Mirror to America: The Autobiography of John Hope Franklin.

MIRROR TO AMERICA: THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF JOHN HOPE FRANKLIN. 2005. Read by the author. Abridged. 6 cds. 7 hrs. Audio Renaissance. 1-59397-819-7. $29.95. Cardboard; content, author notes. JSA*

Born in the South in 1915, subject to racism of the cruelest sort, Franklin rose to academic prominence as a historian after receiving a Ph.D. from Harvard. He was the first African American to assume a full professorship at a white institution and his scholarship provided essential ammunition to the Supreme Court as Brown v. the Board of Education was argued in 1954. Franklin is author of the classic book From Slavery to Freedom as well as many other historical works. In 1995, President Clinton presented him with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Franklin's sonorous and dignified voice makes this audio a pleasure. He patiently chronicles his life and pays touching homage to his wife Aurelia throughout the narrative. He speaks with indignation at how the press mischaracterized his leadership of the Clinton-sponsored "One America" task force and there is audible despair as he laments the indifference of many successful African Americans to the plight of the black underclass. There is still fire in John Hope Franklin. This production deserves to become a staple in any school library collection. Highly recommended. Nancy Crowder Chaplin, Libn., VCCW, Goochland, VA