Carlotta Walls LaNier

Lanier has escaped the family's Southern chauvinism and tells the story that we all knew about but didn't know this much about. Her Black family actually voted for Governor Faubus because they thought he worked well for people. How well they, and we, learned their lesson. By the way, this was one smart teen-aged girl. She valued her education, she had the opportunity to go to the 40th best ranked high school in the nation, so she took it. In this case, it was her society that was off the rail

After hearing a half-hour segment of NPR's Talk of the Nation (the radio show that gets me through the work week!) featuring Carlotta Walls LaNier of the Little Rock Nine, I was inspired to pick up her memoir at the library—A Mighty Long Way: My Journey to Justice at Little Rock Central High School.

As a bit of a history lesson, the Supreme Court declared segregation unconstitutional in the 1954 case of Brown vs. Board of Education. When the city of Little Rock, Arkansas, was forced to show more integrate in 1957, Carlotta was the youngest of nine African-American students—known as the Little Rock Nine—that enrolled in the all-white Central High School. The ensuing crisis that eventually led to intervention by President Eisenhower and the 101st Airborne can be considered one of the most important events in the Civil Rights Movement.

U.S. History 101 tells you the story of the Little Rock Nine, but LaNier's memoir gives a perspective rarely seen. When an event becomes such a defining point of the historical record and when it seems so far in the past that it is hard to relate to, these events seem to just stick on the page of a history book. They don't come alive. We forget that real people went through this, that real emotions were felt and that people's lives were immediately affected by the stories we hear and read. LaNier details the day-to-day excitement, anxiety, and fear that defined her three years at Central. We see her mind develop as she processes the events surrounding her. We get a glimpse into the ordinary life of someone who turned out to be such an extraordinary icon in American history. We get a personal account of a story that is usually told in such an impersonal manner.

Sometimes in a memoir, the author will ramble on about day-to-day events that seem so inconsequential. And for most people, they are. They're boring and have no relevance to anything. But in this book, the mundane is important, because it just builds up the tension of the whole story. Not once did I think that LaNier was rambling. Nor would I criticize her for being self-promoting as many memoir authors in her position are. Instead, I am glad to have gotten a glimpse into an event that otherwise seems so distant. show less

This was my first proper understanding of the Little Rock Nine, told by Carlotta, the youngest, and all the troubles they had to go through just to attend school. It was terrifying and maddening to hear the lengths white people went to scare these teenagers and their families off including domestic terrorism. And knowing that this wasn't all that long ago, too, impacted how angry this made me feel while hearing this story.

Carlotta Walls Lanier was a member of the original Little Rock Nine -- a group of young people who integrated Little Rock (Arkansas) Central High School. Her memoir joins several others in recounting the prejudice, fear, and violence of that time. Unlike "Warriors Don't Cry" Carlotta takes a slightly wider angle to the subject. She actually spent two years (most only passed one) at the high school and, in addition, tells of her life after the event. While she suffered only minor scrapes and show more humiliations, her parents' house was bombed and, most tragically, a family member was blamed (all evidence suggests it was local segregationists). Unlike her colleagues, Lanier has mixed feelings with her role in the event and often kept her past a secret.

While articulate and thoughtful, Lanier's tone is amazingly dispassionate. Her objective voice makes the horrifying abuse she endured all the more credible. At the same time, this reader wanted a bit more emotion, at times. She is not very forthcoming of her inner-most feelings (e.g., she talks about a girl stepping on the backs of her heels -- months of abuse -- with little rancor; she introduces her husband-to-be almost as an afterthought.) "Warriors...", in contrast, churns with emotions. The person truly interested in this dark hour in American history should read both books. show less