I came of age in the 70's but I really didn't know much about the politics in the early 70's. Of course I had heard about Shirley Chisholm. But I really didn't know much about her.

This book was so enlightening to me from a look at Chisholm's political career; the marginalization of all women, black women in particular; and the interplay between celebrity and politics. I also learned things about the Black Panthers. While this book was written before the end of the 2024 Presidential race, I could see so much of what Tolliver says almost as a foreshadowing.

If you are at all interested in women's rights, black rights, politics, or history, this is the book for you. I encourage you to read it and better inform yourself. Shirley Chisholm cracked some ice, Hillary put some cracks in the glass ceiling and Kamala deepened those cracks. One day, hopefully in my lifetime, we will watch it all shatter and elect a woman to be in the White House.

This book was given to me by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

I learned a lot from this book and thought it was a fascinating read. The historical elements worked overall and had that research element that I was looking for. Juanita Tolliver was able to create a strong nonfiction book and enjoyed learning about the reshapement of politics.

Thank you, Grand Central Publishing, for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I just finished A More Perfect Party: The Night Shirley Chisholm and Diahann Carroll Reshaped Politics, by Juanita Tolliver.

This book will be published on January 14, 2025.

The title of this book gives the appearance that is just about a party that Diahann Carroll threw to serve as a fundraiser for Shirley Chisholm’s campaign in 1972. But, the book was far more than than that. The focus on the book was far more on the issues that Chisholm’s campaign faced in terms of racism and sexism and how those issues are still with us today.

This book did a great job balancing both the political times of 1972 and today’s world.

I give this book an A. Goodreads and NetGalley require grades on a 1-5 star system. In my personal conversion system, an A equates to 5 stars. (A or A+: 5 stars, B+: 4 stars, B: 3 stars, C: 2 stars, D or F: 1 star).

This review has been posted at NetGalley, Goodreads and my blog, Mr. Book’s Book Reviews

i finished reading this on September 25, 2024.