US Travel Editor and spokesperson, and Tom Wilson, the author of the cartoon strip Ziggy, will appear as guests on the Your Book Is Your Hook! Show on WomensRadio.com.
Mr. Reid will discuss his role in the publishing process, how he finds the authors who research and write the travel guides at Lonely Planet, and he’ll share his perspective of the future of the book publishing 
industry. Mr. Wilson will talk about celebrating 40 years of Ziggy and his memoir book, Zig-Zagging: Loving Madly, Losing Badly… How Ziggy Saved My Life. He’ll also share how he got published and how he’s using his books as his hook. He’ll also discuss what it’s been like to work on Ziggy with his father for 40 years. He’ll also share advice for cartoonists about today’s publishing world and for owners of a well-known entity like Ziggy who want to write and publish a memoir book.
NEW YORK, NY (August 2nd – August 8th, 2011): Robert Reid, Lo
nely Planet’s US Travel Editor and spokesperson, will talk with radio personality and host Jennifer S. Wilkov about his role in the publishing process, tips for travel writing and just who writes and researches the Lonely Planet guidebooks.
He’ll also share his perspective of digital books, freelance travel writing and the future of the book publishing industry.
Tom Wilson, the author of the cartoon strip Ziggy, will discuss with radio personality and host Jennifer S. Wilkov celebrating 40 years of Ziggy and his memoir book, Zig-Zagging: Loving Madly, Losing Badly… How Ziggy Saved My Life. He’ll also share how he got published and how he’s using his books as his hook. He’ll also discuss what it’s been like to work on Ziggy with his father for 40 years. He’ll also share advice for cartoonists about today’s publishing world and for owners of a well-known entity like Ziggy who want to write and publish a memoir book.
Host Jennifer S. Wilkov will discuss why we write memoirs and how you can make them sell during her Education Corner segment during the show.
Click Here to Listen Now: http://bit.ly/oXHUqK
If you have questions about any of these interviews or the education corner topic included in the show, please put them here in this discussion thread and I’d be happy to answer them.
“Your Book Is Your Hook” Show – NY Times Bestseller Angie Fox & Literary Agent Jessica Faust
June 9th, 2011
By Jennifer S. Wilkov, host of the “Your Book Is Your Hook!” Show on WomensRadio
www.yourbookisyourhook.com
Jessica Faust, a literary agent and the owner of BookEnds Literary Agency, and NY Times best-selling author Angie Fox, will appear as guests on the Your Book Is Your Hook! Show on WomensRadio.com. Ms. Faust will discuss her role as a literary agent in the publishing process and the top 3 mistakes writers make when approaching and working with an agent like her. Ms. Fox will talk about her latest book, The Last of the Demon Slayers, among her series of books about vampires, werewolves and things that go bump in the night – and how she does her research. She’ll also share how she’s using her books as her hook and advice for writers who want to write and publish books about vampires and werewolves in today’s publishing world.
NEW YORK, NY (June 7th – June 13th, 2011): Jessica Faust, a literary agent and the owner of BookEnds Literary Agency where she represents a number of award-winning and bestselling authors in the areas of romance, mystery, women’s fiction, young adult, and nonfiction, will talk with radio personality and host Jennifer S. Wilkov about her role as a literary agent in the publishing process and what she does and doesn’t do. She’ll also discuss who her ideal client is and how writers should approach an agency like hers for representation.
She’ll also discuss the mistakes writers make when approaching and working with an agent like her, how a writer benefits by working with an agent and share her perspective of the future of the publishing industry.
New York Times best-selling author Angie Fox will discuss with radio personality and host Jennifer S. Wilkov how and why she wrote her latest book, The Last of the Demon Slayers, among her series of books about vampires, werewolves and things that go bump in the night. She’ll also reveal how she does her research, how she got published and how she’s using her books as her hook. Ms. Fox will also share advice for writers who want to write their own books about vampires and werewolves in today’s publishing world.
Host Jennifer S. Wilkov will discuss why getting an agent is like hiring a business partner during her Education Corner segment during the show.
Click Here to Listen Now: http://bit.ly/iPzs3W
If you have questions about any of these interviews or the education corner topic included in the show, please put them here in this discussion thread and I’d be happy to answer them.
