In this remarkably honest memoir, Zachary R. Wood has written a veritable bildungsroman, tracing his journey from high school scholarship student from a poor black neighborhood in Washington, DC, to leader of the free speech movement at Williams College. This work provides a timely view of both political life on elite college campuses and the struggles of the working poor against the backdrop of institutional racism. It also explores, with bracing candor, Wood’s growth as a young writer and intellectual, whose mistakes are as formative as his successes. Wood’s memoir is a must-read for anyone concerned about the American promise of social mobility.”—Henry Louis Gates Jr., Alphonse Fletcher University Professor at Harvard University and author of Life Upon These Shores
“I met Zachary Wood when he was nineteen. After an hour of talking with him, I was volunteering for his (future) U.S. presidential campaign. (I have my fingers crossed that he’ll decide to run someday, because we need him.) Zachary Wood represents everyone, and he does so with dignity, clarity, kindness, and great courage, which comes across loud and clear in this phenomenal book, Uncensored. Zachary’s story of resilience, compassion, and conviction will be read by millions, and I’ll be pushing for it to be a book that’s assigned in high school classrooms everywhere. He teaches—and shows—us how to resolve and heal some of our deepest conflict—with true curiosity, empathy, and openness.”—Amy Cuddy, New York Times bestselling author of Presence
“An intensely personal memoir about a childhood that trained [Wood] to be nimble and empathetic.”—Chicago Tribune
“Wood is a cerebral analyst . . . an effective translator of the two worlds he navigates—four worlds, really, rich and poor as notable as black and white.”—The Christian Science Monitor
"[Wood] writes frankly—and with unfiltered language—of challenges both at home and at elite private schools in Michigan and DC."—World
"One cannot help but root for Wood while reading his life story . . . [and] conservatives would do well to emulate how Wood approaches the issues: listening, reflecting, and debating."—The College Fix
“Wood elevates the approach to difficult conversations and dialogue, succeeding in helping people overcome indifference. A must-read for young social activists, free speech crusaders, and fans of inspirational memoirs.”—Library Journal
“Wood writes movingly about the debilitating effects of racism and poverty. . . . A singular voice that, as Wood would say, you may not agree with but to which you at least have to listen.”—Booklist
“Uncensored is inspired. Zachary Wood is an American hero for standing up on the front line of the fight for free speech on college campuses. This young, black man who has overcome so much in his life, tells an incredible story of crossing political lines in search of honest debate.”
—Juan Williams, author of Eyes on the Prize and political analyst for Fox News
“Zachary Wood's story is wrenchingly honest and compelling, a triumph of discipline and resilience, with useful lessons for us all. His willingness to confront opposing views and engage ideological adversaries is brave and important at a time when political polarization is challenging our national strength."—Ambassador Susan E. Rice, coeditor of Confronting Poverty
“It is difficult to know what is more amazing, the fact that a twenty-one-year-old is publishing a memoir of his life, the fact that he indeed has a life and a complicated one to narrate, or the fact that out of hardscrabble beginnings he has fashioned a present full of accomplishment and promises a future that the reader soon comes to believe in. He thinks he will be president of the United States. I wouldn’t bet against him.”—Stanley Fish, New York Times bestselling author of How to Write a Sentence
“A spectacular debut from an impressive individual who has already been and will continue to be a force for the good and for the Republic. Republicans and Democrats alike can learn something from Zachary Wood’s story, and it may not be what you expect to learn. Mr. Wood, I suspect, would be more than happy with that.”—Allison Stanger, Russell J. Leng ’60 Professor of International Politics and Economics at Middlebury College
"Candid, passionate, disturbing, and judicious, Zachary Wood’s Uncensored traces a young man’s odyssey through the challenges and affirmations of family life, academic institutions, and campus controversies. Ambitious and altruistic, admired and maligned, driven yet self-reflective, Wood examines and celebrates the sense of calling that informs his prodigious energy and talent. Uncensored is an honest, compelling, and unforgettable book."
—David Lionel Smith, John W. Chandler Professor of English at Williams College
"There is nothing predictable or even familiar about this astonishing memoir by Zachary Wood, despite its components of race and class. It's a work alternately harrowing and exhilarating in its unflinching detail of survival—its picture of a child waking in daily fear wondering what the day with his mentally ill mother will bring. The exhilaration comes with Mr. Wood's sterling command of his narrative, which is impossible to put down once begun. Its author began reading at a very early age and never stopped. His story is, in addition to all else, profound and eloquent testimony to books and reading and their power to make a life."—Dorothy Rabinowitz, author of No Crueler Tyrannies
05/15/2018
In his memoir, Wood shares his evolution as an activist for free speech and open dialog on college campuses. Wood is bold and brave in tackling issues he has experienced firsthand, such as racism, classism, and poverty. Having grown up in Washington, DC, and Detroit under challenging circumstances, Wood felt inspired to engage people with a "spirit of diversity." As president of the student group Uncomfortable Learning at Williams College, MA, Woods encourages members of the campus community to engage in open and honest debate with those whose perspectives may differ from their own. Wood uses his platform to speak at other institutions and invites controversial speakers such as John Derbyshire and Charles Murray to Williams. This debut traces his journey and provides insight into how his poor upbringing and unstable home connected to his experience of unfair judgment and a lack of compassion from the outside world. His words are compelling in sharing how he chose to set higher standards for himself while encouraging others to do the same. VERDICT Wood elevates the approach to difficult conversations and dialog, succeeding in helping people overcome indifference. A must-read for young social activists, free speech crusaders, and fans of inspirational memoirs.—Cassandra Ifie, Itawamba Community Coll., Tupelo, MS
2018-04-03
Still in his early 20s, Wood chronicles his arduous upbringing as a black male, including his 15 minutes of fame (so far) while a college student.Growing up, the author developed impressive intelligence and a dedicated character, but he had to battle a controlling, abusive mother suffering from bipolar disorder, his parents' divorce, and struggles to pay for an elite education. The detailed accounting of his upbringing comprises more than three-quarters of the narrative; the renown does not arrive until Page 200. Wood was a student at Williams College in rural Massachusetts. Upset at the closed-minded nature of college students when given the opportunity to hear campus speakers sometimes labeled racist, sexist, homophobic, or politically extremist, the author became involved in the initiative Uncomfortable Learning. Some of the speakers he wanted to invite faced a veto from the Williams administration. Others, such as Charles Murray, were able to deliver their presentations and then engage in dialogue with the students. Wood received widespread national media attention as a result, and he is currently Robert L. Bartley fellow at the Wall Street Journal. The early part of the book, a mostly chronological account of Wood's challenging life, offers pointed insight into the struggles of growing up black among often wealthy whites. However, the circumstances of Wood's daily existence don't engage with enough universal truths about race, financial struggles, and other similar topics. The author, who writes well, is a sympathetic narrator, and he has unquestionably displayed an impressive work ethic and devotion to free speech. But after the insight offered through his personal history, the analysis tails off, and his father, one of the most intriguing characters in the story, is somewhat of a spectral presence. As he continues to mature, expect Wood to grow as a writer and further the dialogues he sketches here.A memoir that would have radiated greater power as a long-form magazine article.
