Volunteer Slavery: My Authentic Negro Experience
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Book Overview
When Jill Nelson became the first black woman to write for The Washington Post 's prestigious Sunday magazine in 1986, she thought she had entered journalism heaven. Instead, she discovered that life at The Post meant walking "the thin line between Uncle Tomming and Mau-Mauing" - between holding onto her job and preserving her soul. As Nelson recounts her harrowing four years at The Post - along with her odyssey from a middle-class childhood to near poverty, divorce and single motherhood, flame-out love affairs, and a nervous breakdown - she gives us a scalding expose of the racial, sexual, and corporate politics of one of our most respected newspapers. Volunteer Slavery is a funny, fiercely candid book that names names and takes no prisoners.
Format:Paperback
Language:English
ISBN:014023716X
ISBN13:9780140237160
Release Date:July 1994
Publisher:Penguin Group
Length:256 Pages
Weight:0.65 lbs.
Dimensions:0.6" x 5.0" x 7.7"
Related Subjects
African-American & Black African-American Studies Biographical Biographies Biographies & History Biography & History Communication & Media Studies Contemporary Education & Reference Ethnic & National Journalists Literature & Fiction Politics & Social Sciences Professionals & Academics Social Science Social Sciences Specific Demographics Specific Groups Women Women's StudiesCustomer Reviews
5 ratings
Picking Corporate Cotton
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 19 years ago
Jill Nelson is the modern day Harriet Tubman, leading the mentally enslaved from the chains of industrial oppression to the freedom of self-determined realization. If you read this missive and don't ask yourself if you've ever compromised your integrity to further someone else's capitalist agenda, you've missed the point of this brilliant body of work. Angst, inner turmoil, and introspection abound on the pages and tell the tale of a woman trapped in the web of office politics and backstabbing that eat at your joy, that erode your sense of self-worth. What is the price of voluntarily whitewashing your identity to please people with an agenda that does not validate or acknowledge the talents you bring to the table as a person of color? It's so much more than the reflections of a sista who got a position with the Washington Post who got a case of buyer's remorse and didn't like her job. This is the impetus to assess what it is that is important in life and to run towards freedom.
Nearly 10 years later and Nelson's words still ring true....
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 22 years ago
Volunteer Slavery is STILL the book! Family, friends and coworkers are probably sick and tired of hearing me raving about the revealing, blistering and gossipy tell-all memoir! It's been nearly 10 years since the book was published, but I still regularly reread certain passages when I need inspiration, a good laugh, or a clearer understanding of the journalistic imbroglio with which I frequently have to deal with--after more than 15 years in the business!! Celebrate the anniversary of the BEST book EVER written about what it's REALLY like being a black journalist on the plantation...the newsroom at a daily newspaper!!
An insightful book.
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 24 years ago
As an African-American journalist, I found Jill Nelson's book to be very real. Those who criticize the book because Nelson strikes them as naive are missing the point, on at least two levels. In the first place, though she naturally gets into certain generalities, the book is primarily about HER experience. It's not intended to be a handbook for reporters who are climbing the corporate ladder. Given her past, and her particular personality, this is the story of how she happened to react to a specific set of circumstances. How one judges her actions should be different from the way someone judges the book itself.And secondly, to the extent that the book does have a larger intent, it calls for the dismantling of an outrageously unfair system. Should we all just accept the status quo, and find clever ways to navigate our way past pettiness and stupidity, or strive for a sane alternative? The fact is that Nelson has done just fine since she left the Post. Viewed in that context, the book is a testament to her courage, and her insistence on personal dignity.
A masterly, insightful, eye-opener. Don't miss it.
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 26 years ago
My introduction to Jill Nelson was through a program on C-SPAN, Washington Journal. She sounded like a straight-shooting, intelligent, thoughtful person. When I finished Volunteer Slavery, after a marathon, can't put it down, day of reading, I knew her to be funny, down-to-earth, experienced and a wonderfully courageous, excellent author. Her ability to tell the story of her Washington Post experience in the context of family life, parenthood, love and loving, and professional activities demonstrates well-honed writing skills and her grasp of what's really going on under the thin veneer of our complex, multi-dimensional lives. She uses words magnificently, provocatively and with a sense of humor and style that had me laughing out loud.
Superb. Brutally honest, well written, eloquent.
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 27 years ago
Jill Nelson frontally attacks the denial, dishonesty and hypocrisy surrounding the issue of race in the corporate suites. She will clearly make some people uncomfortable, which is precisely the point of this memoir. Nelson is a seasoned, talented writer who has the guts to step out of racial orthodoxy (read: black accomodation of racism) in order to illuminate that which deafens white people and suffocates black people. A fascinating, evocative account, not to be missed
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