Drawing from inspirational experiences from her own childhood, Dr. Edelman talks to (not at) her own children, urging them, in whatever occupation they may choose, to serve the community at large. This is also a book for adults (parents, educators, and religious and community leaders) to read, to live a life of principles and a desire to somehow make the world a better place - in short, to serve as the strong, positive role model that so many of our children have had to do without.

The book is also an indictment on how American society and political leadership do a great job at paying lip service to the needs of children but fails miserably in their actions. Complaining, however, is not enough; if children are to grow up to be conscientious and caring citizens, adults must set a good example.

It's a small book with a big heart and a great message. I strongly recommend it to anyone who cares about children and social justice in general.

The book is short -- less than 100 pages. Yet, I spent many more hours reading this book than most. Why? Edelman has the ability to really draw you into her heart and her mind. I found myself rereading pages, lessons, and chapters because I enjoyed them so much the first time. I've read this book cover to cover three or four times.

It's a wonderful, emotional, insightful, inspirational 97 pages. Buy two copies, and give one to your parents or children.

This book is truly one of the most oustanding books on success, Life fufillment and child care. The author gives some really powerful principles on success and achievement, such as never stop learning and improving your mind, Setting goals and working quietly and systematicly to achieve them and never giving up no matter what happens or struggles that you face.This book really inspired and motivated me to succeed and I believe anyone who puts it's principles to work will succeed to.

I have no children, yet I seek to pray for the children of the world. Marian Wright Edelman has helped me to do this, more, and better.

Her preface to "Guide My Feet" is worth the purchase price alone. The mini-biography of how her family, faith and community supported her struggles through the black/white segregation in America and how she broke through to become a woman who has brought social reform to our country is a notable portrait indeed. Her collection of prayers are poetic, pensive and will penetrate through our hectic, occupied lives:

"Lord , let me not be so busy working to buy the things that my children want that I cannot give them the time and attention and love they need."

Just before I picked up Edelman's book, I finished reading Eric Schlosser's "Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal" (Highly Recommended - see my review). As Marian Edelman worries in every fiber of her being, "about our many children who, lacking a sense of the sacred or internal moral mooring are, trying to grow up in a society without boundaries" and the "relentless cultural messages glamorizing violence, sex, possessions, alcohol, and tobacco", Schlosser will, if you read the books in tandem, show in "Fast Food Nation" that we all need to increase our concern and prayers towards the omnipresence marketing efforts directed daily at our children. Yes, prayer works, but so does responsible parenting. These two books should be read concurrently. As Schlosser notes "the typical American child now spends about twenty-one (21) hours a week watching television - roughly one and a half months of TV every year. About 25% of American Children between the ages of two and five have a TV in their room". Marian Edelman's prayer, "God help us to shut off television and radio and computer and phone so that we can communicate with each other." is timely indeed.

Every month 90% of American children between three and nine visit a McDonald's. Each year fast food chains annually spend more than $3 billion on television advertising directed at children. A taste for fat developed in childhood is difficult to lose as an adult, and obesity is extremely difficult to cure. That said, and noting the above statistic, please remember that over one-quarter of all American children are obese or very overweight (African American children leading this group). Perhaps, besides prayer, we should also use modified Biblical quotes to protect our children; "McDonald's get hence behind me".

The prayers of this book plead with, and petition God (as most prayers do) in a raw, honest way that comes from the heart of a parent who desperately loves her children. The wisdom and prayers found in this book will affect you and hopefully infect you with the same raw honesty needed to raise a child today. Highly recommended.

I have no children, yet I seek to pray for the children of the world. Marian Wright Edelman has helped me to do this, more, and better.

Her preface to "Guide My Feet" is worth the purchase price alone. The mini-biography of how her family, faith and community supported her struggles through the black/white segregation in America and how she broke through to become a woman who has brought social reform to our country is a notable portrait indeed. Her collection of prayers are poetic, pensive and will penetrate through our hectic, occupied lives:

"Lord , let me not be so busy working to buy the things that my children want that I cannot give them the time and attention and love they need."

Just before I picked up Edelman's book, I finished reading Eric Schlosser's "Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal" (Highly Recommended - see my review). As Marian Edelman worries in every fiber of her being, "about our many children who, lacking a sense of the sacred or internal moral mooring are, trying to grow up in a society without boundaries" and the "relentless cultural messages glamorizing violence, sex, possessions, alcohol, and tobacco", Schlosser will, if you read the books in tandem, show in "Fast Food Nation" that we all need to increase our concern and prayers towards the omnipresence marketing efforts directed daily at our children.

