Breaking Barriers: A Memoir

by Carl T. Rowan

Book Overview

From both the individual's point of view and that of the nation, this book is an account of racial struggles, from the Depression to today. In this memoir, the author tells how he rose from poverty-stricken origins in McMinnville, Tennessee, to life at the forefront of social change.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0316759775
• ISBN13: 9780316759779
• Release Date: January 1991
• Publisher: Little Brown and Company
• Length: 395 Pages
• Weight: 1.78 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.4" x 6.4" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

An essential read.

For anyone that cares about the journey of African-Americans in the 20th century, this book is a must. Carl Rowan has written a thought-provoking, entertaining memoir that glows with the authority of a brilliant man. From his early days in segregated McMinville, Tenn., through his World War II Navy service, undergraduate years at Oberlin College, the incredible work he did as a courageous and gifted newspaper journalist exposing Southern bigotry in the 1950s, and much more, "Breaking Barriers" is the story of a life that has mattered.For those who may see Rowan as some sort of racist demagogue, this book should reveal something else. This is a man who was one of the most outspoken critics of Martin Luther King, even as he acknowledged the man's great achievements. He is also critical of Jesse Jackson and other prominent figures in the black community. He is also unafraid to explore both the good and bad sides of Lyndon Johnson.But quite rightly, his most potent venom is reserved for Ronald Reagan, who, as Rowan explains, single-handedly did more harm to African-Americans than any president since Woodrow Wilson. A highly recommended work.