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We're Better Than This

Young Readers' Edition: My Fight for the Future of Our Democracy

Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

Part memoir, part call to action, this young readers' edition dives into the inspiring life of the late U.S. Representative Elijah Cummings—from childhood through his time as chairman of the House Oversight Committee—and his tireless fight for justice.

Growing up as the child of former sharecroppers in a segregated Baltimore, Elijah Cummings saw firsthand how injustice could run rampant, even in a democracy that promises fairness and equality. But with a strong support system and fiery self-discipline, Elijah utilized the momentum of the civil rights movement to overcome the obstacles of poverty and racism to effect change at a time when our country so badly needed it.

In We're Better Than This, readers will learn not only that we must be and do better than our oppressors but that it is our shared responsibility as a nation to keep our democracy intact because it is the only way to pursue freedom, justice, and equality for all.

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    • AudioFile Magazine
      Laurence Fishburne serves as the lead narrator in this powerful tribute to long-serving Congressman Elijah Cummings, who died shortly before the book's completion. Each chapter relates a story from Cummings's past to a challenge he faced in working with President Trump and his administration. Fishburne's animated and resonant voice is a perfect match to Cummings's memorable public speaking style; it acts as a reflection rather than an attempt at imitation. In addition to Fishburne, the audiobook features a foreword written and delivered by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and a final chapter narrated by Maya Rockeymoore Cummings, the congressman's widow. This unique and engaging audio production concludes with recordings of several eulogies from Cummings's funeral. N.M. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      October 26, 2020
      Cummings (1951–2019), the late Maryland Democratic congressman, recaps his struggle to overcome racism in politics and a contentious relationship with President Trump in this forceful valedictory. He, along with James Dale (The Power of Nice), recount Cummings’s rise from special-ed student to law school grad and 12-term congressman thanks to parents who, despite poverty and workplace discrimination, raised their seven children to have faith in God and fight for civil rights. (His mother’s dying words, Cummings recollects, were “Do not let anyone take our votes away.”) Cummings rehashes Trump’s misdeeds, including taking back promises to support Cummings’s drug pricing reforms, separating migrant families at the U.S. border, paying hush money to a porn star, instituting a Muslim ban, and firing off “bullying tweets,” including one disparaging Cummings’s Baltimore district as a “rodent infested mess.” The author’s religious and family values shine and are woven seamlessly throughout the narrative in spirited quotes—for example, “We were raised not just by two parents, but by two preachers” and “I often use the words of scripture. I look to God for guidance.” Cummings’s paeans to family, faith, and general idealism make this a moving tale worth reading.

    • Kirkus

      A young readers' adaptation of the adult title by the same name describing the inspiring life and accomplishments of the late Congressman Cummings. Cummings shares his story for the express purpose of motivating readers, especially those facing anything like the obstacles he experienced growing up in his beloved Baltimore. Before becoming a longtime member of Congress, he was the child of sharecroppers who departed South Carolina in search of a better life. His given name, like his work and dedication to supporting his community and people, was inspired by his family's Baptist Christian faith, which informs the whole of this work, from his recollections of his education and friendship with a local pastor to the flavor of the abundant advice and guidance he offers readers. Through faith and perseverance, Cummings recounts loss and suffering that is communal and private, personal and political, from the protests erupting after Freddie Gray's murder at the hands of Baltimore police to the series of disappointments that accompanied the election and administration of the 45th president of the United States. The voice of Maya, Cummings' wife, narrates the concluding scenes immediately before and after his passing at age 68 in 2019. Excerpts from eulogies given at his funeral offer added evidence to the immense impact Cummings has had and can continue to have by way of his example. Represents the wholeness of the legacy of a politician who aimed to humanize politics. (Autobiography. 9-15)

      COPYRIGHT(2022) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. (Online Review)

    • School Library Journal

      April 1, 2022

      Gr 3-7-The adults got (mostly) Laurence Fishburne, but Adam Lazarre-White is distinctly the softer, better choice for younger listeners to get to know the late congressman in his own words. Cummings was born to South Carolina sharecroppers who moved to Baltimore "looking for a better life." His modest childhood provided early lessons on combatting racism; in 1962, at 11, he helped integrate the neighborhood pool. He remained firmly grounded in his community, active at New Psalmist Baptist Church. He was a lawyer before being elected to the Maryland House of Delegates, then the U.S. House of Representatives. His honesty made him a target of the 45th U.S. president, but Cummings refused to demean himself. At grave personal cost, he never stopped working for the people. Cummings's beloved widow, Maya Rockeymoore Cummings, joins Lazarre-White near book's end. VERDICT Cummings's death in 2019 predated this memoir's publication, but Lazarre-White amplifies his resonating voice for justice.

      Copyright 2022 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

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  • English

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