{"product_id":"the-ditchdiggers-daughters-yvonne-s-thornton-9781496739193","title":"The Ditchdigger's Daughters: A Black Family's Astonishing Success Story","description":"\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eAs resonant now as it ever was, this inspiring portrait by a loving daughter of a father whose pervasive common sense, folk wisdom, and untutored but right-on insights gave his children their road map to a better life is ready for a new generation of readers.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e\"I LOVE YOU BETTER THAN I LOVE LIFE . . .\"\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\"But I'm not always gonna be around to look after you, and no man's gonna come along and offer to take care of you because you ain't light-skinned. That's why you gotta be able to look after yourselves. And for that you gotta be smart.\"\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003eIt was the 1950s, and\u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003eDonald\u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003eThornton's words to his six daughters weren't spoken out of despair, but out of the fiercest love. Donald Thornton, a hard-working laborer, had set his heart on an improbable notion: that all his girls would grow up to become doctors. From one of those daughters, Dr. Yvonne Thornton, comes this family biography that is as moving as it is inspiring. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eHere is the true story of a determined, wise, and prescient man who dared to dream that his Black daughters would achieve seemingly impossible goals in the face of seemingly impossible odds. Working two full-time jobs--and with the help of his equally remarkable wife, who worked as a cleaning woman--Donald Thornton even formed his bright and talented girls into a rhythm-and-blues band, at the same time ensuring that each one completed her education. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWith his common sense and untutored but right-on insights, Donald Thornton gave his daughters the strength to transcend the obstacles of color and gender to fulfill their potential--ultimately guiding them from the tenements of East Harlem to the footlights of the Apollo Theatre--to the halls of an Ivy League medical school.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Yvonne S. Thornton\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1496739191\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781496739193\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Dafina Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 04\/25\/2023\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 272\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.71lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.02h x 6.12w x 0.79d","brand":"Yvonne S. Thornton","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":44078160380159,"sku":"9781496739193","price":16.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_57280f99-44bb-4d65-bf1f-8a7d627e7f46.jpg?v=1685473881","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/the-ditchdiggers-daughters-yvonne-s-thornton-9781496739193","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}