| Title | : | Choice of Weapons |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0873512022 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780873512022 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 288 |
| Publication | : | First published January 1, 1966 |
Choice of Weapons Reviews
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4.5 rounded up to 5
A review of a Gordon Parks' photographic exhibit was accompanied by a photo called "Drugstore Cowboys, Turner Valley, Canada." Taken in 1945, I marveled at it. That a black man was allowed to take this photo, has to this day baffled me. Whatever the circumstances, his autobiography ends several years before this photo was taken. But I was captivated. The photo held me for for about five minutes and has never left the foggy edges of my brain. When I learned that this book was selected as a Minneapolis One Book One Read selection, I had to read it. And it did not let me down.
I started this on the evening of the first acculative snow here in the Minneapolis area. The next morning, there was palpable tension in the air as I commuted by light rail to downtown. I was cross, people were grumpy, a couple in a yelling match graced the Nicollet mall. How little things have changed, I thought. Then I realized that this was the pulse of an urban area soon to be under the siege of winter's brutal realities. And for those who largely live their lives on the streets, or from paycheck to paycheck, or in drafty houses there's already been a month of mostly below normal temperatures and it was only the first week of November and the snow from the night before wasn't melting quickly despite the sunshine.
Winter is rarely kind to the poor and it was not kind to Gordon Parks. When he was 16 his mother died, and he was sent from Missouri to live with his sister in St. Paul. After a dispute with his brother-in-law he finds himself homeless and on the streets. Winter is just settling in and thus begins the journey of a lifetime lived in awareness of poverty. For all of his young adult years, he experiences poverty and all its violence, and winter is always the hardest on him, but ultimately he fights it all with his weapon of choice - a camera.
This is a mavelous chronicle of the black experience in American from the 1920s through America's early years of World War II. Parks lived not only in Mineapolis/St. Paul but in Chicago's Southside, Harlem and Washington, D. C. where Jim Crow laws still existed. However the most discriminatory experience he encounters is in Daytona Beach, in which a professor assigned to escort him is humiliated by gas station attendants and local sheriffs.
The last episode Parks shares is his decision to chronicle the black pilots of World War II. As they deploy for Europe, he is denied the opportunity to join them.
So a book that started me thinking little had changed, ended with the realization that there has been progress. The poverty still exists, though racial segregation is no longer legal.
But there is still institutionalized injustice in this country. Al Franken, Minnesota's current senator wrote an opinion piece on the Huff Post this week mentioning that in over 30 states people can still legally lose their jobs for being gay. That's right. People can be fired for for their sexual orientation. And, John Boehner, republican Speaker of the House, may not allow legislation stopping this practice to come up for a vote in the House of Representatives. Arghh....Boehner's capitalized title of respect is currently not deserved. And, that anger I have just expressed is typical of the anger Parks constatntly dealt with in his lifetime and he lived to be 94. Read the book and you'll see how amazing it is that he not only survived, but achieved artistic greatness. -
This book is at once inspiring and deeply upsetting. In the forward, Parks, years after this was published, addresses the question of whether or not he is still as angry as he was in the years described in the book. His response sets the story off perfectly, because what follows is a story of determination in the face of vicious cruelty and injustice. That Parks was able to find his way is a testament to his will and what he described as his mother's teaching. He grew up in an America that provided him pathways out of poverty but those pathways were dotted with landmines. He was able to navigate his way through it all and we are fortunate to have access to his story. This book and his story is a reminder of the polarity of the human spirit.
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Can a story with a happy ending still ultimately be sad? A CHOICE OF WEAPONS is Gordon Parks’ autobiography of his early life, taking him only through his employment with the Farm Security Administration and the Office of War Information (OWI) during World War II. This part of Parks’ life is a gut-wrenching tale of discrimination and bigotry. That he survived this shows what a remarkable person he was. And therein lies the sadness. The tragedy is in realizing how much human potential was squandered by the hate and bigotry of this period in American history. The moral strength and intelligence needed to rise above the times needed almost superhuman capability. It’s a credit to see this in Gordon Parks but a tragedy to know that for every Gordon Parks there were thousands upon thousands who were merely human.
