Rating: 
Summary: A powerful look back with self-awareness
Review: Debra Dickerson's memoir looks back on the first 40 years or so of her life with seeming self-consciousness. It can be criticized for being too inwardly focused, but then what is a memoir for? Documenting not only her own experiences but her internal reactions to those experiences helps the reader to gain both admiration and insight into Dickerson's accomplishments.Best of all it spotlights Dickerson's incredible writing, which is the product of someone who has known and loved books all her life and formed a committed relationship with them as an adult. Though she herself admits it took a long time for her emotional intelligence to catch up with her book one. It helps that she doesn't spare much time for self-pity in her self examination. This is the kind of book I'll be recommending to friends, especially women friends. Of memoirs written by women, I found it perhaps the most enjoyable I have read since "And So It Goes," by Linda Ellerbee--another southern woman. Dickerson is not as funny as Ellerbee (neither is she trying to be) but like her she earned my admiration on sheer quality of writing. The memoir is hardly free of humorous incident. I really enjoyed the way a young Dickerson turned her father's punishment of having all books but the bible removed from her bedroom, combined with an insistence that all children must recite a bible verse at the table before being served, against him. I admire Debra Dickerson and I look forward to reading her next book.
Rating: 
Summary: Not much real self examination in this American Story
Review: Debra Dickerson's memoir was an interesting read, and I recommend it to people who want to know what its like to grow up in a poor black family with above average intelligence, and scratch and claw one's way to upper-middle class success through sheer will, determination, and the occasional, well placed affirmative action program. I had no idea that she was a columnist when I began reading the book, and therefore brought no political biases to the book. Ms. Dickerson's stories about her relationship with her father, and growing up in an abusive working class household were gut wrenching to read at times, as were the details of her having been sexually assaulted while in the Air Force. She seems like a very hard-working person with an exceptional ability to absorb knowledge through nearly compulsive reading and study. But, is she likable? What seems clear is that Ms. Dickerson seems a tad short on the kind of charisma and personal appeal that true leaders seem to possess - "emotional intelligence" in the words of Daniel Goleman. It's an understanding of people, what makes them tick, a sense of one's own personal limitations, and an understanding of how to negotiate one's way through varied, complex interpersonal challenges. Most of her achievements - leaving out the highly structured world of the USAF where leadership in the lower ranks is determined by the ability to know the rules and execute them better and faster than anybody else - were an extension of her childhood tendency to withdraw into her own world and just plain old learn and memorize. Witness this skill in her ability to memorize and recite biblical phrases that go on forever as a young child. It's also apparent at least in this context, she used her intelligence to surprise and shock people, and keep them off guard. Perhaps her decision to leave the Air Force was in part made with a tacit understanding of her interpersonal limitations, but there is no discussion of this in the book. Clearly, advancement into the most senior ranks of the military is more about politics and interpersonal skills than raw intelligence - just as it is in corporate life. Not everyone has a taste for politics at that level, but it would have shown some real self knowledge for her to have recognized and admitted it. But, alas, Ms. Dickerson seems to be afraid to acknowledge any personal limitations at all. Next book, perhaps? While her road to success was indeed difficult and admirable, Ms. Dickersons comments about her contemporaries at times appear elitist, while she does not acknowledge her own personal limitations There's not much humility in this American Story - while there is indeed some room for it. Consistent with this view is that there are no in-depth stories or comments about friends or colleagues with whom she felt some level of closeness or intimacy. Indeed, most of her stories are about family members, her "inferiors" in the Air Force, and her "inferiors" at Harvard. Nowhere are we shown people who Ms. Dickerson viewed as her equals...intellectually or otherwise. Who does she really look up to? Who are her role models? Maybe she got so used to not having any growing up, she stopped looking for or believing in them. Either way, some self-examination on these points would have been enlightening. Also, being a self-conscious over-achiever, it clearly must have been devastating to her to have not made law review at Harvard, but she just glosses over this event, claiming to be relieved with the opportunity to not have to work so hard to get her good grades. Her reaction was completely out of character, and I wonder if she noticed it... Her writing on her many political transformations, charting a path from reactionary republicanism, to Randianism, to far-left liberalism, was less enlightening than her very compelling discussion of intra-race politics. Why are all blacks expected to constantly carry the mantle of anger and rebellion, i.e., why is there no division of labor in black intellectual culture? I found these discussions - next to those of her early family life - the most interesting. If you are like me, you will too.
Rating: 
Summary: A Profile In Courage, Faith, Honesty and Triumph
Review: Debra's book took me on a journey that once begun was hard to put down. A journey that no matter what your station in life will touch your heart and mind in ways that will both enlighten and enrich you. You may or may not agree with her politics but no one can question the amount of courage it took to write about her life. A life that in a curious way will relate to all who read it at some level. That is if you've done much living.
Rating:
Summary: must-read for book groups and individuals
Review: Dickerson has written a searing story of struggle and success. Her narrative voice is engrossing, appealing and emminently readable. Her journey from sharecropper's daughter to Harvard Law School graduate kept me marveling at her continued accomplishments. But she doesn't stop there... Dickerson also offers extraordinary perspective into her own behavior and the behavoir of those around her. At every turn she analyzes her motivations and separates out issues of race and personal identity. With sparkling insight, she digs right to the core of human behavior. Book groups and other readers will find themselves mulling over such topics as obstacles to maximizing personal potential and to what degree our race/religion/ethnic identity affects our life choices. By the time I finished this book, I felt as if I had just completed a soul-searching conversation with an old friend.
