Overcoming the Odds: Raising Academically Successful African American Young Women

Rating:
Summary: REproting a Sucess Story
Review: The previous commentator confuses reporting a success story with self promotion. In addition, she suggests that other students are treated as an after thought. Yet the aggregate data suggests otherwise, as the general average SAT, graduation rate, acceptance rate to premier graduate schools, etc. by "all" students has risen dramatically at UMBC in the past ten years.

Dr. Hrabowski hardly needs to do any career saving moves. To the contrary, the Baltimore community is doing everything it can to keep the voracious head hunters at bay as many other universities have been trying to lure him away.

I also know Dr, Hrabowski personally and have witnessed him interact with inner city kids and truly inspire them to greater heights. Never have I heard him suggest that others are not able. On the other hand, he is a realist and certainly is aware that life's circumstances have prepared some to be more successful than others.

IMHO, Ms. Grayson's book review is at heart an ad hominine attack on one of the leading educators in the nation. She obviously does have an axe to grind.


Rating:
Summary: Concept good, author ...
Review: While I agree that there is a need for this type of work, and I commend the Author on his efforts to improve educational standards within the home, I'm not sure if I approve of the real reasons that this book was written: 1. Gratuitous self-promotion/$$$, 2. gratuitous promotion of his university, 3. gratuitous promotion of his university's scholarship program, 4. face-saving career move.

As a former student at his university, I witnessed firsthand the divide between the two groups, which is further escalated by preferential treatment. What people may not know is that the Author clearly favors these scholarship students and many questionable measures are taken throughout the university to make sure that they succeed. These same options are not offered to the rest of the university population, which is generally treated as if they are just "taking up space" and are eventually "disposed" of somehow by the "powers that be." These scholarship students are his lifeblood, and not promoting this program could cost him his career. It really has nothing to do with "home" and I feel that the Author should state his true elitist feelings.

If anyone thinks that I have an ax to grind, I'll end this philosophically - How can one be objective, when the other is being subjective? Taking into account that the Author does not hold the belief that all people are "able," (he told me in front of a group of students that it will likely take me several years to graduate) why does he choose to mislead people and write about a concept in which his beliefs are not collected (success starts at home, all children have ability)?