Oh my goodness, I loved this book. I loved the rich story telling.
I could feel the loneliness and nothingness when she was describing Grapeville.

I loved hearing about her dreams, her hopes, how she got through her mothers death.

This book is so wonderfully written I did not want it to stop.

The author draws you in, so much so, that it feels like the reader is in the room with the author watching the scene. A wonderful way with words.

The most profound thing for me, was how books transformed her life from a small country girl to escaping into Ivanhoe. It was so wonderful to read.

I hope that the author continues to write about her life experiences. I can't wait to read more.

I received a copy of "Up Home" by Ruth J. Simmons from NetGalley. I was quite impressed my Ruth Simmons memoir. She was born the youngest of 12 children. She spent her childhood moving around different towns in Texas ending up in Houston. Her family was poor, her father could be very tough and demanding. Her mother was already in poor health. by the time Ruth was born but still working hard to raise her family and contribute to earning money. Ruth was a smart girl who made good grades in school and writes fondly of one teacher who was encouraging to her. Growing up in the 40, 50, and early 60s she experienced racism. Her mother died when she was shy of 16. Yet she continued in school and was one of her first siblings to attend college. she went to several colleges. and succeeded. years later she ended up being president of several colleges. This book is a very good memoir I enjoyed reading.

Up Home, a memoir by Ruth J. Simmons, is powerful, memorable, and inspirational. Simmons was the youngest of twelve children whose entire family were poor sharecroppers. Her memoir shares how she was able to become the president of three universities: Prairie View A & M University, Smith College, and Brown University. As president of Brown University, she was the first African American president of an Ivy League institution.

Simmons' first grade teacher was the first of several critical mentors who shaped her into the person she is today. Her first grade teacher welcomed her and made her feel special. Simmons discovered that learning was enjoyable, important and expandable. Simmons attributes her career in education to the influence and compassion of her first grade teacher. Teachers showed her that women weren't second rate and could have careers. While growing up, Simmons had been reared to believe that women play a secondary role and serving their husband's and families' needs came first.

Simmons shares how she handled failures, disappointments and rejection. She stayed focused on her goals, remained flexible and always looked for alternative ways to achieve her goals.

Up Home is a great testimony to the power of teachers and key influencers as well as the grit, determination, and ambition that helps people achieve their goals.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Up Home is an inspiring memoir by Ruth J. Simmons, who was born the twelfth child of extremely impoverished sharecroppers in Texas and became the first Black president of an Ivy League university. Ms. Simmons does not soften the conditions in which she grew up. Her family lived in owner-provided housing that "had there been any government housing codes, would have missed the required safety standards by a wide margin." She describes the hollow feeling in her family's stomachs when they ran out of the numerous things their mother had canned, especially after "phantom meals," which consisted of her mother's biscuits with either homemade sugar syrup or gravy. Ms. Simmons' mother made the family's clothes from old burlap or cotton flour sacks. Beginning at age six, every family member worked in the cotton fields. Children attended school only when there was no farm work to be done. Ms. Simmons started school when she was six, and she had a dedicated teacher whose "enthusiasm convinced me that learning was supremely important, thoroughly enjoyable, and immensely expansive." The family moved to Houston that same year. Up Home references interracial segregation, and Ms. Simmons did not have a white friend until she attended college, apart from a short friendship with the daughter of a neighboring sharecropper. Despite the difficult conditions she endured, Ms. Simmons repeatedly states how happy her childhood was.
Up Home is an uplifting book, and Ms. Simmons is undoubtedly a person who should be a role model for people of any race. She overcame many adversities and worked tirelessly to educate herself, which she did in an outstanding fashion. She is an extraordinary woman, passionate about education.
Up Home is an easy read which I enjoyed immensely. While touching on some difficult contextual issues, Ms. Simmons' narration never goes into enough detail to be disturbing to younger readers.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for this ARC.

"Up Home" is a beautiful portrait of one's life. Details pertinent from memory paint those strokes. Ruth J. Simmons shares her upbringing, humanizing her parents who instilled strong values of work and determination. Simmons' ambition throughout her schoolwork shows her eventual work as president of prestigious colleges and universities, presently at Prairie View A&M University.

Any book that recognizes a pivotal teacher sits well with me. One of those teachers was Ida Mae Henderson.

Simmons' exploration of grief is a continued understanding of love and reflection in the experience of remembering a loved one. Her reverence of the Black church and soul food stirs well in this memoir.

I love that the memoir does not talk about her current work. We ultimately read about the building blocks that gave her the present work. Reading about Simmons attending Dillard, a Historical Black University, was inspiring.