My Rise to the Stars [horizontal ellipsis] How a Sharecropper's Daughter Became an Army General, by Brigadier General (Ret.) Clara Adams-Ender (with Blair S. Walker). Lake Ridge, Va, CAPE Associates, Inc, 2001. 246 pages, softcover, available through AONE, $19.95 for members; $26.50 nonmembers (plus S & H).
How can a book possibly capture the energy, wisdom, and passion Clara Leach Adams-Ender brings to every one of her presentations? My Rise to the Stars not only captures those special qualities, the book explains how she came to be who she is and, equally important, there are practical lessons for us to use now in our daily leadership practice.
The book opens with a situational conflict we have all experienced, leaving us to wonder how Clara handled it. We are then vividly taken to her modest home on a tobacco farm where everyone worked long and hard hours, guided by 2 loving and wise parents. We learn that Clara was reading by age 4. At this same young ripe age she became responsible for securing milk for the family and by 5 she was charged with caring for 3 younger siblings while stirring the pots lest the family not eat that night (thus the need not to do this again later in life). We learn very early her parents' 2 most important lessons: The first having to do with her being somebody and not hanging around with anyone who might convince her otherwise. The second lesson being she was capable of becoming whatever she chose as long as she was willing to work hard and never give up. Of course one of the many twists and turns in her life was that her Dad decided for her that she was capable of becoming a nurse.
General Adams-Ender not only relates funny and poignant childhood stories, but she takes us through nursing school (where she excelled), her joining the Army Nurse Corps and her rise through the ranks, including commanding an army base. Woven through her story are obstacles she faced and how she overcame them. Yes, she rises at 3:30 am everyday, meditates, exercises, and then puts in 12- to 18-hour days. But somehow in the book she makes you believe in yourself and that you too can do whatever you put your mind to.
This book is full of humor, inspiration, and very practical leadership ideas. Experienced nurse leaders will find it a great read and that necessary pat on the back reminding us to go on. New nurse leaders will have a pleasurable way of digesting very important wisdom for their own success. How did the conflict in the first chapter get resolved? You will just have to read the book.