Ten Myths About Agents
June 9th, 2011
By Guest Blogger Jessica Faust
Literary Agent & Owner of BookEnds Literary Agency
www.bookends-inc.com
1. Not following an agent’s rules exactly will get you rejected.
Not true. Agents have a list of guidelines they’d like writers to follow when querying because it makes our lives easier and while we prefer you call us by the correct name, include the title of your book, or include your phone number, forgetting any of that will not result in an instant rejection. What will get you rejected is not exciting the agent enough about your work.
2. Agents never take risks.
Not true. Each and every submission we send out, each and every offer of representation we make is a risk. Agents take risks all the time, but educated and calculated risks. I can’t offer representation on a book I don’t understand well enough to sell, but there have been plenty of times I’ve offered on something I loved, but didn’t necessarily feel 100% confident I’d find a market for.
3. Agents blacklist authors and spread the news to other agents far and wide.
Not true. Frankly, if we’re talking or complaining about anyone it’s editors [wink]. Rarely, if ever, do we sit around together and share query horror stories.
4. Getting an agent is the hard part.
Wrong. Getting an agent is the easy part. The real hard part isn’t even finding a publisher. The hard part? Finding readers and keeping them.
5. Agents have all the power.
Really, really not true. You might think we do because when querying we frequently say no, but the truth is that you have all the power. Authors provide us with our product and without you we would have nothing. If you think we have all the power you should sit on our side of the desk when a call of representation is offered and the author is talking with other agents. Now who has the power?
6. If you get your own deal, you don’t need an agent.
I think this depends on you. A lot of people talk these days about how authors can negotiate their own contracts and certainly they can and I do believe that authors should spend more time learning about contracts, but, the question is, how comfortable are you doing that? My job is to negotiate and I’m pretty good at it. When it comes to your own career are you willing to push and fight as hard as you need to or is there a possibility the fear of angering editors might make you back off?
7. “Top Tier” Agents are always better.
This one confuses me because I never understand who this top tier is. The best agent is the one who is smart, tough, respected on all sides, honest, and works for you in a way that works for you. An agent’s “tier” doesn’t matter if the two of you can’t see eye to eye on most things.
8. With e-selfpublishing, agents will soon be extinct.
Maybe, but I doubt it. The publishing landscape is changing in new and exciting ways and rather than look at it as a time when everything is being torn down, I like to look at it as a time of new opportunity for everyone.
9. Agents won’t consider you unless you’ve been published.
Not true. In the past 9 months I’ve taken on three new authors, none are previously published.
10. An agent’s job is to do whatever the author says.
Not true. An agent’s job is to partner with the author to build a successful career and this sometimes means telling the author “no.”
Putting Your Memoir to Good Use
January 18th, 2011
By Jennifer S. Wilkov, host of the “Your Book Is Your Hook!” Show on WomensRadio
www.yourbookisyourhook.com
As authors and writers, we’re always learning about resources and industry tools that we can use to improve our book project performance and the enjoyment of our writing and marketing experiences. Today let’s talk about putting your memoir to good use.
During our lives, we either read about or in some cases experience a natural disaster, catastrophe or other real life situation that is of interest nationally or globally. We find ourselves in unimaginable circumstances that are often outside of our control. Earthquakes, mine collapses, terrorist attacks and other accidents that we witness become stories of interest to others who want to know how each individual survived the sudden onslaught of something so frightening and how they managed to move forward from the rubble.
Oftentimes, these stories occupy the news media for a week or so and then fade out as other news occurs and pushes the old news out of the spotlight. But the wake of the natural disaster continues and so does the human experience.
It is the books from those who are willing to share what they saw, heard and did that then memorialize and inspire us to do more to help the victims of the tragedy and make a difference in our world.
Whether it’s the aftermath of the Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans where they are still rebuilding, or the terrorist attack on 9/11 that brought down the Twin Towers in New York, or the “Miracle on the Hudson” when a U.S. Airways flight crashed into the Hudson River in New York City in 2009 nearly 2 years ago this past weekend after both engines blew, there are usually plenty of stories that can be collected from the survivors about the real human experience of each incident.
Books have been written about these unlikely situations including Miracle on the Hudson: The Extraordinary Real-Life Story Behind Flight 1549, by the Survivors by The Survivors of Flight 1549, William Prochnau, and Laura Parker, 102 Minutes: The Untold Story of the Fight to Survive Inside the Twin Towers by Jim Dwyer and Kevin Flynn, and The Great Deluge: Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans, and the Mississippi Gulf Coast by Douglas G. Brinkley.
