"One Peanut at a Time" (published by Xlibris) is the story of Cleaster Whitehurst-Mims, an educator, political activist and CEO of the Cleaster Mims College Prep and International Boarding Schools. The new memoir chronicles her life journey, spanning from her youth in a sharecropper family to her successful efforts at African-American empowerment, likening her experiences to long-distance running and conveying to readers how she planned and reached one goal after the next through hard times.
Whitehurst-Mims' account covers 80 years - from 1933 to 2012 - and depicts common and poor people as intelligent, industrious, innovative, self-determined and selfless characters, who faced and overcame circumstances and inequalities. She recounts how her farmland background, family life, faith, fortitude and frugality inspired her to fight her life's foes, impact the lives of others and build bridges for future generations. She recounts assembling pioneering teachers, gathering second-hand materials and holding classes in the basement of a church with 26 students, before building their institution into a multimillion dollar operation that lifted many students into successful achievers and scholars. This dedication in her career as an educator is matched by her political activism in changing the landscape of education in her state. These efforts to give back to her society won her numerous awards and the recognition of then-President Bill Clinton.
With her memoir Whitehurst-Mims inspires her readers and shows how her life was and still is intrinsically tied to that of her community. Her narrative places her achievements within their social and historical contexts, enabling readers to explore the subject with a perspective enriched by the author's life experiences and further contributing to the discussion of equality in society.
"One Peanut at a Time"
By Cleaster Whitehurst-Mims
Hardcover | 6 x 9 in | 340 pages | ISBN 9781514429969
Softcover | 6 x 9 in | 340 pages | ISBN 9781514429976
E-Book | 340 pages | ISBN 9781514429983
Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble
About the Author
Cleaster Whitehurst-Mims is the widow of the late Julius C. Mims and the mother of Kenneth Mims, an M.D. of Atlanta. Whitehurst-Mims is the founder of the first Marva Collins Prepatory School in the nation and the first African-American-owned international boarding school for fourth through eighth grade students in the state of Ohio. She spends her time developing a private archive and a family learning center in honor of her husband.
Xlibris Publishing, an Author Solutions, LLC imprint, is a self-publishing services provider created in 1997 by authors, for authors. By focusing on the needs of creative writers and artists and adopting the latest print-on-demand publishing technology and strategies, we provide expert publishing services with direct and personal access to quality publication in hardcover, trade paperback, custom leather-bound and full-color formats. To date, Xlibris has helped to publish more than 60,000 titles. For more information, visit xlibris.com or call 1-888-795-4274 to receive a free publishing guide. Follow us @XlibrisPub on Twitter for the latest news.
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