Watch Me Fly

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 trials she weaves a story of despair and triumph. This book has something in it for everyone, and regardless of color, age, gender, ethnicity, or political party (everything that could possibly divide you and I) this book will change thinking and express feelings that cannot be articulated. I learned about relationships and coping under intense pressure. She clarified so many things for me that I began highlighting the book, studying it as if she was going to test me on the material. But she won't test me, life will! Watch Me Fly is nothing less then a gift to the world, and it would be a great misfortune if this resource were not taken advantage of. I strongly encourage you to read it, immediately!!!But not only did Watch Me Fly basically change my perspective on life and past situations, it also prepared me for the future. As Ms. Evers-Williams goes through life, sometimes winning and sometimes facing stumbling blocks, all of her lessons learned readied me for upcoming situations in my own life. Her triumphs are glorious; I found myself cheering out loud for her. Her successes and failures inspired me to take my first steps into the real world without fear, and I have a new confidence that cannot be broken. Her faith and perseverance nurtured my strengths, which resulted in a better outlook on life and Mississippi this summer. If Ms. Evers-Williams ever reads this, I want to tell her how much I appreciate her effort, it has really, really meant a lot to me.

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 killer to justice and how much more grief she had to bear in doing so.Myrlie Evers-Williams is an amazing woman. Anyone interested in the history of the civil right's movement, women's issues, or modern American history will enjoy this book.

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, their relationship within this context and their unltimate deaths, phew! that within itself leaves you in limbo. Then to make the moves to new regions with her children in search for a better life and more opportunity and a chance to find herself takes a great deal of courage. I applaud her and take pleasure in having read the story behind the stories. An astounding woman!

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 to my eyes as I read, as well as, a feeling of validation and peace in the direction of my life. At one juncture, Myrlie referred to her tendency to repress an observation until it was grammatically structured in her mind to perfection, thus running the risk of another more confident individual expressing her very idea. I must say I laughted at this self-editing process as it has been a personal fault of mine all my life-waiting for perfection before speaking and thereby missing the opportunity.This book has also fueled my fire in questioning and remembering who I am and from whence I came. How far can I go back in my family tree, what are the family names, what are and were their personalities and how much of them do I bring to my life? WATCH ME FLY should be read by all single mothers so they can see how a strong woman like Myrlie Evers-Williams once struggled and wrestled with the same types of obstacles they face everyday. Yet, Myrlie Evers-Williams not only survived but became successful in her own right.

Thanks to Myrlie for her selfless sharing of her experiences. She inspired me to take risks heretofore postponed. It is truly inspirational and moving.