Rating:
Summary: Thought-provoking journey across a spectrum of emotions
Review: Even the most die-hard conservative/liberal will be nudged toward the center by Ms Dickerson's personal journey across the political spectrum--from self-actuating conservative to longsuffering liberal, landing somewhere in the middle. Woven throughout are powerful statements on the state of American society today, gender issues, and a refreshing take on the potential of the military to level the playing field. "An American Story" offers a balanced perspective on race and gender in these United States, without all the angry baggage, and with a writing style that insists that you read on. Highly recommended!
Rating: 
Summary: "I,I,I,me,me,me" - page 241
Review: Having served in the USAF with Debra Dickerson, through language training (Korean) at DLI; the 6903ESG at Osan AB, Korea; and the M.A. (Int'l Relations) program at St. Mary's University, I was eager to read her story. Needless to say, I was disappointed to find such an unevenly written, self-centered and self-inflating diatribe. Too much emphasis was placed on very short events, i.e. six weeks AF basic training, and the overuse of military jargon will confuse the civilian readers. Note to readers - barbed wire was NOT used during the confidence course. Her tour in Korea has an "Ugly American" tenor - rather than explore the countryside and Korean culture with her Korean language ability, she spent her time drinking and shopping near the base. Her epiphanies appeared to center on buying make-up and doing her hair, and we are always clearly informed that her boyfriends are white. This memoir is short-circuited by a self-indulgent tenor throughout - an honest telling of her life could have been fascinating in the hands of a more experienced writer and a sharper editor. Finally, her portrayal of every woman in the Air Force - except herself - as being passive and weak-willed was false and insulting.
Rating:
Summary: A Hero's Lament
Review: Heroes don't need to be likeable. They exist to show us the way to greatness, setting the highest new standards for the best things humanity has to offer. In their own lives they demonstrate how one person can make a difference in the world through courage, persistence, ethics, and compassion. Debra Dickerson fits every conceivable definition of a hero. The frustrating thing about her strenuous autobiography, "An American Story," is that she's a person the reader wants to like, but can't. Her journey from the hardscrabble life of the working poor through her years as a star at Harvard Law School can hardly be more compelling. She overcomes the multiple demons of racism, class oppression, family violence and heartbreaking personal insecurity and propels herself through a challenging education, transformative career in the air force, and finally into the highest echelons of America's political and jouralistc elite, all the while gaining new and valuable insights into the intricate interrelationships of politics, economics, race, sex and class. She emerges as a compelling new voice in the intellectual community as America enters its next stage of social development in the 21st century. The respect she commands for her achievements could never be denied her by anyone. Yet for all she accomplishes in her remarkable life, the tone of her book resonates with anger, most of it richly justified, and insecurity, all of it rather sad. For all of the thinking she does, from her time as a child petrified by her abusive father through her many misadventures as an ambitious Air Force officer and in law school, she never seems to arrive at the conclusions she wants, and confusion remains with her right until the end. Teetering back and forth between the politics of personal responsibility and a fuzzy acceptance of the Marxist principles of class obsession, she finds solace one day in the writings of Ayn Rand and decries Ronald Reagan as a "moron" the next. She bitterly criticizes her own race for half the book for its lack of self actualization, and spends much of the rest of the time trying vainly to figure out what made her think like a traitor. She decries the pain imposed on her by her often monstrous father, yet follows in his footsteps quite literally in many aspects of her life. The book ends with Dickerson beginning mid-life with a plethora of accomplishments under her belt and a new day dawning. One hopes that in the volume about the next forty years of her life, which promises to be every bit as interesting as the first, she'll show a side of herself which has learned to mellow with the acceptance of the way things have to be.
Rating:
Summary: An Enjoyable Read from One of My Favorite Columnists
Review: I always enjoy columns by Debra Dickerson I've seen in US News and World Report. I can't begin to fathom much of what happened to her. Luckily for us, unlike her father, she is able to turn her anger into writing and ways of trying to do for others. As a white man who had dated African-Americans, I wish I had thought of the idea of the shirt her boyfriend wanted, "Yes, she is that color all over!" She showed various life changes. We all go through life changes. Hers were different from many we can fathom. This is an intelligent woman, whose writing I have always enjoyed.
Rating:
Summary: poorly written and self-indulgent
Review: I came to this book expecting a good solid memoir, after reading the reviews below, and was sorely disappointed. The writing was weak--too much military jargon and repetition--but what was most annoying was the author's self-indulgence. I came away wishing I had spent my time and money on a better read.
Rating:
Summary: Self-Hatred Personified
Review: I feel sorry for Debra Dickerson. I looked forward to reading the story of an accomplished African-American woman who grew up in the same era as I. What I found was the clearest example of self-hatred that I have ever read. From her writing style with her use of words as a weapon to batter those deemed less worthy than she (which seems to include every Black person walking) to her abuse of alcohol, she experiences a self-made isolation because no one is good enough. She defines self-inflicted racism. I found her story completely uninteresting with the exception of when she wrote about her brother, Bobby. I pity Debra Dickerson. There is so much value to be gained from interaction with others whether or not we share the same backgrounds and beliefs. Ms. Dickerson is far too self-involved to appreciate the beauty and spirit of her black heritage.
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