Yes, prayer works, but so does responsible parenting. These two books should be read concurrently. As Schlosser notes "the typical American child now spends about twenty-one (21) hours a week watching television - roughly one and a half months of TV every year. About 25% of American Children between the ages of two and five have a TV in their room". Marian Edelman's prayer, "God help us to shut off television and radio and computer and phone so that we can communicate with each other." is timely indeed.

Every month 90% of American children between three and nine visit a McDonald's. Each year fast food chains annually spend more than $3 billion on television advertising directed at children. A taste for fat developed in childhood is difficult to lose as an adult, and obesity is extremely difficult to cure. That said, and noting the above statistic, please remember that over one-quarter of all American children are obese or very overweight (African American children leading this group). Perhaps, besides prayer, we should also use modified Biblical quotes to protect our children; "McDonald's get
hence behind me".

The prayers of this book plead with, and petition God (as most prayers do) in a raw, honest way that comes from the heart of a parent who desperately loves her children. The wisdom and prayers found in this book will affect you and hopefully infect you with the same raw honesty needed to raise a child today. Highly recommended.

As a children's counselor I keep a first edition in my desk and frequently buy it as a gift for colleagues. Edelman has written and collected a set of prayers, thoughts and musings that can encourage the weary, inspire the hopeful and comfort the restless among us who work for children.

A delightful and tender book. Filled with affirmations for all of us who feel like we "blew it" today with our kids. Marian's book gives us permission to be human, make mistakes, and still love our children fiercely. It gives us strength to start new tomorrow. I give this book to every new parent and grandparent. My copy is never out of arms reach. An also must is Ms. Edelman's THE MEASURE OF OUR SUCCESS.

Whenever we move or my boys move to a different classroom, I give a copy of this book as a gift to every teacher and/or caregiver that my boys have had - it shows just how special and precious these people who care for my children are. I keep a copy by my bedside too - it really is a great little book. I wish the spiritual power behind these prayers and poems could stop all the child abuse & neglect in this country. Thank you Marian for a truly wonderful gift!

At a time when I was feeling discouraged about my ministry with children, this book lightened my load. I found prayers, insights, and inspirations that allowed me to attack my work with new-found zeal. As a parent, it helped me find the strength and patience to grow my own children instead of just raising them. To read this book is to grow in love

Marian Wright Edelman, in pleasing prose, shares the experiences she had growing up surrounded by a community of mentors, both formal and informal. Edleman talks about the importance of parents, community elders as co-parents and mentors, and the powerful role teachers can play in the development of character. Her college years were greatly influenced by the civil rights leaders of the time, Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, and Robert Kennedy among others. Edelman shares lessons learned from influential faculty and family friends and helps readers understand what it is like to be a part of something larger than themselves.

This book, which focuses on the powerful influence that mentors can have on children and young adults, finishes with Edelman's 'Parent's Pledge' and 'Twenty-Five More Lessons for Life'. She shares the wisdom gained from her parents and elders as well as her many years of experience working with children. Pearls such as 'Always remember you are God's child. No man or woman can look down on you and you cannot look down on any man or woman or child' and 'Keep your word and your commitments' provide valuable advice for those seeking a strong moral center. This book is a recommended read for anyone interested in life lessons learned from a woman of faith whose experiences have been enriched by her interactions with the mentors in her life.

For centuries sailors have relied on the constellations of heavenly lanterns to guide their way. In crisp, vivid prose, Marian Wright Edelman tells us about the heroes who provided beacons of hope and inspiration, helping her find her way through the many moral dillemas of life and stay on course.

What is interesting is the sheer variety of backgrounds Dr. Edelman's heroes have. Nevertheless, they all share the author's passion for human rights and social justice. As a bonus, Dr. Edelman gives a brief history of the civil rights era, a nice complement to two other fine books on that fascinating topic, Taylor Branch's "Parting the Waters" and David Halberstam's "The Children."

This book is much more a memoir. It is a call of action and an inspiration for all of us to act for the common good, to serve the community. It is up to the current generations to act as a positive role model for the next, much as Dr. Edelman's mentors did for her.

Mentors, lanterns, are important at all times, during the economic boom of the late 1990s, when this book was written, as well as in the troubled initial years of the 21st century. There are already too many ships out there lacking a sailor to read the stars. And some ships don't even have a rudder.

The unexpected return of her long lost college diary set Marian Wright Edelman on a quest to recall the mentors who helped her grow from a girl of the segregated south to the first Black woman admitted to the Mississippi Bar. If this book were to be viewed only as a further contribution to the history of the Civil Rights movement it would be a valued addition to a growing corpus. Offering an intimate glimpse of the young participants in that struggle for justice she further provides a poignant testament to the critically important role of the not so young who inspired it. Introducing both the celebrated and the obscure Edelman permits a rare insight into the formation of character and commitment. Long the best friend America's children have ever had, in this book, Edelman serves an older clintele who are likely to find in it a powerful pull to accompany the young on the journey to adulthood. In recalling childhood teachers as well as the dominant figures of the 1960s Edelman brings wisdom, insight and strong spirituality to a much needed reflection on intergenerational sharing.

