A Quilted Life: Reflections of a Sharecropper's Daughter -- Catherine Meeks, Paperback

Catherine Meeks shares the wisdom she garnered over the journey of her life, from her father's sharecropping fields to the academy and beyond.

Today, Catherine Meeks is a national leader of racial healing and an esteemed retired professor of African American studies. But being a Black woman in America can be difficult. Join Meeks as she describes the adventures and adversity she encountered on her path to becoming an empowered voice for change.

Growing up in Arkansas under the terror of Jim Crow, Meeks learned firsthand about injustice and the desperation it causes. But with the support of her family, she moved to LA to study at Pepperdine. When a Black teenager was killed by a campus security guard, Meeks awakened to her prophetic voice, and a local women's group gave her hope that racial reconciliation was possible.

She later led a group of students to West Africa, where she met her husband. Yet her years-long battle with rheumatoid arthritis severed their relationship, leaving her a single mother. Meanwhile, she worked tirelessly at Mercer University to expand the African American studies program, all while earning her MSW and PhD.

Quilting together these memories--bitter and sweet, traumatic and triumphant--Meeks shares her hard-earned wisdom: Learn how to discern the Creator's work. Listen to the voice saying "yes" to opportunity. Become a wounded healer. Know when to practice silence and when to speak out. Readers will leave the pages of A Quilted Life enriched by Meeks's unique perspective and insight.

Author: Catherine Meeks
Publisher: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company
Published: 02/13/2024
Pages: 223
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.60lbs
Size: 8.10h x 5.70w x 0.90d
ISBN: 9780802882899

Review Citation(s):
Booklist 02/01/2024 pg. 6

About the Author

Catherine Meeks is executive director of the Absalom Jones Center for Racial Healing. She is the retired Clara Carter Acree Distinguished Professor of Socio- Cultural Studies and the founding executive director of the Lane Center for Community Engagement and Service at Wesleyan College.