{"product_id":"think-black-a-memoir-isbn-9780062890566","title":"Think Black: A Memoir","description":"\u003cp\u003e“Powerful memoir. . .Ford’s thought-provoking narrative tells the story of African-American pride and perseverance.” \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e–Publisher’s Weekly (Starred)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“A masterful storyteller, Ford interweaves his personal story with the backdrop of the social movements unfolding at that time, providing a revealing insider’s view of the tech industry. . . simultaneously informative and entertaining. . . A powerful, engrossing look at race and technology.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e–Kirkus Review (Starred)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIn this thought-provoking and heartbreaking memoir, an award-winning writer tells the story of his father, John Stanley Ford, the first black software engineer at IBM, revealing how racism insidiously affected his father’s view of himself and their relationship.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn 1947,\u003cem\u003e Thomas\u003c\/em\u003e J. Watson set out to find the best and brightest minds for IBM. At City College he met young accounting student John Stanley Ford and hired him to become IBM’s first black software engineer. But not all of the company’s white employees refused to accept a black colleague and did everything in their power to humiliate, subvert, and undermine Ford.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eYet Ford would not quit. Viewing the job as the opportunity of a lifetime, he comported himself with dignity and professionalism, and relied on his community and his \"street smarts\" to succeed. He did not know that his hiring was meant to distract from IBM’s dubious business practices, including its involvement in the Holocaust, eugenics, and apartheid.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhile Ford remained at IBM, it came at great emotional cost to himself and his family, especially his son Clyde. Overlooked for promotions he deserved, the embittered Ford began blaming his fate on his skin color and the notion that darker-skinned people like him were less intelligent and less capable—beliefs that painfully divided him and Clyde, who followed him to IBM two decades later.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFrom his first day of work—with his wide-lapelled suit, bright red turtleneck, and huge afro—Clyde made clear he was different. Only IBM hadn’t changed. As he, too, experienced the same institutional racism, Clyde began to better understand the subtle yet daring ways his father had fought back.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e | \u003cp\u003e\"Clyde Ford's words powerfully honor his father's dreams and contributions to the digital age.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBookPage\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e “I was fascinated by this moving biography\/memoir in which Ford, using the experiences of both his father, the first Black software engineer at IBM and himself frames the story of race in America over the last 70 years.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNancy Pearl, author of the Book Lust series\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Clyde Ford has a well told, beautifully written story of the complexities of the relationship between a father and his son. There is nothing like resenting the man you love only to grow up and become him. He effectively explores how the rage of being young black and gifted can sour our understanding of those who were young black and gifted first. \u003cem\u003eThink Black\u003c\/em\u003e should have an important place in our classrooms and homes, as it reveals critical life lessons about the bond between father and son.”  - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eDr. Steve Perry, host, “Breaking Through with Steve Perry”\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Clyde Ford shares a compelling coming-of-age story that operates at the intersection of the dawning information economy and the ongoing struggle for equality and liberation. The toll of pioneering achievement often plays out most painfully in families. With courage and compassion, Ford chronicles the challenges and triumphs of his own journey towards self-discovery. \u003cem\u003eThink Black \u003c\/em\u003eis a worthwhile and significant reflection on work, social mobility, and justice, reminding us all of the satisfaction that comes with living life on your own terms.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNatalie Baszile, author of Queen Sugar\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e “In this engaging book—part autobiography, part biography, and part information technology primer—Clyde Ford trains an agile mind and keen powers of observation on both his father’s historic role in the early days of computers, and on America’s cardinal sin, racism. \u003cem\u003eThink Black \u003c\/em\u003ewill make you think. . .It will also make you wince.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eWilliam Neukom, founder of the World Justice Project\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“An inspiring account of a father and son struggling to break down racial barriers inside corporate America , and beyond. A must read.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eMorgan Freeman\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Essential reading.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eCascadia Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“An engrossing story of how racist experiences of a Black father and son working at IBM had roots in a corporate mentality that lent support to the Nazism, Eugenics, and Apartheid.”    - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eJeffrey Stewart, Pulitzer Prize winning Author of The New Negro: The Life of Alain Locke\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Long before there was Google, there was IBM. \u003cem\u003eThink Black\u003c\/em\u003e delivers an engaging look at our human and technological condition—and a company that sought to rule the world by making every distinction as black and white as the difference between one bit and the next.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eGeorge Dyson, author of Turing’s Cathedral and Darwin Among the Machines\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Clyde W. Ford has woven a rich tapestry, combining family memoir with the history of a corporation. This mesmerizing story is achingly reflective, as Ford discernably captures his dad’s challenges with his own. Think Black is enlightening, insightful, and essential to understanding the impact of corporate racism on individuals.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eDr. Julianne Malveaux, author of Surviving and Thriving\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“This compelling memoir of a son and his father—two polymaths determined to break corporate barriers without being broken in return—takes us on an unusual journey  where the paths of race, relationships, and the social consequences of technology converge.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePaula J. Giddings, author of IDA, A Sword Among Lions: Ida B. Wells and the Campaign Against Lynching.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Ford’s searching reconsideration of his father sparkles with compassion and hard-earned wisdom. As he recounts the indignities his father endured as IBM’s first African-American systems engineer, we’re reminded of the sacrifices legions of unsung ‘firsts’ made to integrate corporate America, and of the lonely battles ahead.”  - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePamela Newkirk, award-winning author of Diversity, Inc: Why a Billion-Dollar Business Failed to Achieve Equality and of Spectacle: The Astonishing Life of Ota Benga\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Powerful memoir. . .Ford’s thought-provoking narrative tells the story of African-American pride and perseverance.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly (starred review)\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“A masterful storyteller, Ford interweaves his personal story with the backdrop of the social movements unfolding at that time, providing a revealing insider’s view of the tech industry. . . simultaneously informative and entertaining. . . A powerful, engrossing look at race and technology.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews (starred review)\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Amistad","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44888984420581,"sku":"NP9780062890566","price":25.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780062890566.jpg?v=1730230241","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/think-black-a-memoir-isbn-9780062890566","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}