To Be A Man is an oral history of an "ordinary, extraordinary man"
assembled with great care by a skilled listener and writer.

What others are saying about To Be A Man: Johnnie Wilson, Jr.

"Johnny Wilson, Jr. thinks and talks about what's in front of him; his pastoral home place, his wife, his daughter, his relatives and friends, and the work he has to do to make a living. Susan Rothenberg wisely stays out of the way and lets Mr. Wilson's voice tell his story, and it's a good one, filled with rounded and sympathetic characters moving against the background of 20th-century black life in Louisiana, Texas, and Northern California.. His story is unselfconscious, rich and personal. History not as theory or generalization, but as life recalled in the details that matter most to the man who lives in these pages."

Max Apple, the author of Roommates: My Grandfather's Story

"Johnnie Wilson's oral history, lovingly assembled by Susan Rothenberg, provides windows into large segments of American life seldom so carefully recaptured: rural black America, baseball, the waterfront and, above all, family life in the early twentieth century. Wilson was an "ordinary" decent, fascinating citizen whose story I found simply extraordinary."

Fay Vincent, former commissioner, Major League Baseball

"Real history is about real people, and when it is told in their own words, their story becomes a vital part of ours. Here is an unusually compelling story to add to our own."

Reverend Professor Peter J. Gomes, Harvard University

"Susan Rothenberg's oral history captures Johnnie Wilson Jr.'s sonorous voice in its full complexity. His life of quiet dignity resonates in its inherent honesty."

Theodore M. Shaw, Director-Counsel and President,
NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc.

"Every single day the stories of millions of lives are forever lost. And while family historians now have incredible tools to discover names, important dates, and where family members lived years ago, most of us will never understand the people whose attitudes and values have influenced our lives and molded our destinies. So that busy lifestyles will not disconnect us from our heritage, every effort should be made to preserve family stories right now—while our people are still alive to tell them!

"Oral history is quickly gaining popularity all around the world. It has the power to breathe life into an otherwise uninteresting list of names, dates and places—and more importantly to inspire us! In this splendid example, Johnnie Wilson reveals how he moved beyond the real limitations placed on him by culture and time. He has left a beautiful and lasting legacy for his family, and a dramatic and deeply moving lesson for all of us."

Loretto Dennis Szucs
Vice President of Publishing, Ancestry.com, a part of MyFamily.com

"Powerful, beautifully written, and insightful, this book is a must read for those who seek to understand the great social changes of America in the 20th Century through the character of one man and his family."

David Lynn, Editor, The Kenyon Review

"The courageous story of an African American longshoreman; a gentle man who has something to teach us all about the meaning of dignity and respect for others."

Brian McWilliams, Past President, International Longshore and Warehouse Union

The cover design is by Jerry Kelly.