On Her Own Ground is the first full-scale, definitive biography of Madam C. J. Walker—the legendary African American entrepreneur and philanthropist—by her great-great-granddaughter, A'Lelia Bundles.

I LOVED this.
This is SO interesting!
The author gives so much period details and peripheral history.
Beautifully done!
I'm off to watch the show at last:) ( )

Before I read this book, I knew Madam C.J. Walker must have been one tough cookie! And she certainly was. But her story is more than just "daughter of slaves makes good."

Madam Walker was the daughter of slaves. Orphaned at 7, she lived with her sister and brother-in-law in what was apparently an abusive household. She married at 14 to escape the situation and, at 20, was left a widow, with a child to support. Leaving Mississippi for St. Louis, she began an extraordinary journey, one that would lead her not merely to wealth and fame, but to a position of influence and importance in the affairs of her race and her nation. She overcame obstacles of race, gender and class to found a business that would help give independence and financial stability to thousands of women. From the very beginning of her success, she used her money to help others, not merely through employment, but by setting an example of charitable giving that lasted throughout her life.

As a woman rising from poverty, attempting to establish herself as a leader, she often met with resistance even in her own community (it took quite some time, for instance, for Booker T. Washington to acknowledge her as a leading businesswoman). But she persisted, and, even more to her credit, was able to walk a fine line between the supporters of Washington and those of W.E.B. DuBois, who took Washington to task as not aggressive enough in fighting for civil rights.

I was fascinated by the section discussing Madam Walker's involvement in the efforts of the African-American community to have the issue of race placed on the table at the Versailles Peace Conference after World War I. This was a part of our history that I had not been aware of before reading this book. It does not surprise me that the government was spying on prominent African - Americans and community organizations (plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose!). And anyone, black or white, whom the government perceived as not being completely behind the official point of view was denied a passport to travel to the conference. The issue never came to the table.

Unfortunately, as with a lot of strong, determined women, Madam Walker was not as successful in her choice of men (a difficulty her daughter also had!). But she did not hesitate to do what needed to be done in her personal life. Her daughter, Lelia (later A'Lelia), whom she raised with the usual mother-daughter conflicts, grew up to become an important part of the family business, though not an artist in any field herself, a key supporter of artists of the Harlem Renaissance.

The author, A'Lelia Bundles, is her subject's great-great-great-granddaughter, and is a journalist. Her experience in that field surely was a major factor in the quality of this book. The woman knows research and documentation! She has provided endnotes, as well as a lengthy bibliography. Madam Walker is fortunate in her biographer and Ms. Bundles is fortunate in her ancestors!

What Madame C. J. Walker was able to accomplish in her lifetime is simply remarkable given the numerous impediments she encountered. She is the epitome of the rags to riches success story -- as well an example of what guts and determination really mean. While the biography is well written -- it's the facts themselves that make Madame Walker's story so intriguing and inspiring. Walker went from extreme poverty to wealthy business owner, civil rights leader, and philanthropist.

Madame Walker grew up extremely poor in Mississippi, prior to and through the turn of the century, in a society that perpetuated violence on African Americans in frightening proportions. Not only did she have to endure the racism and violence of society at large, but her own home life was destitute and abusive as well. She moved to Saint Louis, becoming a laundress and caring for her daughter -- furnishing her with the best education and protective home life that she could muster given low wages and living in poorer neighborhoods. In an effort to make her and her daughter's life better she became a sales agent for hair care products, and seeing the potential to branch out on her own with her own formula, she gradually built a large, national sales force and began manufacturing her own hair care products. As a result she became one of the wealthiest women in America.

Walker was able to accomplish this despite extreme barriers. First, racism and sexism, especially in turn of the century America, could alone have stymied any ambitions she had. She clearly, however, had the help of the African American community, and that her product was marketed primarily to women and African Americans meant that she faced only one tough competitor in this niche market. Her vision allowed her build this into something more substantial -- a national brand name and sales force. Lacking formal education, she certainly chose those who helped her run her business wisely. And she overcame husbands (three in all, two that we know much about) who, in the long run, did more to hinder than help her.

What is truly heart warming about Walker is what she did once she became wealthy. She gave freely of her money to a wide range of causes to help her local communities, the African American community, the poor, civil rights organizations, and African American soldiers during World War I. She was very vocal and active in the civil rights movements of time and was also active and vocal in national (African American) business associations. This -- plus continuing to travel widely to build up her business! It is shocking that she not more widely known for her philanthropy and for being a leader in the civil rights movement -- not to mention being such an astute businesswoman.

And she had GUTS! She stood up to Booker T. Washington and forced him to let her speak at a National Negro Business League convention. She actively helped organize and fund civil rights organizations. She must have been quite robust as well. She traveled widely across the United States and a few times overseas. In the early 1900's traveling to such an extent must have been physically and mentally exhausting.

Madame C.J. Walker was a living tribute to her local communities, her race, and the nation. She deserves more than a postage stamp to commemorate her life. ( )

Way too much name dropping that had no relevance to the narrative. The information about events happening around Madam Walker were interesting only about half the time. Some editing would have made this a 4 or 5 star book. 3.5 ( )