Life Lessons My Mother Taught Me

The oldest daughter of Jean Young, former educator and social justice advocate, and Andrew Young, former Atlanta mayor, Georgia congressman and U.N. ambassador, the author interweaves compelling anecdotes of her mother's activism, her parents' marriage and their rich family life with the wisdom her mother imparted before succumbing to cancer in 1994. Describing her mother as a woman who constantly resisted prescribed roles, Young details how, as a young girl, her mother ""engaged in a personal guerrilla war against segregation"" at the soda fountain in Marion, Ala. Later, instead of becoming distracted by debates in the women's movement over the symbolism of bras and makeup, Jean Young focused on women's equality in employment and wages. An avid and competitive tennis player, she imparted her enthusiasm for athletics to her daughters: when Young's younger sister expressed a desire to play football at her elementary school (before the Title IX ruling that mandated gender equity in sports), their mother was unwaveringly supportive. In addition to serving as models in social issues, Jean and Andrew Young created a marriage that remains a prototype for their children. Describing their partnership as ""a binary star system, [with] each orbiting the other, moving together,"" Young relates her mother's philosophy that a marriage can't be sustained if the partners are keeping score and that a marriage that is always 50-50 won't work. Thoughtfully written, the book is a wonderful tribute to a woman who refused to be categorized. Agent, Lawrence Jordan. (Feb.)