Never in My Wildest Dreams

“I was not asked to write a blurb for Up From Slavery, War and Peace, or The Fire Next Time, but gladly I can say Never in My Wildest Dreams is a very important book. No people can say they understand the times in which they have lived unless they have read this book.” —Dr. Maya Angelou “Belva Davis has lived this country’s history as only a brave black woman could and has witnessed it as a journalist with a world-class head and heart. I don’t think it’s possible for anyone to read her words without becoming a better and braver person.” —Gloria Steinem “Never in My Wildest Dreams shows what it really takes to succeed as a black woman in the journalistic world in America. A must read.” —Willie L. Brown, Jr., Chairman and CEO, Willie L. Brown Institute and former Mayor of San Francisco "This fascinating book is a must-read for all and a welcome addition to the history of journalism." —American Journalism “After a friendship of over thirty years, it’s astonishing to find from this reveal- ing, heartbreaking, and inspirational book that I knew so little about the pro- found and historic forces that shaped Belva’s life.” —Phil Bronstein, Editor-at-Large, Hearst Newspapers “An engaging memoir that includes not only a fascinating childhood and com- ing-of-age in the deep south and the Oakland projects, but also involvement in some of the most important happenings of the mid-20th century.” —School Library Journal “The remarkable odyssey of Belva Davis is a compelling testament to tenacity and truth. As a pioneering black journalist, she was determined to tell the sto- ries that mainstream news outlets had ignored for too long—and she devoted her career to ensuring that the voices of all Americans became part of our na- tional conversation. This fiercely honest memoir reveals that her struggle was never easy, but helping change the world never is.” —Andrew Young, Former Ambassador to the United Nations, Chairman of GoodWorks International, LLC “Risk-averse people do not make good journalists. Belva Davis entered the pro- fession during the 1960s when virtually every good story required risk-taking. Belva has lived on the edge of history over the last fifty years in some of its most dangerous places. And she got the stories, including her own. Never in My Wildest Dreams is the chronicle of her march through the second half of the twentieth century as a great black woman journalist.” —Howard Dodson, Director of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture “Good writing is a combination of two things: good thoughts and good prose. Belva Davis tops that. She gives us tough journalism clothed in the tender lyri- cism of a true poet who journeys to the depth of the human heart.” —Abigail Rosen McGrath, Founder of Renaissance House “An engrossing account of triumph over adversity. Never in My Wildest Dreams is a valuable contribution to the pre- and post-WWII history of blacks in the Bay Area and a fascinating exploration of the determination that carried Belva Davis far beyond her impoverished childhood and local reporting work to the ranks of the nation’s most respected journalists.” —Jewelle Taylor Gibbs, Professor Emerita, University of California at Berkeley "She clawed her way into the white male-dominated news industry, climbing her way up despite the most unlikely of profiles: black, female, short of stature, equipped with a soft voice and no college degree, for years herself a single mother.....As a woman and an African-American, Davis said she always felt the pressures of blazing a trail for others. She constantly worked to master her emotions, in order to present the public face of the consummate professional newswoman— confident, imperturbable and scrupulously objective. Inside, she was afflicted by hurts and humiliations, fears and anxieties that she could never let show....Her memoir, written with political journalist Vicki Haddock, is both a personal narrative and a modern political history of the Bay Area, California and, at times, the nation." —Jerry Roberts , Calbuzz.com “With the publication of her new memoir, groundbreaking San  Francisco-based journalist Belva Davis takes us on an awe-inspiring personal  journey that navigates the upheavals that have reshaped broadcasting, race and  politics in America.” —Carla Marinucci, political reporter, San Francisco Chronicle "With bracing candor, Belva Davis shares the story of her extraordinary, gutsy, against-all-odds journey from a poor chaotic upbringing in Louisiana, through the pioneering days of TV journalism, to the respected position she occupies today. Meet a truly remarkable woman." —Judy  Woodruff, coanchor, The PBS NewsHour