I've Known Rivers; Lives of Loss and Liberation

xvi, [2], 654 pages. Index. Signed by the author on the title page. Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot (born August 22, 1944) is an American sociologist who examines the culture of schools, the patterns and structures of classroom life, socialization within families and communities, and the relationships between culture and learning styles. She is the Emily Hargroves Fisher professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and a 1984 MacArthur Genius. Lawrence-Lightfoot has pioneered portraiture, an approach to social science methodology that bridges the realms of aesthetics and empiricism, which she continues to use in her own work. She has written 10 books, including I've Known Rivers, which explores the development of creativity and wisdom using the lens of "human archaeology," and The Art and Science of Portraiture, which documents her pioneering approach to social science methodology, Lawrence-Lightfoot is perturbed by some sociologists' portrayal of the black middle class as ``materialistic bourgeois assimilationists.'' To counter that perception, she richly portrays six African-Americans. In extended conversations with her, they detail their experiences: the often riveting events that have molded their feelings about race and the lives they have created for themselves, both personally and professionally. Among these people are: Toni Schiesler, a female candidate for the Episcopal priesthood; Charles Ogletree, a professor at Harvard Law School; Felton Earls, an epidemiologist and psychiatrist; and Cheryle Wills, owner of radio and television stations. While all have achieved great success, their backgrounds differ widely. A few themes do recur. One is the cultural obsession with skin color among middle-class blacks, and a caste system favoring lighter complexions. Another theme is their empathy for less fortunate African-Americans. The author presents successful people determined to remember where they came from, and brings her storytelling to their lives.…