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Starts slowly—if you’re thinking it’s mainly an autobiography of a photographer, you will wonder why he doesn’t even mention photography until page 174. It’s more a description of growing up and growing aware, and the last 100 pages are where both Parks and the reader really begin to understand everything. His experiences in DC and with the military are the most upsetting because you begin to feel the racism and injustice as vividly as he does—as if you’d grown up with him.
How could anyone publish this book without any of his photographs? See them wherever you can. -
This was a great read. Gorden Parks is a photographer in which he was the first black photographer to work for life magazine, he is a writer,composer, artist and filmmaker. He become homeless at the age of 16 after his mothers death and so he began to fight to survive the brutal Minnesota winter, to educate himself.
He know and many other famous writers and musician that he hag out with like Richard Wright. There was a few quotes in there that I love and that is
'Think in terms of images and words. They can be mighty powerful when they are fitted together properly.
Enthusiasm is the electricity of life. How do you get it? You act enthusiastic until you make it a habit. Enthusiasm is natural; it is being alive, taking the initiative, seeing the importance of what you do, giving it dignity and making what you do important to yourself and to others.
I suffered first as a child from discrimination, poverty ... So I think it was a natural follow from that that I should use my camera to speak for people who are unable to speak for themselves.
This is a great book to read because you will learn so much from him. -
Gordon Parks had a very interesting life--composer, photographer, director, CCC worker, brothel piano player--but his struggles as a black man in the early 20th century made the greatest impact on me. The title alludes to the fact that he chose his talent, his intelligence, and his camera as weapons against poverty and used his anger to propel his artistic goals forward. Although Parks lived in the Twin Cities as a young man, the local color was limited--I'm sure that The Lowry restaurant where he bussed tables was very close to where I live, but I don't know where. Good choice by One Minneapolis One Read.
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My entire book club enjoyed this book. We almost never agree on the same book, so that tells you something about this story. It is one that many different people can appreciate and learn from. Especially since he is a man with Minnesota roots, his story is a valuable one for Minneapolis residents to read. I am grateful this story was picked as the 2013 One Read selection, which brought it to my attention.
From the forward:
"Activism implies that you tell one side to change people's minds, while the best art makes room for multiple interpretations. Activism and propaganda are part of the same coin. Activism tells you; art shows you."
p8 - "Even on this first night, I had bad feeling for this man. It was the kind of feeling I had for the whites whose indignities had pushed me to the edge of violence, whose injustices toward me had created one emotional crisis after another, all because my skin was black. My mind shifted back to those mornings when I stood before the cracked mirror in our house and wondered why God had made me black, and I remembered the dream I once had of being white, with skin so flabby and loose that I attempted to pull it into shape, to make it fit, only to awaken and find myself clutching at my underwear. But now I knew I was black and that I would always be black."
p45 - But had I handled the situation the way my mother would have wanted me to? No, she would have found some other way to defeat him and yet maintain her dignity and pride. But this man's tongue had hurt worse than a fist, and I had reacted out of an impulse fed by despair. My conscience told me that my actions were wrong, but my heart approved them. Momma used to say that strength came through prayer. I prayed these nights, but I was beginning to wonder about a God who would test me so severely. I had some north to prove my worth, and I was discovering that there was a lot more to it than just the desire for recognition or success. The naivete of youth, the frustration of being black had me trapped, and achievement seemed almost impossible. It was becoming more and more difficult to live with the indifference, the hate, and at the same time endure the poverty. But even then I knew I couldn't go on feeling condemned because of my color. I made up my mind, there in the cab of that truck, that I wouldn't allow my life to be conditioned by what others thought or did, or give in to anyone who would have me be subservient."
p 84 - "So at twenty I found myself an invalid. There was no chance of graduating with my class. I was already too far behind. In fact, I knew that I would never go back to school. For the next five months I sat in the dark of my room, rejecting time, light and reason. ... I finally opened a book one rainy afternoon. And gradually I began to read, think and hope again. One thing was clear. I couldn't escape my fate by trying to outrun it. I would have to take my time from now on, and grow in the light of my own particular experience -- and accept the slowness of things that were meant to be slow."
p220 - "I came to Washington, excited and eager, on a clear cold day in January. I had been singled out for an usual blessing. I felt a notch above normal things, bursting with a new strength that would be unleashed upon this historic place. The White House, the Capitol and all the great buildings wherein great men had helped shape the destinies of the world -- I would borrow from their tradition, feel their presence, touch their stone. I would walk under trees and on paths where Presidents had once walked. ... I was so uplifted that the plainness of the office I finally entered dumbfounded me."
p238 - Under pressure, Stryker - a strong, dedicated man - had momentarily weakened, but he had rallied quickly. And in the clarity of that moment I got a good look at myself. Not once had I considered his problems. I realized, for the first time, that my fears had been generously fed by my own insecurity, that there was far more selfishness in my heart than I could comfortably live with. I found that praise had come much easier to my ear than criticism; and, having grabbed hold of the essence of my problems, I saw that I hadn't matured so much as I had just grown older. It would take time to overcome these faults; but at least I was aware of them. The experience had rescued me from a punishment I was unwittingly inflicting upon myself." -
Have you heard of Gordon Parks??
Gordon Parks is the first African American to write and direct a Hollywood film. The first African American hired by Life magazine as a professional photographer. He paved the way and fought racism and poverty with a camera and created a lasting legacy with his photography.
Gordon Parks was born in Kansas in 1912. He was poor but he didn't know it until his mother died and she arranged for him to go live with his sister in St. Paul, Minnesota when he was 16 year old. He was thrown out of his sister's house (by her husband) at the end of the week, so he ends up homeless, hungry and cold, riding the streetcars all night for shelter and warmth.
Gordon Parks falls in love and fights to get an education. He is a Renaissance Man and he writes songs, composes, plays the piano, and travels with a orchestra. He travels to Chicago, Harlem, New York, Washington D.C. and many other places while the country is in the midst of a Depression. Gordon is resourceful even when he has no idea where his next meal is coming from and he never gives up hope. He walks away from danger when he can and fights back when he needs to. And he buys a camera and teaches himself how to use it.
A Choice of Weapons is the chronicle of Parks life from age 16 (about 1928) through World War II in 1945. Parks is a good writer and storyteller. He communicates to readers what is was like to grow up black and poor in America. He shares his struggles with homelessness, unemployment and racism. He talks about how he tried to live up to his mother's values and advice on putting hard work above anger and hate, and how hard it was when people were trying to hold you down.
The only thing I missed in A Choice of Weapons was photographs. I wanted to see some of the pictures he is famous for and photos of family. Instead I had to do a search to find them on the web.
I have a personal connection to Gordon Parks. My grandparents grew up in the same Frogtown neighborhood in St. Paul that Gordon Parks lived in when he moved to Minnesota. I, myself have also lived in the Frogtown neighborhood and walked the same streets, even got married at a church there. As I read the book, I could't help wondering if my grandparents and Gordon Parks ever came across each other in a street car or walking down the street. Who knows? Anything is possible. My grandparents, were born of immigrants, and lived in the same Frogtown neighborhood all of their lives and Gordon Parks, transplanted from Kansas, struggled and moved and made a name for himself. Gordon Parks succeeded and prospered against all odds.
A very important and moving Autobiography. -
There are so many excellent in depth reviews of this book I'm not sure what I can add. On a trip to California I finished the book I took with me (Four Fish)so wandered into a used bookstore while my friends were at work and picked this up off the sale shelf.
I was familiar with Parks' more for his film work so this was a wonderful addition to my view of him. I recently saw Shaft again and the photography was much more meaningful after seeing his still work.His determination to overcome prejudices to succeed in his art was inspiring. This book is still relevant today as America (and other countries)continue to wrestle with racism, the effects and denial of it. -
I thoroughly enjoyed this autobiography written by Gordon Parks. I felt all of the emotions of his experiences that shaped him into the incredibly talented man he became. I truly understand how important choosing the right weapons to fight all the things we despise about this world such as poverty and discrimination. Mr. Parks weapon of choice was ultimately his camera, however after reading this novel you understand that he had many weapons in his arsenal as we all should.
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This book has been chosen as the 2013 One Minneapolis One Read book. I will be teaching this book to my VOICES students as South High School as well. I highly recommend this book.
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Something that makes this memoir different is that it was originally published in 1966, which left about four decades of Gordon's career before he passed. This memoir mainly focuses on his early life and very beginning stages of the career before being widely known. Parks told stories of America through his photography that was too extraordinary to ignore. Through poverty, and more racism than one could ever imagine he never took 'no' for an answer on his way to success. His work has left an indelible impact on many that is still talked about today. The greatest photojournalist.
