I Will Not Fear by Melba Pattillo Beals

MY REVIEW

Wow! Just wow! Written by Melba Pattillo Beals and Gerald Jampolsky, this book had quite an impact on me and my perception of just what it was like to be an African American in America in the 1940’s and 1950’s and sixties, particularly in Little Rock, Arkansas and in California and on leading up to today. Unfathomable opinions were expressed that seem so foreign to me now, and sadly have not all died out in the modern world.

Melba was one of the nine chosen to begin integration into a white high school. The protests were televised but hearing the story from one who lived it was so much more powerful. Melba chose a life of faith instead of fear and she had to choose this path over and over again. One of the things that stood out to me was the influence her grandmother had on her, teaching her from a young age hot to navigate through life without it breaking her and making her bitter or full of hate.

Her story is a remarkable example of choosing faith over fear, particularly when under fire. I Will Not Fear is for anyone who needs to overcome obstacles in any area of your life.

Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.

ABOUT THE BOOK

In 1957, Melba Beals was one of the nine African American students chosen to integrate Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. But her story of overcoming didn’t start–or end–there. While her white schoolmates were planning their senior prom, Melba was facing the business end of a double-barreled shotgun, being threatened with lynching by rope-carrying tormentors, and learning how to outrun white supremacists who were ready to kill her rather than sit beside her in a classroom. Only her faith in God sustained her during her darkest days and helped her become a civil rights warrior, an NBC television news reporter, a magazine writer, a professor, a wife, and a mother.

In I Will Not Fear, Beals takes readers on an unforgettable journey through terror, oppression, and persecution, highlighting the kind of faith needed to survive in a world full of heartbreak and anger. She shows how the deep faith we develop during our most difficult moments is the kind of faith that can change our families, our communities, and even the world. Encouraging and inspiring, Beals’s story offers readers hope that faith is the solution to the pervasive hopelessness of our current culture.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

After earning a Bachelor’s Degree from San Francisco State University and a graduate degree from Columbia University’s School of Journalism, Melba Beals worked as a reporter for NBC-TV. At present, she is a communications consultant in San Francisco and is the author of books on public relations and marketing.

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Melony Teague is a freelance writer who believes everyone has a story to tell and each story is unique and sometimes wilder than fiction. She loves to uncover the good news in society and writes human interest and community pieces. As co-author of As the Ink Flows, she loves to inspire and motivate others through her written words. In her spare time, she reviews books and interviews authors. These reviews can be found right here on her website. She also teaches seniors in her local community to write their own personal story. Melony Teague was born in South Africa and immigrated to Canada. She now lives in Toronto with her husband and their two children and two cats. Check out her recent publications here