It’s important to note that these books can’t be produced right away. Care and encouragement goes into collecting the stories from the survivors and then crafting the book and sending it off for publication and distribution. The “aftermath” goes on for awhile after the initial crisis situation hits. In fact, the book about 9/11/2001 wasn’t published until 2003; the book about Katrina wasn’t published until nearly 2 years after the hurricane hit New Orleans, and the book about the Miracle on the Hudson wasn’t published until the end of last year, nearly 2 years after the incident.
After the books have been published and the media interviews are completed, the books often fade in the consciousness of society, much like the crisis itself does in the media.
But memoirs like these don’t have to fade at all and can become a force for something good.
Susan Magnuson Walsh was present when the earthquake hit Haiti with force last year, just 1 year ago, on January 12, 2010. She is a pediatric nurse practitioner and a clinical instructor of graduate nursing at the University of Illinois in Chicago by day. She separately started a non-profit organization with her husband Brian called Little By Little which ministers to those who need improved health and well-being, specifically in Haiti, following the loss of her own son to a motor vehicle accident. Beginning in 2006, she and her team started traveling to Haiti on medical missions to make a difference in the health and lives of the Haitian people. Never could she have imagined that 4 years later, she would be right at the epicenter of the earthquake that devastated the very lives she was doing everything she could to support.
When Sue and her team returned from Haiti, recovered and then continued their efforts to support the Haitian people they cared so deeply for, she and her team set about writing down their experiences. It takes more than a moment to capture the essence of a literally earth-shattering experience like Sue’s.
One year later, her book entitled Walking In Broken Shoes: A Nurse’s Story about Haiti and the Earthquake shares what she and her team saw, heard and did in the wake of this intense natural disaster. Because she created Little By Little prior to this devastating occurrence, the book now helps to demonstrate even more why what Sue does makes a difference in the lives of so many who wouldn’t otherwise have access to medical care.
Sue’s book IS her hook to share her story with the world about what it’s really like to find yourself at the center of the storm with no means to anticipate it or fight it… but rather to survive it and make a contribution to the planet and its people in the wake of the devastation created.
Too often I hear people say, “Oh, a memoir is just all about the author and I only want to read about somebody famous.” Not every agent wants to work with this genre either.
But Susan Magnuson Walsh’s book, Walking in Broken Shoes, is more than a memoir or a story about her experience. It is a message and demonstration of what can be done beyond the book and the crisis itself to shed light on a part of the planet that really does need greater attention and support.
Together with Sue, her book is her hook to so much more for humanity.
So when you write your memoir, keep in mind that although the story may be about you and your experiences, there is a whole lot more that can shine through your story and inspire the human race to do and be more for each other.
Jennifer’s show can be heard every week on Tuesday mornings at 9am when it is broadcast on WomensRadio.com and syndicated on Google News and Live365.com. Each show is archived for replay listeners in different time zones and countries.
For more information on this Education Corner topic and others, please refer to www.YourBookIsYourHook.com/blog for more articles and resources to help you with your books.
“Why Storytelling Is The Hook For Your Book”
September 6th, 2010
By Jennifer S. Wilkov, host of the “Your Book Is Your Hook!” Show on WomensRadio
As authors and writers, we’re always learning about resources and industry tools that we can use to improve our book project performance and the enjoyment of our writing and marketing experiences. Today let’s talk about storytelling.
We as human beings have told stories for years. Philosophical stories, educational stories, stories of great accomplishments and stories that have kept the histories of nations, beliefs, religions and cultures alive.
By our very nature, we are born storytellers. Some of us feel more comfortable with this role than others. Some feel more confident as orators and speakers who tell stories live in person in the front of a room, on a stage or through television and film. Others feel more at ease writing their stories down in the form of an article, a blog or a book. And still others are most apt to tell their stories through video recordings or a film script. By and by, we have developed more ways to tell our stories throughout the centuries – and books are the hook for many of them.
Our stories reveal our strengths, fears, courage, cowardliness, faith, fortune and misfortune. We dash our hopes against the seas of despair only to find an unanticipated resurrection, resolution and reward for the variety of experiences we have endured throughout the journey.
As we write them down, our stories leave a legacy – beginning with the very next person who reads your book. I often like to say that “Your book is your HOOK!” because, simply put, just look at all the dead people you have lingering around on your bookshelf. Whether they are authors of scary stories, inspirational stories, historical stories, memoirs, children’s fables or films that have been adapted from a book written long ago or last year, we as human beings just love great stories. We read them again and again. When we like them, we pass them on because they’re just so darn good.
