{"product_id":"9781891620690","title":"Vernon Can Read! A Memoir","description":"From the civil rights revolution to the halls of power, the life story of a truly larger-than-life figure, Vernon E. Jordan, Jr.\u003cbr\u003eA number-one \u003ci\u003eWashington Post bestseller\u003c\/i\u003e, this memoir is the unforgettable story of a life and its times. As a student in Atlanta, Vernon Jordan had a summer job driving a white banker around town. During the man's afternoon naps, Jordan passed the time reading books, a fact that astounded his boss. \"Vernon can read!\" the man exclaimed to his relatives. Nearly fifty years later, Vernon Jordan, long-time civil rights leader, adviser and close friend to presidents and business leaders, remembers the sweeping struggles, changes, and dangers of black life during the civil rights revolution.\u003cbr\u003e After attending a predominantly white college in the Midwest and graduating from Howard University Law School, Jordan dedicated himself to the civil rights movement. He led the drive to register black voters in the South and was president of the National Urban League, one of the great civil rights organizations of the era, where he was instrumental in integrating American businesses and providing economic and social support to the expanding black middle class. He survived a white racist's assassination attempt and later became a pillar of America's legal, corporate, and political worlds.\u003cbr\u003e But Jordan's life was shaped in his early years, and this book is also a moving testament to the family whose support and courage provided the framework for his achievements. \u003ci\u003eVernon Can Read! \u003c\/i\u003e chronicles a life of courage, pride, sacrifice, style, and accomplishment.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cp\u003eAuthor Biography:  Vernon E. Jordan, Jr., a major figure in the American civil rights movement, is now a managing director of the investment firm Lazard Frères \u0026amp; Co. Annette Gordon-Reed, author of \u003ci\u003eThomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings\u003c\/i\u003e, is a graduate of Dartmouth College and Harvard Law School and a professor at New York Law School.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"PublicAffairs","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47039756370160,"sku":"9781891620690","price":26.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781891620690_p0.gif?v=1763609513","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781891620690","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}