The Ditchdigger's Daughters: A Black Family's Astonishing Success Story

A biography by a New Jersey doctor tells how her parents, who held down multiple jobs and transmitted strong values to their six daughters, inspired them to reach success."I Love You Better Than I Love Life..." ...Donald Thorntontold his six daughters. "But I'm not always gonna be around to lookafter you, and no man's gonna come along and offer to take care of youbecause you ain't light-skinned. That's why you gotta be able to lookafter yourselves. And for that you gotta be smart." TheDitchdigger's Daughters is an inspiring portrait by a loving daughter of a father whose pervasive common sense, folk wisdom, and untutored butright-on insights gave his children their road map to a better life. Itis the story of a man who dared to dream that his black daughters wouldsomeday become doctors--and who guided them to achieve the seeminglyimpossible goals he set for them. From the tenements of East Harlem to the footlights of the Apollo Theatre to the halls of an Ivy Leaguemedical school, Dr. Yvonne Thornton has written a family biography thatis as moving as it is inspiring. Here is the story of a poor blackfather and his unimaginable dream of seeing all six of his daughtersbecome doctors; of the wisdom and guidance that gave his girls thestrength to keep striving; and of the remarkable way that each one ofthem transcended race, color, and gender to fulfill the promise of theAmerican Dream.

Biographies & Memoirs

Yvonne S. Thornton

Jo Coudert

Community & Culture

Plume

Seven Cats and the Art of Living

Jo Coudert didn't start out with seven cats. She began with just one, Kate, a gorgeous tortoiseshell Persian who knew exactly who she was - the apple of her mistress' eye. But as Jo, a New Yorker, began spending weekends and eventually all her time at GoWell, a small house in rural New Jersey, she began to acquire cats - or more accurately, they acquired her: strays, waifs, orphaned kittens, homeless toms, and cats who came to dinner and never left. Seven Cats and the Art of Living tells about the cats - Kate, Poppy, Chester, Socksie, Trot, Bitty and Sweet William - who share GoWell with Jo and her dog, Freebie. Their stories are instructive, quietly inspiring and written with simplicity. Through dramatic anecdotes, Coudert shares the moral lessons each cat taught her including knowing oneself, governing oneself, valuing oneself and interacting with others with warmth and friendliness.

Crafts, Hobbies & Home

Pets & Animal Care

BRILLIANCE AUDIO ^

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Books by Jo Coudert