Secretly, we even read some of them more than once. I know people who have a favorite book they read once a year to remind them of something, encourage them and help them keep their perspective solid.
As authors and writers, we are the ones who give generously of our time, energy and effort – a significant contribution from our lives to humanity – to share our stories with the world. We touch the lives, hearts and imaginations of others with our books. That’s why your book IS your hook! You hook the souls and spirits of others with your book. Across the seas in so many languages, people read your story and get hooked into your imagination, inspiration and intellect.
Storytelling has been an integral part of our DNA since the human race began. Stories help us to better understand our world. They take our breath away. They make us smile. They startle us. They make us recognize what we believe in and they inspire us to stand up for what we stand for. Stories instill faith, optimism, hope and grace in others. They introduce conversations, conflicts and confrontations of our deepest beliefs and feelings.
Stories are powerful. They influence our lives and fan the flames of the Human Spirit.
When you are willing to tell your story in a book or whatever form you choose, you bless the entire human race with it – past, present and those who will come years after you are no longer here. You make a difference with it in the lives of so many, many whom you will never meet.
Tell your story and leave your legacy. And that’s why your book is your hook – for your story.
For more information on this Education Corner topic and others, please refer to www.YourBookIsYourHook.com/blog for more articles and resources to help you with your books.
Publisher Dominique Raccah of Sourcebooks & Ken Corday, Executive Producer of “Days of Our Lives” And Now Author With His New Memoir
July 13th, 2010
By Jennifer S. Wilkov, host of the “Your Book Is Your Hook!” Show on WomensRadio
www.yourbookisyourhook.com
This week on the “Your Book Is Your Hook!” Show, Dominique Raccah, the publisher of Sourcebooks and the 
co-chair of the Book Industry Study Group will talk with radio personality and host Jennifer S. Wilkov about how she started her publishing company, Sourcebooks, now the largest book publishing company in Chicago, and the approach she takes with authors to publish and support their projects.
Raccah will discuss her perspective of the future of the book publishing industry, her outlook on the impact of digital publishing and important advice for authors when crafting and writing their books.
She will also inform listeners about the Book Industry Study Group, its efforts to navigate the industry changes that are affecting the supply chain and the constant challenge that publishers face in getting the right book at the right time into the right consumer’s hands for them to read and enjoy.
Ken Corday, the executive producer of NBC’s long-running, popular 
daytime drama, Days of Our Lives, will also discuss his memoir entitled, The Days Of Our Lives: The True Story of One Family’s Dream and The Untold History of “Days of Our Lives,” with radio personality and host Jennifer S. Wilkov during the show. He will reveal the humble beginnings of Days of Our Lives and his own experience with coming onto the show as a teenager, first as a composer before joining the ranks of the producers.
Corday will talk about why he wrote the memoir now, how he got published and why he chose Sourcebooks to publish the book. He will also share a few favorite memories from working on the show and how he is using his book as his hook.
An Author Who Was Rejected Nearly 100 Times & The National Writers Association
June 21st, 2010
By Jennifer S. Wilkov, host of the “Your Book Is Your Hook!” Show on WomensRadio
www.yourbookisyourhook.com
This week on the “Your Book Is Your Hook!” Show, find out more about the National Writers Association, a 73 year-old writer’s service organization. Sandy Whelchel, the Executive Director of the association, will talk about some universal problems that keep writers from getting published and why some never make it. She’ll also provide information about the contests offered to writers throughout the year.
You’ll also enjoy a candid discussion with author Bertha M. Davis who was rejected nearly 100 times for her book, Growing Up In Mississippi. Ms. Davis will talk about what was happening in her head as she continued to get rejection after rejection from agents, publishers and editors. Her positive approach will inspire you to stick with your project and get it published. She did get published and went on to become a bestseller for her publisher, win awards and even got invited as a guest on C-SPAN’s Book TV.
Ms. Davis will also comment on how important it is to share your personal story with others through a memoir and what has happened for her locally in her community as well as nationwide. Her book and story take place during the time of the Civil Rights Movement and she is a living legacy who touches the lives of everyone who reads her book.
