In Motley's autobiography, he reflects on his upbringing in Madison Park, Alabama, a small community founded by freed slaves in 1880. He gives readers a ride through our complicated modern history, writing eloquently about race relations, community, family, patriotism, politics, and, foremost, the faith that ties them altogether. This same faith led him from a small, rural town all the way to Washington D.C., as a special assistant to President George W. Bush. Like life, Motley's story is filled with humor, evil, highs, and lows. This is no textbook. It is written with the kind of authenticity that makes readers feel as if they are sitting across a table from a good friend who is spinning a long, engaging yarn. While the content is appropriate for teens and older, probably older readers can better appreciate the epic scope of the story.--Christian MARKET
10/09/2017
In writing as clear as water, Madison Park tells a moving story of hope: how members of a small African American community in Alabama joined together to enable a young man with no “worldly advantages” to realize his potential, even beyond their—or his—imagination.
In Motley's autobiography, he reflects on his upbringing in Madison Park, Alabama, a small community founded by freed slaves in 1880. He gives readers a ride through our complicated modern history, writing eloquently about race relations, community, family, patriotism, politics, and, foremost, the faith that ties them altogether. This same faith led him from a small, rural town all the way to Washington D.C., as a special assistant to President George W. Bush. Like life, Motley's story is filled with humor, evil, highs, and lows. This is no textbook. It is written with the kind of authenticity that makes readers feel as if they are sitting across a table from a good friend who is spinning a long, engaging yarn. While the content is appropriate for teens and older, probably older readers can better appreciate the epic scope of the story.
As a 1970s first-grader, Eric Motley was dubbed a “turtle” because of his poor reading skills. Two decades later, he became the youngest appointee in George W. Bush’s White House. In this compelling memoir, Eric shows how his life trajectory was shaped by the self-reliance instilled by his grandparents—but also the timely support of a close-knit community of mentors and supporters. Whatever attributes we ourselves bring to the table, our networks propel us further.
cofounder of Linked In and co-author of the #1 NYT Reid Hoffman
Eric Motley has crafted a beautiful volume, an inspiring tale of family, community, determination, and hope. His is a deeply moving and deeply American story. The lovely prose brings to life those who raised him and taught him and opened doors for him, as well as those who tried to keep those same doors firmly shut. The book is sharply observed and utterly engrossing. Once I started, I could not put it down.
In this beautifully written book, Eric Motley shares his personal odyssey of grace and gratitude. This is a memoir about love—love of family, community, literature, language, and ideas.
The roots Eric L. Motley traces in his hometown of Madison Park, Alabama, a place founded by former slaves not long after the Emancipation, serve as a powerful reminder of the shaping influences that family, faith, and community have in African American lives—so, too, the love of mentors, neighbors, and teachers who nurture those lives in the crucial years of their development. In the personal odyssey of this remarkable black Renaissance man, in whom a passion for learning was cultivated at a young age and through whom others have been touched from the Deep South to the White House, we find inspiration in the history that binds the citizens of a place across generations and hope for every child, whatever their birth, blessed to be raised among those who see education not only as a value but as a vital spark to be shared.
A wry, nostalgic memoir of the aspirational African American community where he grew up, recalling its quirky neighbors and feisty pride amid the tensions of racially charged Alabama.
As a 1970s first-grader, Eric Motley was dubbed a “turtle” because of his poor reading skills. Two decades later, he became the youngest appointee in George W. Bush’s White House. In this compelling memoir, Eric shows how his life trajectory was shaped by the self-reliance instilled by his grandparents---but also the timely support of a close-knit community of mentors and supporters. Whatever attributes we ourselves bring to the table, our networks propel us further.
cofounder of LinkedIn and co-author of the #1 NYT Reid Hoffman
10/15/2017
Eric Motley's memoir is about both his youth and the African-American community where he grew up. Narrator Brandon Maloney delivers Motley's stories of life in Madison Park, Alabama, with warmth and a feeling of fond memory. Listeners learn about Madison Park's history, the grandparents who raised him, and the neighbors who helped them. The memoir is mostly nostalgic and upbeat, but there are moments of harsh reality, such as when he witnessed a Ku Klux Klan parade in nearby Montgomery. Motley, once a special assistant to President George W. Bush, brings listeners up to Madison Park's present at the end as he tells the story of his return to sell his family’s home. J.A.S. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine
Eric Motley's memoir is about both his youth and the African-American community where he grew up. Narrator Brandon Maloney delivers Motley's stories of life in Madison Park, Alabama, with warmth and a feeling of fond memory. Listeners learn about Madison Park's history, the grandparents who raised him, and the neighbors who helped them. The memoir is mostly nostalgic and upbeat, but there are moments of harsh reality, such as when he witnessed a Ku Klux Klan parade in nearby Montgomery. Motley, once a special assistant to President George W. Bush, brings listeners up to Madison Park's present at the end as he tells the story of his return to sell his family’s home. J.A.S. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine
