Always the First - Lynn Hawkins

From the wretched conditions of Florida's turpentine camps to Eleanor Roosevelt's elegant home, from a background of poverty and prejudice to dinners with the rich and famous, the life of Dr. Annie Mae Walker chronicles both abuse and celebration of growing up black in Daytona Beach and beyond.  This book tells the story of struggles of civil rights abuse and triumph in the United States from the viewpoint of a woman who helped change its history.   It is like a window into a time of great change in  the U.S. and of  many people who witnessed and helped or hindered its progress.