"I didn't know what lay ahead of me, but I believed in myself. My deepest instincts told me I would not perish. Poverty and bigotry would still be around, but at least I could fight them on even terms. The significant thing was a choice of weapons with which to fight the most effectively. That I would accept those of a mother who placed love, dignity and hard work over hatred was a fate that had accompanied me from her womb."
No kidding this man was incredible look up his work. -
An amazing autobiography, that is thoughtful and open minded in retrospect. It has granted me great insight into life as a black male in a segregated United States. And also on how having an attitude of no excuses for not achieving your dreams can take one far.
My favourite part was the retelling of how his friend Bill Hunter singlehandedly overtook the command of their conservation corp unit from a tyrannical group of thugs using his wit and charm.
Unforgettable. -
Overall, I enjoyed reading about Gordon Parks’ early life. He has a way of writing that feels like you’re talking to an old friend who’s telling you a compelling story. I did deduct a point because I thought it would cover more of his photography career. That doesn’t really come into play until the last 5-6 chapters (out of 24). Bearing that in mind and adjusting your expectations accordingly and you will be fine.
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This book was both inspiring and heartbreaking. Gordon Parks was a wonderful photographer, a talented composer and musician, and was given hope from his mother, who sent him from Kansas to Minnesota when he was a teen, so that he could have a better life. His life was difficult, and he managed to succeed by always listening to the people around him and by trying to understand their challenges. He had to fight against his instincts to fight when he saw discrimination but took up photography as his weapon of choice. It is disturbing to think about how little has changed since this book was written. If you want to see his photography, there is a documentary on HBO Max by the same name that delves more deeply into his life.
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I want to say I really enjoyed the book and I did. However, most of the time I was appalled by the overt racism.
According to Wikipedia, he was born in 1912. The book ends sometime before the end of World War II. It begins with the death of his mother in Kansas when he is about fourteen. He is sent to Saint Paul to live with a sister. Since I live in Saint Paul, I recognized many of the names and places he mentions.
He soon becomes homeless and survives by his wits. When things seem to be looking up, the Great Depression hits him and his family very hard.
He is a very good musician and composer. This leads to several promising adventures that do not deliver. Stories about disappointment and survival in Chicago and Harlem are very disturbing due to the poverty, squalor, and racism.
During the 1930s, he gets a job as a waiter in a railway dining car which travels between Saint Paul and Seattle. Reading magazines he becomes enthralled with the photographs and buys a camera. He becomes obsessed with photography ends up with a successful business allowing him to support his wife and family.
He has many other adventures and opportunities which I will not discuss. But I think his first thirty some years were filled with more experiences than most people have in a lifetime. All the while dealing with discrimination.
Gordon Parks was a multi-talented man. His struggles to survive and succeed were facilitated by his choice of weapons. "That I would accept those of a mother who placed love, dignity and hard work over hatred was a fate that accompanied me from her womb."
See
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gordon_... for more about his life. Many of the stories in the book are included here. -
I love the writing. The first chapter to the book is very strong, he writes about his mother's death, then his experiences with death, then his first choice to move to a new city. I also love the subject matter and the pace of the book. But at the end he leaves you hanging, a little. What ever happened to his music? And what ever happened to his family?
That being said, I do feel that this book paints a wonderful picture of the time period that the author was living in. Being from the future, I really find that fascinating. You learn more from reading than what they tell you in school, or what others around you might know. For that reason, I'm happy the author wrote his experiences down. He also wrote about the experiences of others, what he learned from them, and how that impacted him. In the story, I love the parts about music. Like him, I turn to music when times are dark, so that was a sweet side to this book. Gordon Parks also had a passion for journalism and photographing people's environments, and I think this just emphasizes the purpose of his own book, too, writing these things down.
The hardship and racism that the author faced is just terrible, so I think it's great that as readers of this book we have his account and his emotions. I don't think I'm ever going to forget chapter twelve. Aside from the author's wonderful writing and even way of speaking, the way he wrote about the sights in Harlem and way of life to his memory of being beaten up in Kansas is just unforgettable. Who would have thought a book could be so intense. I'm not surprised by the prejudice the author experienced at the hands of whites, just that our country has not done a good job of making these kinds of events known. Parks makes really thoughtful comments about his environment, and throughout the work he shows the power of understanding the lives of others. When he photographed the woman in the Chicago southside church, that was so sweet, and then he invited her to the showing. That just was so sweet. -
Wow. Gordon Parks had an incredible and this book offers just a small snapshot, focusing mostly on his childhood through is early twenties or so.