Growing Up In Mississippi – A Memoir That’s Making A Difference
June 21st, 2010
By Guest Blogger Bertha M. Davis, Author and full-time Writer
www.BerthasBooks.com
Growing Up In Mississippi is a vivid and descriptive biography that grips at the very core of every human emotion as memories of growing up in somewhat painfully poor social conditions in Mississippi do not deter the family, but bond them together with the unified strength and triumph most prevalent in top movies like Soul Food, or even to overcome travesties as in The Color Purple. You will be intrigued by the strong development of characters like the wayward Uncle Wigley, a cursed character among many black families who resorts to inflicting abuse on family members. The relationship between Jay and Tish is a classic example of how women in the past wound up with larger unplanned families because love conquered all back then and even poverty.
The reader feels as if they are in the story and watching without speaking. It is evidenced that life was slower paced, but more fulfilling even with the absence of television. This is a modern day tale with a happy ending and heralds the rise of our families of the past through political and social upheavals as prevalent as The Civil Rights Movement.
This book is also about an African-American girl growing up with a single struggling mom of four who had to anchor the storms in her life to survive and take care of four children alone. Searching for food when there was none, working in the Mississippi hot sun from sun-up to sun-down, and haunted by racism are just a few obstacles one had to overcome. This book is certainly a book of history and you can listen to a sample of Growing Up In Mississippi Audio Book at: www.berthabooks.com on Bertha’s home page.
Additional comments from Bertha M. Davis about writing this book:
YBIYH: What was like to write the book and reveal your personal experiences with others in your life?
B: It was like revealing history to our future youth. In the beginning, my idea of writing “Growing up in Mississippi” (my personal experiences) was for my children and grandchildren so they could read about the struggles my life encountered as a child. I didn’t want them to have any excuse for fulfilling any dream life offered them. I certainly didn’t want them to get hung up on the crippling words, “I can’t.” Since my life had so many disadvantages, I felt compelled to tell them about my struggles and see my life as an example of how you can succeed in spite of obstacles. After only a portion of my book was read by family members, friends and book reviewers, I was encouraged to take it a step further so all readers could read my story.
YBIYH: Were you nervous about writing about other people whose actions and behavior would be exposed in your book?
B: No not really! People’s actions and behavior were already exposed in the towns and over the television during the Civil Rights Movements and before desegregation. If it wasn’t by personal contact, research was conducted before finalizing my book.
YBIYH: Also, what is it like for you now when you speak to others about your story? How does it feel for you? What do you see in them … in their faces? Do they say anything to you?
B: Sharing my life’s story with others is a challenge; history is reborn. I don’t live in the past. I live in the present but I never want to forget the days of defeat that God has allowed me to conquer. I feel honored to tell my life story, especially to the school children……I see in them a desire to learn more about the past….Their faces light up in amazement…..The students always say, “Thank you for coming and sharing your story with us.” The adults react differently; some of them will purchase a book because they want to know what is said, or they simply just like to read a memoir. There have been those who had sadness in their faces and most of them will say, “You are a strong woman,” or “You’ve been through a lot.” Some of my readers will send me a note to say how much they enjoyed reading the book.
YBIYH: What has been the most meaningful part of your experience with sharing a story that’s so personal and yet is benefiting so many?
B: One of the most meaningful parts of my experience while sharing my personal story and benefiting so many was when I went to Key Learning Junior High School here in Indianapolis to speak with fifth and sixth graders. It blew my mind. After my presentation, the students thanked me for coming, but a young frustrated girl came up to me and said, “I have been so ungrateful to my mom for the things she does for me and I sometimes talk back to her. But after hearing about your life and struggles, it gave me more of a sense of appreciation,” she said. About a week later, the young girl’s mom brought her by my house to buy her a book. It was so overwhelming just to get one child’s attention. She even emailed me several times to say hi and let me know that she really enjoyed reading Growing up in Mississippi.
Another meaningful experience was when Growing up in Mississippi was taught to fifteen students at Southwest Education Center in Phoenix, Arizona in 2006 during Black History Month. (15 books were ordered) The children who attend this private day school range between the ages of thirteen and eighteen and they absolutely enjoyed the book. The majority of the students came from a variety of ethnic backgrounds and had difficulty with reading but Growing up in Mississippi was comfortable enough for them to read without causing them any major frustration. “Growing Up In Mississippi has truly given some of my students the will and motivation to try to achieve a more prosperous destiny.” These words came from the Lead Teacher/High School Facilitator there.
