I received a complimentary copy of this book from Revell Reads and was under no obligation to post a review. No compensation was received for sharing this review and all opinions are my own.
Published by Baker Books on January 16th, 2018
Source: Revell Reads
Genres: Biography & Autobiography, Personal Memoirs, Religious
Pages: 208
In 1957, Melba Beals was one of the nine African American students chosen to integrate Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. But her story of overcoming didn't start--or end--there. While her white schoolmates were planning their senior prom, Melba was facing the business end of a double-barreled shotgun, being threatened with lynching by rope-carrying tormentors, and learning how to outrun white supremacists who were ready to kill her rather than sit beside her in a classroom. Only her faith in God sustained her during her darkest days and helped her become a civil rights warrior, an NBC television news reporter, a magazine writer, a professor, a wife, and a mother.
In I Will Not Fear, Beals takes readers on an unforgettable journey through terror, oppression, and persecution, highlighting the kind of faith needed to survive in a world full of heartbreak and anger. She shows how the deep faith we develop during our most difficult moments is the kind of faith that can change our families, our communities, and even the world. Encouraging and inspiring, Beals's story offers readers hope that faith is the solution to the pervasive hopelessness of our current culture.
Note: Kristin reads and reviews both Christian and secular fiction on A Simply Enchanted Life. Out of respect for my readers, I am including a content review. This content review will help you decide whether this book is suitable for you.
Christian or Secular: Christian
ASEL Rating: Mild language&violence.
Suggested Age: 15+
[expand title=”Full Content Review”]
Profanity: Use of the “n” word and other derogatory terms.
Sex: None
Violence: mild violence (though no detailed description)
Drugs & Alcohol: None
Trigger Warning: This book is the autobiography of Melba Beals, one of the nine African-American students chosen to integrate Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. This was a tumultuous time in American history and I found some of the content extremely difficult to read. It is hard for me to understand how humans can be so cruel to one another.
[/expand]
This book was difficult for me to read and I don’t mean it was boring or poorly written. My heart breaks when I read this type of book. Cruelty over something like skin color is something that I will never understand. We wonder why there is still racial division? Well, the hurt that the African-American people endured doesn’t disappear overnight and racial prejudices still exist to this day.
Without getting into civil rights issues, I instead want to focus on this book as a memoir. Melba Beals is a strong woman who endured horrors that no one should ever have to face. From the moment she was born she had to fight to survive and it’s only by the grace of God that she did.
I loved how she shared how her Grandmother’s Godly wisdom planted the seed of faith in her heart. And I watched that faith bloom as she asked God to protect her from those who wished her harm.
Though I appreciated the story, I gave this book 4 stars solely because I was left with unanswered questions. In the book it says she divorced but that he was a good daddy. Yet, he seems absent from the child’s life after the divorce? This left me questioning and wondering. Perhaps that’s no business of ours but I was genuinely confused as to why he offered her no aid, especially when she and her child were living in dangerous situations.
Overall, this book is very informative, yet heartrending. I just wish that I had gotten to know the author a little more. I had some unanswered questions.
About Melba Pattillo Beals
Melba Pattillo Beals made history as a member of the Little Rock Nine, the nine African-American students involved in the desegregation of Little Rock Central High School in 1957. The world watched as they braved constant intimidation and threats from those who opposed desegregation of the formerly all-white high school. She later recounted this harrowing year in her book titled Warriors Don’t Cry: A Searing Memoir of the Battle to Desegregate Little Rock’s Central High School.
After earning a Bachelor’s Degree from San Francisco State University and a graduate degree from Columbia University’s School of Journalism, Melba Beals worked as a reporter for NBC-TV. At present she is a communications consultant in San Francisco and is the author of books on public relations and marketing.
We love hearing from you! Share your comments below