Extraordinary, ordinary people: a memoir of family

Book Cover
Your Rating: 0 stars
Star rating for Extraordinary, ordinary people

Average user rating: 5 stars
User ratings:
5 star
 
(1)
4 star
 
(0)
3 star
 
(0)
2 star
 
(0)
1 star
 
(0)
Publisher:
Varies, see individual formats and editions
Publication Date:
Varies, see individual formats and editions
Language:
English

Description

This is the story of Condoleezza Rice that has never been told, not that of an ultra-accomplished world leader, but of a little girl—and a young woman—trying to find her place in a sometimes hostile world, of two exceptional parents, and an extended family and community that made all the difference.

Condoleezza Rice has excelled as a diplomat, political scientist, and concert pianist. Her achievements run the gamut from helping to oversee the collapse of communism in Europe and the decline of the Soviet Union, to working to protect the country in the aftermath of 9-11, to becoming only the second woman—and the first black woman ever—to serve as Secretary of State.
 
But until she was 25 she never learned to swim, because when she was a little girl in Birmingham, Alabama, Commissioner of Public Safety Bull Connor decided he'd rather shut down the city's pools than give black citizens access.
 
Throughout the 1950's, Birmingham's black middle class largely succeeded in insulating their children from the most corrosive effects of racism, providing multiple support systems to ensure the next generation would live better than the last. But by 1963, Birmingham had become an environment where blacks were expected to keep their head down and do what they were told—or face violent consequences. That spring two bombs exploded in Rice’s neighborhood amid a series of chilling Klu Klux Klan attacks.  Months later, four young girls lost their lives in a particularly vicious bombing.
 
So how was Rice able to achieve what she ultimately did?
 
Her father, John, a minister and educator, instilled a love of sports and politics. Her mother, a teacher, developed Condoleezza’s passion for piano and exposed her to the fine arts. From both, Rice learned the value of faith in the face of hardship and the importance of giving back to the community. Her parents’ fierce unwillingness to set limits propelled her to the venerable halls of Stanford University, where she quickly rose through the ranks to become the university’s second-in-command. An expert in Soviet and Eastern European Affairs, she played a leading role in U.S. policy as the Iron Curtain fell and the Soviet Union disintegrated. Less than a decade later, at the apex of the hotly contested 2000 presidential election, she received the exciting news—just shortly before her father’s death—that she would go on to the White House as the first female National Security Advisor. 
 
As comfortable describing lighthearted family moments as she is recalling the poignancy of her mother’s cancer battle and the heady challenge of going toe-to-toe with Soviet leaders, Rice holds nothing back in this remarkably candid telling.

Also in This Series

More Like This

Reviews from GoodReads

Loading GoodReads Reviews.

Staff View

QR Code

Grouping Information

Grouped Work IDb27fd878-9d42-a06b-125b-50d575f4536a
Grouping Titleextraordinary ordinary people
Grouping Authorcondoleezza rice
Grouping Categorybook
Grouping LanguageEnglish (eng)
Last Grouping Update2024-11-08 01:38:51AM
Last Indexed2024-11-08 01:55:59AM

Solr Fields

accelerated_reader_point_value
0
accelerated_reader_reading_level
0
author
Rice, Condoleezza, 1954-
author2-role
Random House Audio Publishing
author_display
Rice, Condoleezza
available_at_louisville
Louisville Public Library
Online OverDrive Collection
detailed_location_louisville
Louisville Adult Biographies
Online OverDrive Collection
display_description

This is the story of Condoleezza Rice that has never been told, not that of an ultra-accomplished world leader, but of a little girl—and a young woman—trying to find her place in a sometimes hostile world, of two exceptional parents, and an extended family and community that made all the difference.

Condoleezza Rice has excelled as a diplomat, political scientist, and concert pianist. Her achievements run the gamut from helping to oversee the collapse of communism in Europe and the decline of the Soviet Union, to working to protect the country in the aftermath of 9-11, to becoming only the second woman—and the first black woman ever—to serve as Secretary of State.
 
But until she was 25 she never learned to swim, because when she was a little girl in Birmingham, Alabama, Commissioner of Public Safety Bull Connor decided he'd rather shut down the city's pools than give black citizens access.
 
Throughout the 1950's, Birmingham's black middle class largely succeeded in insulating their children from the most corrosive effects of racism, providing multiple support systems to ensure the next generation would live better than the last. But by 1963, Birmingham had become an environment where blacks were expected to keep their head down and do what they were told—or face violent consequences. That spring two bombs exploded in Rice’s neighborhood amid a series of chilling Klu Klux Klan attacks.  Months later, four young girls lost their lives in a particularly vicious bombing.
 
So how was Rice able to achieve what she ultimately did?
 
