Vernon Can Read!: A Memoir
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.50 (853 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 1586486705 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 368 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2013-02-16 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
While readers are treated to some particulars of Jordan's youth (waiting tables for his mother's catering business, attending segregated Atlanta schools in the 1940s and early '50s and then the predominantly white DePauw University) and the trajectory of his early career as a field director for the NAACP, executive director of the United Negro College Fund and president of the National Urban League), there are few more personal revelations. With its lack of extraneous detail and its studious avoidance of private thoughts, this is less a traditional memoir than an extended exposition of an impressive CV. But his narrative mission here is not recent political scandal. Even so, it should remind people of this chapter in American history and Jordan's crucial role in it. Jordan means to "bridge the gap" between the years African-Americans were forced to move to the back of the bus and the time when
sholder said The wealth of stories and experiences in here are amazing. I recently had the honor of hearing him. This man is remarkable. The wealth of stories and experiences in here are amazing. I recently had the honor of hearing him speak in person in Brooklyn, NY. He had the crowd spell-bound. Such a knowledgeable, humble, smart man. A great read, the time just flies by.. " I have stayed the course" "Vernon Can Read!" is a joy to read for anyone with the slightest interest in the serious issues in American life for the past fifty years. This is an amazing book. As a very young man, Vernon Jordan deftly understood what America's potential could be. He continued to express the ordinary angers at the injustices commonplace after only "one biblical lifetime (seventy years) after slavery". But, most importantly, he had the savvy and person. "Exceptional "Reading" Skills" according to Robert Morris. Until reading this uncommonly personal and revealing memoir, I knew very little about Jordan the human being although I was already well-aware of his public career which includes leadership positions in the NAACP, the United Negro College Fund, and the Urban League as well as subsequent prominence in the private sector as (for lack of a better term) a "powerbroker" in Washington, D.C. while continuing to serve on the governing boards of se
had a summer job driving a white banker around town. Jordan, Jr. “Vernon can read!” the man exclaimed to his relatives. Nearly fifty years later, Vernon Jordan, now a senior executive at Lazard Freres, long-time civil rights leader, adviser and close friend to presidents and business leaders and one of the most charismatic figures in America, has written an unforgettable book about his life and times. The story of Vernon Jordan’s life encompasses the sweeping struggles, changes, and dangers of African-American life in the civil rights revolution of the second half of the twentieth century. . As a young college student in Atlanta, Vernon E. During the man’s post-luncheon siestas, Jordan passed the time reading books, a fact that astounded his boss