Through his writing, which is wonderful, you get a sense of what it took to get him started on his journey. You also come to realize that, while he wasn't a perfect person, he was a person of his character. This is something we should all strive for, and in Mr Parks we find an excellent inspiration. He worked hard, used his brain (and occasionally his fists), and kept himself open to new opportunities, which with a little luck, managed to present themselves.
I knew of Gordon Parks as a photographer. He was so, so much more. That's something this book really helped me see - that we're all so much more than any particular title. It makes me think that everyone should write a brief memoir about their lives because all of us are so much more than what we appear to be on the surface.
So, should you read this book? Absolutely, yes. I highly recommend it to anyone, and I'll be picking up more of his writing in the future. -
I had known about Gordon Parks through his vivid imagery from the 1950s, but prior to this book, I knew very little about this man. I was immediately drawn to this book from his first chapter and the clear and crisp writing of his prose narrative. I knew he was an excellent photographer, but I wasn't aware of his tremendous writing skills.
As I delved further and further into the story, I was completely amazed at the challenges that he faced and how he had overcome each and every one of them. While there is a lot more to the complexities of Gordon Parks life - most of his celebrity status occurred after WWII, where this volume leaves off. Nonetheless, it is an important work if you wish to understand how he was able to make creative works of brilliance.
I highly recommend this. Gordon Parks story IS the story of America! -
A wonderful edition of Parks' memoir, covering Parks' childhood and young adult years. This volume should be looked at as a memoir, part 1, ending with Parks' involvement in World War II as a photojournalist documenting Black members of the Air Force. The book's last page comes well before Parks became a staff photographer for Vogue, Glamour, and, most famously, Life magazines -- and certainly before he became a Hollywood director. Nonetheless, it is a wonderful chronicle of Parks' awakening to the racial discrimination and violence within American society, a critical theme that instructed and directed Parks' later professional and personal life.
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Gordon Parks’ memoir is an articulate, powerful indictment of the America of 70+ years ago that systematically tried to grind the Black portion of the population into subservience. Parks had no intention of being ground down and documented his search for the “weapon” that would make a difference. He is quite candid about his false starts and often ill-advised impulsiveness, but his determination does not waver. Parks found an effective weapon in photography, yet all these decades later so little has changed.
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The first volume of a well written and honest memoir of an interesting time and life. This is about the part of his life when he leaves Kansas for Minnesota, the poverty, the racism, the grief of losing his mother and ends with the end of his time in the OWI. The next volume will cover his time at Life magazine etc. I plan on reading all of the volumes of his memoirs, I really like Parks and admire his work as a photographer, tremendously. My reviews have many stars because I do not read books I do not enjoy
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***4.25 stars***
An unflinching look at one man's fight against extreme poverty and racism. Gordon strikes a good balance in the depiction of his early life between moral outrage and the honest admission of his own failings. A powerful example of a man who could have used his circumstances as an excuse to retaliate against prejudice but chose his weapons carefully to fight against against this prejudice. -
One of the best books I have read this year. Gordon Parks is famous for his photography but his writing and story telling is exceptional. His vivid descriptions of his life growing up homeless and penniless during Jim Crow is heartbreaking. I’ve seen much of his work but understanding his life story has inspired study his photography in a new light. More Americans should know his name and his work.
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A fascinating story about what it was like to be born a black man in America in 1912 and to still find a way to make something of yourself—despite all the barriers. Parks was a musician, a member of the CCC, and a photographer for the Farm Security Administration, another of Roosevelt’s New Deal projects. He became somewhat famous by photographing Black families experiencing poverty.
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I will probably do a review of this on my channel later, but otherwise this was a good autobiography. I had issues with it near the end because I felt like it was rushed. Gordon Parks was a fascinating person and I would recommend this to anyone who wants to learn about this photographer's early life.
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I purchased this book after attending an exhibition of Gordon Parks photos at Nelson Atkins. He is a photography, writer, composter, activist and filmmaker and a black man born in 1912 in Fort Scott, Kansas. His life story is compelling, heart breaking and amazing and I thoroughly enjoyed the story.