Her father, John, a minister and educator, instilled a love of sports and politics. Her mother, a teacher, developed Condoleezza’s passion for piano and exposed her to the fine arts. From both, Rice learned the value of faith in the face of hardship and the importance of giving back to the community. Her parents’ fierce unwillingness to set limits propelled her to the venerable halls of Stanford University, where she quickly rose through the ranks to become the university’s second-in-command. An expert in Soviet and Eastern European Affairs, she played a leading role in U.S. policy as the Iron Curtain fell and the Soviet Union disintegrated. Less than a decade later, at the apex of the hotly contested 2000 presidential election, she received the exciting news—just shortly before her father’s death—that she would go on to the White House as the first female National Security Advisor. 
 
As comfortable describing lighthearted family moments as she is recalling the poignancy of her mother’s cancer battle and the heady challenge of going toe-to-toe with Soviet leaders, Rice holds nothing back in this remarkably candid telling.

format_category_louisville
Audio Books
Books
eBook
format_louisville
Audio CD
Book
eAudiobook
eBook
id
b27fd878-9d42-a06b-125b-50d575f4536a
isbn
9780307587879
9780307719607
9780307750631
9780307750679
itype_louisville
CD audio
hardcover book
last_indexed
2024-11-08T08:55:59.617Z
lexile_score
-1
literary_form
Non Fiction
literary_form_full
Non Fiction
local_callnumber_louisville
BIO RICE
Online OverDrive
owning_library_louisville
Louisville Public Library
Louisville Public Library Online
owning_location_louisville
Louisville Public Library
Online OverDrive Collection
primary_isbn
9780307587879
publishDate
2010
publisher
Books on Tape
Crown
Crown Publishers
Random House, Inc
recordtype
grouped_work
subject_facet
African American families -- Alabama -- Birmingham
African American women -- Biography
African Americans -- Alabama -- Birmingham -- Biography
Birmingham (Ala.) -- Biography
Birmingham (Ala.) -- Race relations -- History -- 20th century
Rice, Condoleezza, -- 1954- -- Childhood and youth
Rice, Condoleezza, -- 1954- -- Family
Stateswomen -- United States -- Biography
Women cabinet officers -- United States -- Biography
title_display
Extraordinary, ordinary people : a memoir of family
title_full
Extraordinary, Ordinary People A Memoir of Family
Extraordinary, ordinary people : a memoir of family / Condoleezza Rice
Extraordinary, ordinary people [compact disc] : [a memoir of family] / Condoleezza Rice
title_short
Extraordinary, ordinary people
title_sub
a memoir of family
topic_facet
African American families
African American women
African Americans
Biography & Autobiography
Childhood and youth
Family
History
Nonfiction
Politics
Race relations
Rice, Condoleezza
Stateswomen
Women cabinet officers
Women's Studies

Solr Details Tables

item_details

Bib IdItem IdShelf LocationCall NumFormatFormat CategoryNum CopiesIs Order ItemIs eContenteContent SourceeContent URLDetailed StatusLast CheckinLocation
ils:.b24119696.i32050616Longmont Adult Nonfiction Compact DiscCD 355.033073 RIC1falsefalseDue Nov 21, 2024Nov 17, 2023lgnca
overdrive:75144533-edbc-4e27-bae6-2296d806af4a10Online OverDrive CollectionOnline OverDriveeBookeBook0falsetrueOverDriveAvailable Online
overdrive:75144533-edbc-4e27-bae6-2296d806af4a8Online OverDrive CollectionOnline OverDriveeBookeBook0falsetrueOverDriveAvailable Online
overdrive:75144533-edbc-4e27-bae6-2296d806af4a3Online OverDrive CollectionOnline OverDriveeBookeBook0falsetrueOverDriveAvailable Online
overdrive:75144533-edbc-4e27-bae6-2296d806af4a1Online OverDrive CollectionOnline OverDriveeBookeBook0falsetrueOverDriveAvailable Online
overdrive:75144533-edbc-4e27-bae6-2296d806af4a2Online OverDrive CollectionOnline OverDriveeBookeBook0falsetrueOverDriveAvailable Online
overdrive:75144533-edbc-4e27-bae6-2296d806af4a11Online OverDrive CollectionOnline OverDriveeBookeBook0falsetrueOverDriveAvailable Online
overdrive:75144533-edbc-4e27-bae6-2296d806af4a-1Online OverDrive CollectionOnline OverDriveeBookeBook1falsetrueOverDriveAvailable Online
ils:.b18486319.i23242346Louisville Adult BiographiesBIO RICE1falsefalseOn ShelfOct 09, 2024lsvba
ils:.b18486319.i32022037Longmont Adult Nonfiction355.033073 RIC1falsefalseOn ShelfJan 17, 2019lgnfa
ils:.b18486319.i41593029Loveland Adult Nonfiction327.73 Rice, C.1falsefalseOn ShelfApr 22, 2024lvnfa
overdrive:e8fec510-eaa3-4d06-b8e3-0ea3e70c384c2Online OverDrive CollectionOnline OverDriveeAudiobookAudio Books0falsetrueOverDriveAvailable Online
overdrive:e8fec510-eaa3-4d06-b8e3-0ea3e70c384c3Online OverDrive CollectionOnline OverDriveeAudiobookAudio Books0falsetrueOverDriveAvailable Online
overdrive:e8fec510-eaa3-4d06-b8e3-0ea3e70c384c1Online OverDrive CollectionOnline OverDriveeAudiobookAudio Books0falsetrueOverDriveAvailable Online
overdrive:e8fec510-eaa3-4d06-b8e3-0ea3e70c384c10Online OverDrive CollectionOnline OverDriveeAudiobookAudio Books0falsetrueOverDriveAvailable Online
overdrive:e8fec510-eaa3-4d06-b8e3-0ea3e70c384c8Online OverDrive CollectionOnline OverDriveeAudiobookAudio Books0falsetrueOverDriveAvailable Online
overdrive:e8fec510-eaa3-4d06-b8e3-0ea3e70c384c-1Online OverDrive CollectionOnline OverDriveeAudiobookAudio Books1falsetrueOverDriveAvailable Online
overdrive:e8fec510-eaa3-4d06-b8e3-0ea3e70c384c11Online OverDrive CollectionOnline OverDriveeAudiobookAudio Books0falsetrueOverDriveAvailable Online

