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Something to Prove: A Daughter's Journey to Fulfill a Father's Legacy
The inspiring sequel to the acclaimed memoir The Ditchdigger's Daughters. Dr. Yvonne Thornton's memoir The Ditchdigger's Daughters has captured the hearts of readers everywhere since it was first published in 1995. Translated into 19 languages, featured on Oprah, and made into a TV movie, this heart-warming and inspiring story chronicles Yvonne Thornton's family; at its center is her beloved, unschooled but wise father Donald Thornton, who demanded that all five of his daughters not only excel in school, but go on to become doctors. Four of them did. Something to Prove picks up where The Ditchdigger's Daughters left off. In this sequel, Dr. Thornton reveals how she ascended to the top of her field as a physician by drawing on her father s teachings. Despite bias and setbacks, she became the first African-American woman in the country to be Board-certified in the obstetrical sub-specialty of maternal-fetal medicine. Dismissed and shunned by her peers for entering the male-dominated world of academic medicine, Dr. Thornton relied on her father's life lessons, which taught her to be strong and rise above adversity. Through intelligence, determination, and hard work, Dr. Yvonne Thornton overcame the odds to reach the pinnacle of her profession.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published December 14, 2010
2 people are currently reading
83 people want to read
About the author
Yvonne S. Thornton
9 books9 followersDR. THORNTON is a national bestselling author and a double-Board certified specialist in obstetrics, gynecology and maternal-fetal medicine and is the former Vice Chair of the Department of OB/GYN at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center in New York City. She is now a consultant in perinatology.
Dr. Thornton is the first black woman in the United States to be Board-certified in High-Risk Obstetrics.
She received her medical degree from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and is a former Professor of Clinical Obstetrics and Gynecology at Cornell University (Weill) Medical College.
She and her husband volunteered for active military duty and she was commissioned as a Lieutenant Commander in the United States Navy at The National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda (Hospital of The President)
Dr. Thornton is listed in Whos Who in America, Whos Who in the World and the has been listed in Best Doctors in the New York Metro Area. Her television appearances include: The Oprah Winfrey Show, The TODAY Show and Good Morning, America.
She was the first woman in the 165-year history of the International Platform Association to win the prestigious Daniel Webster Oratorical Competition held annually in Washington, DC.
She is the author of the best-selling family biography, The Ditchdiggers Daughters which was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize and had never been out of print. The book was named ONE BOOK NEW JERSEY in 2006, and made into a World Premiere movie. Her other books include Woman to Woman and Primary Care for the Obstetrician and Gynecologist.
Dr. Thornton has been married for 35 years to an orthopedic surgeon and she is the mother of two children. Her daughter is a graduate of Stanford University and her son, also a physician, is a cum laude graduate of Harvard, received his medical degree from Columbia University and is now studying Neurosurgery.
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Dr. Thornton is the first black woman in the United States to be Board-certified in High-Risk Obstetrics.
She received her medical degree from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and is a former Professor of Clinical Obstetrics and Gynecology at Cornell University (Weill) Medical College.
She and her husband volunteered for active military duty and she was commissioned as a Lieutenant Commander in the United States Navy at The National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda (Hospital of The President)
Dr. Thornton is listed in Whos Who in America, Whos Who in the World and the has been listed in Best Doctors in the New York Metro Area. Her television appearances include: The Oprah Winfrey Show, The TODAY Show and Good Morning, America.
She was the first woman in the 165-year history of the International Platform Association to win the prestigious Daniel Webster Oratorical Competition held annually in Washington, DC.
She is the author of the best-selling family biography, The Ditchdiggers Daughters which was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize and had never been out of print. The book was named ONE BOOK NEW JERSEY in 2006, and made into a World Premiere movie. Her other books include Woman to Woman and Primary Care for the Obstetrician and Gynecologist.
Dr. Thornton has been married for 35 years to an orthopedic surgeon and she is the mother of two children. Her daughter is a graduate of Stanford University and her son, also a physician, is a cum laude graduate of Harvard, received his medical degree from Columbia University and is now studying Neurosurgery.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
June 8, 2011
Inspiring book! My only complaint is that I want to know what happened with her daughter!
December 27, 2017
An inspiring true story that I highly recommend to all.
November 20, 2011
I didn't read Yvonne Thornton's first memoir, The Ditchdigger's Daughters, but I think she gave a brief enough recap at the beginning of this book that I understood where she came from and what her past was and how important it was that she was a doctor. This second memoir chronicles her time as an ob-gyn, a very highly qualified ob-gyn, in New York and New Jersey. As any working mother, she struggles to be there for her children and to be there to deliver babies for her patients. She also endures racism and sexism in the workplace (hence the book's title) but doesn't let any setbacks stand in the way of her helping people. On September 11, Yvonne was working at a hospital when she and her staff got the news. Reading her first-person account of what took place that day and of how the staff prepared for survivors but got no one was especially interesting.
January 27, 2011
This is a biography of an exceptional woman who happens to be black, a physician with a subspecialty in maternal-perinatal care, a wife and a mother. This book is about her challenges to do well in all areas of her life and how her father's words guided her to achieve. This is an inspiring book that encourages one to reach beyond the challenges for the possible. As Donald Thornton (Yvonne's father) said, "If I told them to reach for the moon, and they never got it, they knew in falling they could grab a star."
January 6, 2011
The best things in life aren't handed to us, they are earned. Something to Prove is a story about the human spirit and what can be achieved by chasing your dream. Not only is Yvonne the perfect role model, her voice was made for sharing her story. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and give it five stars.
June 6, 2011
This is a fascinating story of one African American's triumph over descrimination and small mindedness. Dr. Thornton tells about growing up in a family where her parents never wavered in their faith in their daughters and in their hopes for their becoming doctors. The eminent Dr. Thornton ends the book telling about how both of her children become doctors--inspiring!
December 18, 2010
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February 4, 2011As heard on Tell Me More.
February 5, 2011
The story of an African American doctor who became an academician in spite of all the challenges of the white "good ole boys" club that still rules the medical establishment.
July 11, 2011
She boasted about herself too much, one thing I didn't like. I mean how many times does she have to list her credentials... Other than that, good book!
September 5, 2011
I can't imagine having to go through the glass ceiling not as just a woman, but as an African-American woman. Very inspiring!
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March 5, 2011not sure
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May 21, 2017Great book with stories of struggle, persistence, brilliance, kindness, sadness and joy
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews