Joycelyn Elders, M.D.: From Sharecropper's Daughter to Surgeon General of the United States of America

by Joycelyn Elders, David Chanoff

The outspoken former surgeon general shares her inspiring story, from her childhood in a one-room cabin to her tenure in the highest medical position in the United States and the controversies that have surrounded her. 100,000 first printing. Tour.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, Medical, American History, History, Memoir, Feminism

355 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1996

About the author

Also credited as:
M. Joycelyn Elders
Joycelyn M. Elders

Minnie Joycelyn Elders (born Minnie Lee Jones on August 13, 1933) is an American pediatrician and public health administrator. She was a vice admiral in the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and the first African American appointed as Surgeon General of the United States. Elders is best known for her frank discussion of her views on controversial issues such as drug legalization and distributing contraception in schools. She was fired mid-term in December 1994 amidst controversy. She is currently a professor emerita of pediatrics at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.

Reviews

[Emelda]

I'm struggling to figure out how to rate this. For a public health/sexual health nerd-wannabe like me, who loves hearing personal stories about race/class/sexuality- completely fascinating, and I'd give it a 4. For anyone else? Probably a two. This would be a fascinating story to hear, but written it's a bit lackluster and I could see how people would get bored. Dr. Joycelyn Elders is a vastly under appreciated gift to this country.

[Rachel Renbarger]

Okay so the writing is meh but HER STORY THOUGH. She is a freaking badass who so humbly and nonchalantly changes all of Arkansas not to mention the nation + academia. There were so many quotes that get at the heart of health in America and I want everyone to read them. Well, until you hear about how politicians and lobbyists continue to prevent positive change.

She's amazing, her work is amazing, and politics are garbage. Highly recommend for anyone, especially those from rural America or those interested in STEM or healthcare policy.

[Andrea]

Her personal story is fascinating and inspiring. What’s depressing is how nothing has changed in the past 25 years. Her ideas are still considered controversial today when we should be way past that. She identified the systemic racism and misogyny 4 presidents ago and still, here we are.

[Johnathan Kindall]

Writing isn’t all that electric, but the story is just unbelievable. A fantastic look at the intersections of race, public health, sexual education and more.

[Michelle]

This autobiography chronicles the life of Jocelyn Elders, MD who was Surgeon General for a short time. She grew up very poor, as the child of sharecroppers but with grit and perseverance, through education, she pulled herself up, in spite of the dual challenges of sexism and racism. Dr. Elders became an advocate for public health and made a huge difference in her home state of Arkansas, particularly for rural areas, developing programs to get health services out to those that needed them most. She spent time researching the problems and finding solutions with the dedicated members of the public health department. While she agreed to take on the Surgeon General role, she was ill suited for a job that was more of a spokesperson and not a planning and implementation. She struggled and put her foot in her mouth more than once and did not mesh well with others in the administration. While being forced to resign was difficult for her, she was relieved to return to a position where she felt she could make a difference.

[Ken]

I cannot begin to expound upon my thoughts about Dr. Joycelyn Elders story. Everything the excerpt says on the back of the book is exactly what it is and more. Her journey from a sharecropper's daughter to the Surgeon General of the United States of America was absolutely not linear by no means, but the determination and unbelievable drive that it took for her to get to where she got in life is truly amazing. Her story was filled with resilience, love, loss, standing on her truth no matter what (though many could not handle her strong stance on things concerning society on a hold), making a difference where she was able to. As the saying goes " to whom much is given, much is expected" (she definitely embodied this). Her story will truly stay with me forever.

[Laura Millar]

I loved reading Dr. Elder’s story and wish that it was required reading for my masters in sexuality classes. I think the voices and contributions of black women have been overlooked in our field. I can only imagine a society in which we had listen to Dr. Elder‘s advice. We Would be light years ahead of where we are as a society! Highly recommend reading this book.

[Kim Jordan]

I became interested in Dr. Elders and her work after watching a documentary about black women and medicine. She is such a force to be reckoned with and the memoir is actually quite good and inspiring. It's a shame that society had not caught up to a woman that was so far ahead of her time. Even though this is an older book, it's definitely worth the read

[Robin Mandell]

So much admiration for this woman and all that she has done.

[Chrisiant]

One of my favorite genres is memoirs of everyday heroes, and Joycelyn Elders is definitely one of these. I absolutely admire the no-nonsense way she took on her work in public health and refused to soften or alter what she knew to please politicians. What was more remarkable to me than her work as surgeon general was the impressive improvements she made to the state of rural health in Arkansas when she served as Director of that state's Department of Health. She increased immunization rates and early childhood screenings immensely, and employed a hands-on approach that seems to have brought out the best in her staff.

This book has some of the same flaws common in memoirs, mainly a reporting of history through the eyes of person at the center of the events, which makes the slight skewing of events much more likely. Still, I enjoyed a peek into this woman's perspective, particularly during the period she was the center of a political firestorm. First black woman to be Surgeon General, and she was generally a badass. This book is totally worth the read.

[Elizabeth]

hard cover with dust jacket