Editorial Review:

As the first full-time chairman of the NAACP and popular speaker, as a committed activist and the widow of slain civil rights leader Medgar Evers, as a powerful businesswoman breaking racial and gender barriers in corporate boardrooms and municipal government, Myrlie Evers-Williams is one of the most respected African-Americans in this country. Her dignity and perseverance in bringing her husband's killer to justice - a battle she waged for more than thirty years - have made her an inspiration and role model for millions of women of all ages and races.

Yet few people know the private side of this most remarkable of public lives, a side that Myrlie Evers-Williams shares for the first time in WATCH ME FLY. Here is a moving and vivid portrait of a childhood within a family of proud, determined Mississippi women; of the harrowing dangers her family faced during the civil rights struggle; of her family faced during the civil rights struggle; of her efforts as a single mother to raise three children while attending college, efforts that left her battling depression; of her opening her heart to another wonderful man, only to lose him to cancer; and of her path from business and civic careers to her brilliant leadership of the NAACP through scandal to newfound vitality.

WATCH ME FLY is not just a traditional memoir, however, but what Myrlie Evers-Williams calls an "instructive autobiography," a book that links her memories to the wisdom she has gained over the years. With the warmth and practicality of a best friend and the savvy guidance of an extraordinary leader, she writes about financial survival, single parenting, the secrets of a successful relationship, building career, corporate gamesmanship, and aging.

Through fascinating, sometimes tragic, sometimes joyous times of Myrlie Evers-Williams's life, we share in this great woman's journey through history and to her discovery of the woman she was meant to be.

Thrust into the public eye when she was 18 as the spouse of civil rights leader Medgar Evers, Myrlie Evers-Williams has developed a public persona that protects her extremely private life. In this courageous autobiography, she traces her evolution from "the daughter/niece/wife of..." to her own separate identity as a civil rights pioneer, successful businesswoman, and community leader. She explains in the introduction that she "was not always the hopeful, always strong single mother. I was not always nice and forgiving, compliant and ladylike. This is the Myrlie who speaks for herself as herself."

Evers-Williams speaks to all the rumors and assumptions that have been placed upon her as she reflects and discusses the events of her public and private lives. She explores her childhood in Mississippi, her college experiences, her marriage to Medgar Evers, the aftermath of his tragic assassination, her rise in corporate America, and her tenure as the chairperson for the NAACP. In this "instructional autobiography," she crafts wisdom from her own struggles with issues of identity and privacy, offering advice on coping with common struggles like financial independence, single motherhood, and workplace politics. Most importantly, though, Watch Me Fly documents the role of women in the civil rights movement in an unapologetic, honest account that adds a personal perspective to the events described in history books. --Amy Wan

Customer Reviews:

Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0

Watching Ms. Evers-Williams fly gave me courage to try:

A friend who knows that I will be traveling to Mississippi in the summer presented this book to me. She gave it to me to help me understand what I was getting into, but the book provided me with courage and knowledge that pertains to life outside of Mississippi. This is a book that everyone should read, young and old. I can't tell you how much it has touched me personally or how it stirred something that was hidden deep inside of me. Through Ms. Evers-Williams' wisdom, personal reflections, anecdotes, and... more info

Deeply Moving and Inspirational:

I thought I knew who Myrlie Evers-Williams was. She is much more than "the widow of." She worked her way to the top of the private sector, government and one of the country's oldest and most well known organizations, the NAACP. She did all of this while raising 3 children alone after the death of her husband.

This book is a guide and an inspiration to all women. It is ironic that while I was reading this book her husband's murderer, Byron DeLaBeckwith, died. I did not know how long she worked to bring his... more info

Myrlie Evers-Williams is "An Every Woman":

I found in Myrlie Evers-Williams, every woman. The various stages which were necessary for her to experience inorder for her to evolve to where she is at this stage proved to be challenging, growth producing, relentless, endless and represent the light at the end of the tunnel. I found myself visualizing and feeling the pain, the depth of darkness and the state of bewilderment. She has become a woman to be honored and deservant of noteworthy praise. To have to watch the struggles of the two men in her life,... more info

Motivational-Required reading for all, Women in particular.:

This book is a heart-wrenching autobiography of a timid, young southern girl raised and influenced by two strong African American women, her grandmother and aunt, who prepared Myrlie to face a lifetime of struggle and survival. Myrlie Evers-Williams is a formidable personality and role-model.

I especially enjoyed the book's focus on Myrlie's personal life as opposed to the Civil Rights Movement, and the way I could relate to many of the childhood traditions she was raised by. Her suffering brought tears... more info

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