[nfb-talk] "Walking Alone, and Marching Together":

[Kenneth Chrane]

Here is what the sighted public thinks about our book, "Walking Alone and 
Marching Together."
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Walking Alone and Marching Together: A History of the Organized Blind 
Movement in the United States, 1940-1990
by Floyd Matson
(Book)
Lowest Price:
$24.96
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5 Stars
Civil-Rights, History, a moving drama of oppressed peoples

I am a member of the National Federation of the Blind (NFB), the nation's 
oldest and largest civil-rights organizaion of (and for) blind people. The 
NFB
is very much akin to NAACP, or NOW; the NFB was formed to help improve the 
lives of the blind. Beyond being blind, I am also interested in the 
movements
of all oppressed or marginalized people to lift themselves and to be 
accepted. I enjoy reading the histories of these organizations/movements, 
and Walking
Alone and Marching Together is an excellent read. This book does a wonderful 
job of detailing why and how the NFB was formed, the development of its 
philosophy
and purpose, and the increased acceptance and success of the blind as a 
result of its existence. The speeches alone are amazing, uplifting, and so 
well-written,
and the narrative is quite good and appropriate...Mr. Matson understands the 
purpose of narrative. I strongly encourage anyone who is blind, who knows
someone who is blind, or anyone interested in the civil-rights movement to 
read this book, and beyond that, to get in touch with the NFB. It has 
changed
the life of thousands of blind people before you, and it will change yours 
as well.

5 Stars
It's "I'VE GOT A DREAM!" but for blind Americans.

This stirring history book is about a mostly unnoticed group of Americans 
attaining ordinary civil liberties and social options. We all know Women, 
African-Americans,
and other minorities have had to fight for their equal treatment in our 
society. Little happened until they took up the fight for themselves. This 
unique
book tells the story of the revolution of the American blind! Once told to 
do "blind trades" like basket-weaving, 40 yrs later there's blind attnys, 
artists,
factory workers, engineers, teachers, reporters, secretaries, &etc. It was 
enjoyable reading about the events, the speeches, and the people who made 
things
different for blind Americans! "Walking Alone and Marching Together" gives 
the full text of really powerful speeches with just enough commentary by the
author to tie each speech to its place in Blind History, plus 
correspondance, laws, statistics, magazine articles, and more. Did you know 
Senator JFK (before
he was President)was going to introduce a blind persons Right to Association 
Bill because blind persons working on gaining their civil rights were losing
their jobs?! That it took collective action by blind Californians to get a 
law that permitted blind persons to teach in public schools? & to work in US
Govt agencies? There are great examples of the American system of 
self-reliance and ingenuity to upgrade the status of a minority. Check out 
the fist-raised,
rousing speeches by these blind American heroes. These speeches are the 
blind American's equivilent of Martin Luther King, Jr. with "I've Got A 
Dream."
In one appendix there's an amazing biography section with more than a dozen 
blind leaders of the recent past and of today who are still at work on blind
equality. (The battle isn't over yet.) The book is so big I found it best to 
read a few speeches and then think about them before diving in for more. It
would be a great resource for school libraries(junior high thru univ.)& 
public libraries that have resources for writing reports on Am.History, 
minorities,
blind & visually impaired, disabilities, Civics, great speech makers, civil 
rights struggles, & folks who make a difference. If you have an interest in
these subjects, try it yourself. So far I've read it 1 1/2 times. It lifts 
my spirits. People CAN be wonderful. What was wrong CAN be made right if 
Americans
will work at it.

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