Review by B Creech -- From Liberty to Magnolia: In Searc...

Brenda Creech · Post by **Brenda Creech** » 23 Jul 2019, 10:02

[Following is a volunteer review of "From Liberty to Magnolia: In Search of the American Dream" by Janice S. Ellis.]

4 out of 4 stars

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From Liberty to Magnolia: In Search of the American Dream by Janice S. Ellis is a memoir from Dr. Ellis' life growing up as a black child in Mississippi in the 1950s and 1960s during the Civil Rights Movement (with Women's Liberation Movement close on it's heels); to her many accomplishments as an adult.

The author shares the story of her childhood living on a farm between Liberty and Magnolia, Mississippi. Racism was at a peak in the '50s and '60s, and Dr. Martin Luther King was leading the Civil Rights movement. Dr. Ellis and her family always managed to have the basics, and they were fortunate they owned their own house and land. Most of the black families did not own a house or property. They had to work for the white elite cleaning and cooking, caring for their elegant homes, and working in their fields tending crops. The 1960s was the era of segregation, with whites going to white-only schools and churches, and blacks going to black-only schools and churches. Blacks and whites alike could shop in the stores; however, blacks could not eat in the same restaurants or drink from the same water fountains as white people. Ellis and her siblings learned morals, values, hard work, and faith in God from two loving parents. Those are the assets Dr. Ellis took with her when she left home, determined to find the American dream. Her goal was to be a political columnist like Eric Sevaried, whom she and her mother watched on the evening news daily.

There is so much more you will learn in the pages of this book about the author's life. Her many hours of work and study getting through college; graduate school; and finally, after many years, receiving her Ph.D. She shares the physical and mental abuse she endured in her first marriage, and later by a fiance. She elaborates on her career choices; the struggles she had in college, and the sexual harassment and discrimination she found in the workplace because of being black, and a woman. From Liberty to Magnolia: In Search of the American Dream is a beautiful and enlightening book.

There is so much I loved about this book. It is difficult to choose just one thing I liked most. I was impressed by the strength and determination of Dr. Ellis. As a single mother of two toddling boys, working, going to college and dealing with a divorce from an abusive husband took every ounce of energy she had to survive. She never gave up regardless of the obstacles that tried to get in her way.

There is nothing I could find that I disliked about this book. It was beautifully written and very well edited as I found only a few small errors scattered about which did not affect my enjoyment in the book. Therefore, with pleasure, I give this book 4 out of 4 stars.

I would recommend this book to everyone 16 and older who loves autobiographies/memoirs. I would especially recommend it to every woman. You can't miss with this one!

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From Liberty to Magnolia: In Search of the American Dream
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LivreAmour217 · Post by **LivreAmour217** » 24 Jul 2019, 15:03

This sounds like an enlightening and inspirational memoir, and I think I would enjoy it. Thank you for this lovely review!

danielleamy · Post by **danielleamy** » 24 Jul 2019, 17:49

Memoirs are not usually my thing, but this is too inspirational to miss. Thanks for your recommendation, it's always great to see reviewers say they cannot find anything they dislike. There's no higher praise!

Brenda Creech · Post by **Brenda Creech** » 25 Jul 2019, 08:02

danielleamy wrote: ↑24 Jul 2019, 17:49 Memoirs are not usually my thing, but this is too inspirational to miss. Thanks for your recommendation, it's always great to see reviewers say they cannot find anything they dislike. There's no higher praise!

Thanks for stopping by and commenting! I hope you will like Ellis' story. I grew up in the 50s and 60s myself so I could relate to the racial unrest at that time even as a white child. The author relates many different discriminatory stores from childhood throughout her adult life that most of us can never imagine dealing with!

Brenda Creech · Post by **Brenda Creech** » 28 Jul 2019, 12:55

LivreAmour217 wrote: ↑24 Jul 2019, 15:03 This sounds like an enlightening and inspirational memoir, and I think I would enjoy it. Thank you for this lovely review!

It is a very moving story. Thanks for stopping by and commenting!

Post by **Diana Lowery** » 28 Jul 2019, 13:12

Your review is also inspiring. I am glad that you could find nothing wrong and had trouble choosing what you liked best. That endorsement is always a sign of a good book.

Brenda Creech · Post by **Brenda Creech** » 29 Jul 2019, 17:30

diana lowery wrote: ↑28 Jul 2019, 13:12 Your review is also inspiring. I am glad that you could find nothing wrong and had trouble choosing what you liked best. That endorsement is always a sign of a good book.

Thank you! I was very touched by this book. I grew up in rural Ohio. We were poor but had what we NEEDED, not much of what we wanted.
There wasn't much that was different from the author's childhood and mine except that I didn't have to live in fear because of racism! I felt connected to the author from the very beginning! Thanks for stopping by and commenting!(