Review by Dreamyeyes42 -- Defining Moments of a Free Man...
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Dreamyeyes42
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- Latest Review: Defining Moments of a Free Man from a Black Stream by Dr Frank L Douglas
Review by Dreamyeyes42 -- Defining Moments of a Free Man...
[Following is a volunteer review of "Defining Moments of a Free Man from a Black Stream" by Dr Frank L Douglas.]
Defining Moments of a Free Man from a Black Stream takes readers on a journey through poverty, an attempted suicide, educational dominance and medical genius. Dr. Frank L. Douglas' childhood was one of extreme poverty where his family relied on the kindness of extended family members and friends for shelter and food. Hard work and dedication led him to Queens College after finishing first in the Cambridge exams. A Fulbright Scholarship would take him from British Guiana to Lehigh in 1963 in search of an engineering degree. After graduating from Lehigh Dr. Douglas went on to attend Cornell University where he earned his PH.D and M.D. in Physical Chemistry before starting his residency at John Hopkins.
There are three dynamics that made Defining Moments of a Free Man from a Black Stream a must read. His suicide attempt at a young age, educational discrimination and racial discrimination. His suicide attempt was the result of his mother punishing for ruining the families groceries. An accident that was labeled intentional by his aunt. The same aunt who would later lead him to becoming a born again Christian because he had thoughts of causing her harm. His suicide attempt marinated with me throughout the entire book. It made me think how important this book could be for individuals feeling hopeless, or those experiencing similar economic upbringings. If Dr. Douglas had followed through on his suicidal thoughts all he would've know was poverty. Just like a story every life should have a beginning, middle and end. Dr. Douglas started out poor, achieved academic excellence and became a medical genius. This book illustrates how checking out in the beginning could result in one not realizing their true greatness.
The next dynamic had to do with educational bias or discrimination. There were numerous incidents of educational discrimination within the book but the most glaring for me was the psychiatrist who said Dr. Douglas should work with animals rather than pursue a career in engineering. This man was a top scholar in British Guiana and came to Lehigh on a Fulbright Scholarship. How disrespectful can you be to suggest he didn’t have the mental capacity to be an engineer? It felt as if he along with other professors in the book were trying to break black students down mentally. They seemed to do everything within their power to make these students question their intellectual abilities. You're not smart enough to be an engineer you're smart enough to work with animals. You're not as smart as your white counterparts look at the grades you're getting. While Dr. Douglas and others may have been strong enough to say I'm winning any and all games you want play there were those who weren't that strong. This educational discrimination by white psychiatrists and educators probably destroyed the dreams of many young intelligent black students.
The last dynamic was an educational enlightenment. The distinction between American blacks and foreign blacks was unexpected. When the cross was burned at Drucker Dorm directed at Howard this left me confused. How can you determine this was intended for Howard and not all blacks in the dorm? At first this didn’t strike me as plausible. Then the church incident occurred where Dr. Douglas was invited by the National Youth for Christ Movement to speak at a church in Bethlehem. When he inquired as to why no blacks were present he was informed blacks were not allowed to attend. You have a black man speaking, but blacks can't attend that church. Then you have Miss Hadie taking him to her all white church. According to Dr. Douglas they all seemed genuine. This led to the conclusion that there is in fact a distinction between American blacks and foreign blacks. It appears as though blacks with foreign accents are viewed as being worthy of a higher level of respect than American blacks.
I give the book a 4 out of 4 rating. It's the type of book where everybody who reads will love it, but each individual may be touched for totally different reasons.
******
Defining Moments of a Free Man from a Black Stream
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Defining Moments of a Free Man from a Black Stream takes readers on a journey through poverty, an attempted suicide, educational dominance and medical genius. Dr. Frank L. Douglas' childhood was one of extreme poverty where his family relied on the kindness of extended family members and friends for shelter and food. Hard work and dedication led him to Queens College after finishing first in the Cambridge exams. A Fulbright Scholarship would take him from British Guiana to Lehigh in 1963 in search of an engineering degree. After graduating from Lehigh Dr. Douglas went on to attend Cornell University where he earned his PH.D and M.D. in Physical Chemistry before starting his residency at John Hopkins.
There are three dynamics that made Defining Moments of a Free Man from a Black Stream a must read. His suicide attempt at a young age, educational discrimination and racial discrimination. His suicide attempt was the result of his mother punishing for ruining the families groceries. An accident that was labeled intentional by his aunt. The same aunt who would later lead him to becoming a born again Christian because he had thoughts of causing her harm. His suicide attempt marinated with me throughout the entire book. It made me think how important this book could be for individuals feeling hopeless, or those experiencing similar economic upbringings. If Dr. Douglas had followed through on his suicidal thoughts all he would've know was poverty. Just like a story every life should have a beginning, middle and end. Dr. Douglas started out poor, achieved academic excellence and became a medical genius. This book illustrates how checking out in the beginning could result in one not realizing their true greatness.
The next dynamic had to do with educational bias or discrimination. There were numerous incidents of educational discrimination within the book but the most glaring for me was the psychiatrist who said Dr. Douglas should work with animals rather than pursue a career in engineering. This man was a top scholar in British Guiana and came to Lehigh on a Fulbright Scholarship. How disrespectful can you be to suggest he didn’t have the mental capacity to be an engineer? It felt as if he along with other professors in the book were trying to break black students down mentally. They seemed to do everything within their power to make these students question their intellectual abilities. You're not smart enough to be an engineer you're smart enough to work with animals. You're not as smart as your white counterparts look at the grades you're getting. While Dr. Douglas and others may have been strong enough to say I'm winning any and all games you want play there were those who weren't that strong. This educational discrimination by white psychiatrists and educators probably destroyed the dreams of many young intelligent black students.
The last dynamic was an educational enlightenment. The distinction between American blacks and foreign blacks was unexpected. When the cross was burned at Drucker Dorm directed at Howard this left me confused. How can you determine this was intended for Howard and not all blacks in the dorm? At first this didn’t strike me as plausible. Then the church incident occurred where Dr. Douglas was invited by the National Youth for Christ Movement to speak at a church in Bethlehem. When he inquired as to why no blacks were present he was informed blacks were not allowed to attend. You have a black man speaking, but blacks can't attend that church. Then you have Miss Hadie taking him to her all white church. According to Dr. Douglas they all seemed genuine. This led to the conclusion that there is in fact a distinction between American blacks and foreign blacks. It appears as though blacks with foreign accents are viewed as being worthy of a higher level of respect than American blacks.
I give the book a 4 out of 4 rating. It's the type of book where everybody who reads will love it, but each individual may be touched for totally different reasons.
******
Defining Moments of a Free Man from a Black Stream
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on Smashwords
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Ndiviwe
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- Latest Review: Money Faucet by Joe Calderwood
It's crazy how racial discrimination is still a major social problem. And I think it's going to be like this for quite some time. I admire the author for his ferocious determination to make something if himself despite is upbringing. I love to see black people win.
Latest Review: Money Faucet by Joe Calderwood
