Howard Thurman's Great Hope Book

Born in segregated Daytona, Florida, in 1900, Howard Thurman grew up dreaming of a better life-a life where his mother and grandmother would not have to cook and clean for other people; a life where he could become a college man, honoring his late father's wishes and his own dreams.

Through hard work, perseverance, and the support of friends and family, young Howard transcended the limits on Negro education in Daytona and earned a scholarship to an out-of-town high school. His dream did not come easily and was nearly lost, until a kind act by a stranger at a railroad station aided Howard in a time of need.

A moving testament to the bonds of community and the power of faith, Howard Thurman's Great Hope illuminates the early life of the man who became a seminal civil rights leader and an inspiration to the nation.

Children's Literature

Before Martin Luther King, Jr., there was Howard Thurman, a great preacher, writer and civil rights pioneer. His childhood in segregated Daytona, Florida, is a testimony to the importance of persistence and community. Like his now-dead father, Howard is a great reader. He longs to go to college but the only black school ends with seventh grade. His family encircles him with love and hope, though, and members of the community step forward: the principal teaches the boy 8th grade subjects, his restaurant-owning cousin offers Howard part-time work and the only black doctor in town offers to help pay for his high school education. Oil paintings by Arthur Dawson beautifully illuminate Kai Jackson Issa's true story about a community that gives and a boy that grows up and gives back. Reviewer: Mary Quattlebaum