Play Audiobook Sample
Step By Step: A Memoir of Hope, Friendship, Perserverance and Living the American Dream Audiobook
Play Audiobook Sample
(4.06) - 16 listener ratings
Quick Stats About this Audiobook
Total Audiobook Chapters:
Longest Chapter Length:
Shortest Chapter Length:
Average Chapter Length:
Audiobooks by this Author:
Publisher Description
From sharecropper's son in Depression-era South Carolina to hearing coordinator for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Bowman shares his inspiring life story. Born in Summerton, S.C., in 1931, young Bertie was raised by his stepmother and strict father to do his share of the farm work, in the spirit of molding a man's character by "hard work, determination, and keeping your word," as taught by Booker T. Washington. After meeting South Carolina Senator Burnet Maybank at a rally, Bowman ran away at age 13 to Washington, D.C., and got a job with the kindly senator. He swept the Capitol steps, shined shoes and started a taxi service, before being drafted into the newly integrated Army in 1951. Things changed with the election of Strom Thurmond in 1954, but the dedicated segregationist also professed to be a personal friend of all blacks. He writes candidly and without irony of the typical Southern politician's accepted "personal versus political" views. As an "invisible" on the downstairs African-American staff, Bowman overheard a great deal, and he shares some delicious gossip about Lyndon Johnson and others. Eventually he landed a plum position under William Fulbright, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, who remained his friend and ally until the senator's death. Bowman also gushes over fellow Southerners Jesse Helms and Bill Clinton.
Download and start listening now!
"I have had the privilege of knowing Mr. Bowman for many years. His book is a story of dignity, determination and persistence.His story stands with many other distinguished titles in the canon of civil rights sagas, modern American history and memoirs."
— Maureen (5 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
-
“A great American story by a frontline witness to history.”
— Vice President Joseph Biden -
“This is a marvelous and inspiring story about a man who, despite a difficult early life, did not lose faith in himself or other people.”
— Barbara F. Allem, former chief clerk, Committee on Foreign Relations -
“A fascinating read…I highly recommend it.”
— Tavis Smiley, PBS -
“Inspiring…a heartfelt, old-school American history lesson.”
— Kirkus Reviews
Step By Step Listener Reviews
Be the first to write a review about this audiobook!
About Bertie Bowman
Bertie Bowman has served as hearing coordinator for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee since 2000, when the executive appointment of then committee chairman Jesse Helms brought him back to the Senate after a ten-year hiatus. Before his retirement in 1990, Bertie Bowman had worked for the Foreign Relations Committee, first as committee clerk and then as assistant hearing coordinator. He owns and operates Bertie’s Limousine Service, a chauffeur company that provides services for Washington VIPs, foreign diplomats, and others in and around the metropolitan DC area. Bowman is an elected member of the board of directors of the Senate Federal Credit Union, a member of the DC Board of Funeral Directors, and active in many community volunteer organizations.