For centuries sailors have relied on the constellations of heavenly lanterns to guide their way. In crisp, vivid prose, Marian Wright Edelman tells us about the heroes who provided beacons of hope and inspiration, helping her find her way through the many moral dillemas of life and stay on course.
What is interesting is the sheer variety of backgrounds Dr. Edelman's heroes have. Nevertheless, they all share the author's passion for human rights and social justice. As a bonus, Dr. Edelman gives a brief history of the civil rights era, a nice complement to two other fine books on that fascinating topic, Taylor Branch's "Parting the Waters" and David Halberstam's "The Children."
This book is much more a memoir. It is a call of action and an inspiration for all of us to act for the common good, to serve the community. It is up to the current generations to act as a positive role model for the next, much as Dr. Edelman's mentors did for her.
Mentors, lanterns, are important at all times, during the economic boom of the late 1990s, when this book was written, as well as in the troubled initial years of the 21st century. Ms. Edelman currently writes an excellent column in the Huffington Post. There are already too many ships out there lacking a sailor to read the stars. And some ships don't even have a rudder.