The best thing next to having heard the late Dr. Proctor speak is reading this memoir. This is the story of Proctor, and his journey from a young man to becoming the beacon of hope and faith that he was, and in our memories and hearts still is for so many. It is a story of survival, faith, hope, and progress which speaks not only through the black community, but through all of humanity.

I checked out The Substance of Things Hoped for from the Newark Public Library and have listened to it three times during the past three days. I was always deeply moved whenever I heard Rev. Proctor preach and hearing his voice read his text was marvelous. I was a bit uncomfortable with some of his observations about accountability, and the reasons why Blacks are not doing as well as they should. I also find his points difficult to reconcile with Dr. Beerly Tatum Daniels' book "Why do all the Black kids sit together in the cafeteria." Rev. Proctor is unapologetic for his views and has the moral authority to advocate them. A remarkable book.

The text was so mesmorizing that I read it in 2 days. I read it in 2 days. Dr. Proctor should have written more. I am glad that I have heard him speak before he was laid to rest. Reading the book was like hearing him preach and extended sermon non-stop.

This is an excellent book on an important subject. I sincerely wish it was still around. Self-esteem and a positive self-concept for children of color, especially African-American children are still areas that need a lot of work. Our world is still consumed with an abundant amount of negative images and stereotypes of people of color. This book is wonderful in counteracting that, covering all areas of life; art, athletics, academics, social. It confronts the emotional needs of our children. Every home, school and library should have a collection of the stories and letters found in this book. I will certainly use it in my classroom. I wish I had the gift of prose so that I could properly give the type of review this book deserves. Not only is it appropriate for use as a tool in helping children to realize their self-worth, it's also a wonderful item for those who wish to collect African-American artifacts but cannot afford the more costly items. The book contains stories and poems written by known writers and by "ordinary" children of 1920-21. It also contains letters from "enquiring" minds. Again, it made me wish I could own the whole collection, not just the best of.

This book is a well-written biography of an outstanding woman. The author, Beatrice Siegel, documents the life of Marian Wright Edelman, her education and continuing work devoted to young people. As she pursued her education through college and Yale law School, Edelman participated in civil rights movements with Martin Luther King and became a strong advocate for poor and needy children. During her career Edelman was awarded many distinguided honors, and is presently the Director of the Children's Defense Fund.

Ms. Siegel has recorded in a clear and fluent manner the life of an important woman, and the volume is enhanced by its many illustrations. Very interesting and absorbing reading.

This book argues for a synergy between child and adolescent development, systems thinking, action research, and professional ethics as Comer helps us to understand how various social institutions must be connected for school reform to be comprehensive and lasting. Much of what is written about school reform fails to consider the impact of institutions beyond the school. American school reform has been like the blind men and the elephant,with pieces of the school being identified as needing reform rather than the whole system and the institutions that support it.There is a common sense about Comer's ideas that seem so obvious. One wonders why his ideas have not become standard operating procedure. Ironically, almost any of the curriculum reforms can fit under the Comer umbrella.

Silver Right is a moving and telling story of my family struggle to achieve equality in America. This book does a very good job of relating the feeling, fear and turmoil that I felt during those four long years of being the only black family at an all white school in the Mississippi Delta in the sixites. Silver Rights goes beyond the actions of people during that time. It looks at the cilvil right movement on a personal level. This book will make you laugh, and it will also make your cry

This book is easy to read and interesting. The editors notes in front of and behind almost every letter really make the book that little bit more. I found all of the letters interesting and many of them quite moving. Many of the letters illuminated subjects about which i was familiar but did not know that little part of the story. I recommend this book for any and every one. You do not have to be American (although much of the information is perhaps from an American perspective) to feel the things that are brought forth by the reading of these letters.

This book is a must read for anyone interested in the inner qualities of our nation's most well-known and respected figures and the lesser-known, who were the people who shaped our country. From the early settlers and our founding fathers to people of the present, this book offers a touching and rewarding look into the lives of people during war, hardships, family life, and many other aspects of life. Letter writing truly reveals the inner part of ourselves. A wonderful book!

What a fantastic book. The letters I've read have brought voices to America's past. It's like reading a hundred stories in one book. For me, it's been an emotional read. The voices of people-slaves,soldiers, presidents and mothers that helped shaped our nation are still ringing in my ears. I'm recommending this to all my friends. A great trip though history.