In this deeply relatable true story, principled Nita Wiggins reveals the abuses that happen off camera inside television stations. She begins life with a belief in equal opportunity. She develops the unexpected goal to soar to the highest level in the male domain of sports reporting. For her that means reporting on the Dallas Cowboys football team in Dallas, Texas. But she is chasing a moving goalpost.Along her career climb, Nita interviews Rosa Parks, Muhammad Ali, U.S. President Jimmy Carter, Michael Jordan, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, and many other icons. Her tale splinters into several questions. Here is just one: Will battle-weary Nita buckle, or can she outlast unyielding obstructionists who conspire to limit her in her American Dream?
Assessment:
Plot/Idea: Wiggins is explicit in her text, with a distinct idea that carries through the entirety of her work. She delineates evidence to support her main concepts and readers will quickly grasp the weight of her themes.
Prose: Wiggins writes in an articulate and professional style, although she balances this with areas where she connects directly with her readers in a more lighthearted manner. Her prose elevates the text, adding significance and gravity in all the right places.
Originality: Civil Rights Baby offers fresh perspectives on a common, but weighty, memoir theme – which intensifies the individuality of this work and will be striking for readers.
Character Development/Execution: Wiggins develops her text in a linear fashion that will satisfy her audience while provoking reflection at the same time. She offers an intriguing start that sets the stage for a challenging and often painful personal journey.
Date Submitted: January 27, 2022
The unexpected twist that came after I jointly interviewed former president Jimmy Carter at Ohio University in 1989 is in Chapter 16 of Civil Rights Baby. It's in a subchapter called 'Time with Jim, Jimmy, and James,' pages 114-117 of the new edition. The subchapter deals with memorable men who crossed my path while I reported for WSAZ TV in Huntington, W. Va. They are Jim (Backus, WSAZ colleague), Jimmy (39th U.S. president), and James (Brown, Godfather of Soul).
"We'd be happy to receive a copy of your Civil Rights Baby memoir--thank you for reaching out!" wrote the facility's Supervisory Archivist Brittany Parris.
I visited the Carter library in 2006 or 2007 and was most struck by seeing an enlarged image of the three-way handshake between Egyptian President Anwar al-Sadat, Israeli Premier Menachem Begin, and President Carter. I witnessed this move toward peace during my teen years.
As a graduate of Richmond County schools (Tutt Junior High and Westside High School) and Augusta University of the University System of Georgia, it's an incredible honor to have my nonfiction book within the walls of the only presidential library in my state.
My 2021 Linked In essay, which salutes the president and Mrs. Rosalynn Carter, is linked below.