record_details

Bib IdFormatFormat CategoryEditionLanguagePublisherPublication DatePhysical DescriptionAbridged
ils:.b24119696Audio CDAudio BooksEnglishRandom House, Inc[2010]7 sound discs (9 hr.) : digital ; 4 3/4 in.
overdrive:75144533-edbc-4e27-bae6-2296d806af4aeBookeBookEnglishCrown2010
ils:.b18486319BookBooks1st edEnglishCrown Publishers[2010]342 p., [16] p. of plates : ill. (some col.) ; 25 cm.
overdrive:e8fec510-eaa3-4d06-b8e3-0ea3e70c384ceAudiobookAudio BooksEnglishBooks on Tape2010

scoping_details_louisville

Bib IdItem IdGrouped StatusStatusLocally OwnedAvailableHoldableBookableIn Library Use OnlyLibrary OwnedHoldable PTypesBookable PTypesLocal Url
ils:.b24119696.i32050616Checked OutChecked Outfalsefalsetruefalsefalsefalse128, 1, 129, 2, 3, 131, 4, 132, 5, 133, 6, 7, 135, 8, 136, 9, 137, 10, 11, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 45, 46, 48, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 80, 81, 82, 84, 85, 86, 87, 89, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 103, 105, 106, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118, 119, 125, 126, 127
overdrive:75144533-edbc-4e27-bae6-2296d806af4a2Available OnlineAvailable Onlinefalsetruetruefalsefalsetrue
overdrive:75144533-edbc-4e27-bae6-2296d806af4a-1Available OnlineAvailable Onlinefalsetruetruefalsefalsefalse
ils:.b18486319.i23242346On ShelfOn Shelffalsetruetruefalsefalsetrue128, 129, 3, 131, 132, 133, 135, 8, 136, 9, 137, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 18, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 45, 46, 48, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 80, 81, 82, 84, 85, 86, 87, 92, 93, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 105, 106, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118, 119, 125, 126, 127
ils:.b18486319.i32022037On ShelfOn Shelffalsetruetruefalsefalsefalse128, 1, 129, 2, 3, 131, 4, 132, 5, 133, 6, 7, 135, 8, 136, 9, 137, 10, 11, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 45, 46, 48, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 80, 81, 82, 84, 85, 86, 87, 89, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 103, 105, 106, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118, 119, 125, 126, 127
ils:.b18486319.i41593029On ShelfOn Shelffalsetruetruefalsefalsefalse1, 2, 3, 131, 4, 5, 6, 7, 135, 8, 136, 9, 137, 10, 11, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 45, 46, 48, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 80, 81, 82, 84, 85, 86, 87, 92, 93, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 105, 106, 108, 109, 110, 115, 117, 118, 119, 125
overdrive:e8fec510-eaa3-4d06-b8e3-0ea3e70c384c2Available OnlineAvailable Onlinefalsetruetruefalsefalsetrue
overdrive:e8fec510-eaa3-4d06-b8e3-0ea3e70c384c-1Available OnlineAvailable Onlinefalsetruetruefalsefalsefalse

More Copies In Prospector

Loading Prospector Copies...