UP HOME One Girl's Journey

Ruth Simmons gives a warmly engaging rendition of her memoir. Simmons was the first Black president of Smith College and went on to be the president of Brown University and Prairie View A&M University. Here, she recounts her childhood in Texas, growing up as the youngest of 12 children in a sharecropping family that lived in deep poverty. Simmons lovingly describes her close relationships with her siblings and her mother, often with an audible smile in her voice. When she loses her mother at age 15, listeners hear her aching grief. Educational opportunities and teachers who supported and influenced her awakened young Ruth's sense of who she could be in the world. Her inspiring story is an eminently moving listen. J.M.D. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine [Published: OCTOBER 2023]