How Am I to Be Heard?

“This collection reveals a great deal about Lillian Smith as person, artist, beleaguered social critic and lover.” — New York Times Book Review

“An invaluable collection” — Voice Literary Supplement

“These letters reinforce and expand the image of Smith that emerges from a reading of her books. She practiced, in race relations, precisely what she preached: a comprehensive sharing of life with others on the planet as equals.” — Progressive

“Gladney’s perceptive, sensitive presentation of a woman too long ignored for her influence and acumen is exemplary.” — Women’s Review of Books

“Makes a significant contribution to American cultural studies.” — Journal of American History

“People who care about the history of progressive thought in the South and about human freedom owe Margaret Rose Gladney many thanks for her work in gathering, editing, and commenting on these letters. . . . Perhaps these letters will help [Smith] achieve the stature she deserves.” — Southern Exposure

“As powerful and passionate as her fiction, Smith’s letters demonstrate that she was more than just an artist. . . . You should get to know Lillian Smith. And this book is a good place to start.” — Journal of Southern History

“Splendid. . . . A chance to rediscover a unique Southern white woman, a North Georgian who spoke out all her life against racism. . . . Gladney draws a clear and fascinating portrait of the artist as activist. . . . Gladney’s collection is an eloquent reminder of Smith’s importance, but not only to the South. Lillian Smith needs to be read by those who still cling to what she called the 'New York line about Southerners all being evil or fools or idiots.' . . . Gladney, with her thorough, well-written introductions and careful notes, makes Smith’s vigor, commitment, wit, and intelligence available to us all. She, too, should be heard.” — Emily Toth, Washington Post Book World

“A truly wonderful book. . . . Lillian Smith’s remarkable life and writings belong to our current crisis in American democracy as much as to hers. Her letters are history on a grand and a personal scale, searching out the meanings of southern identity, the deep effects of racism on whites as well as on African-Americans, the connections between art, teaching and politics, and the rudiments of a feminist understanding of all these. She was a woman/writer/teacher/editor/activist who used her social position to undermine the existing social order; whose fiery, independent-minded life carried her into the thick of our national conflicts. Many of her flashes of understanding seem radical today. And the limits of her vision are such as we can well critically ponder now — her hostility toward Marxism being one. These are greathearted, searching, passionate letters by a writer of splendid imagination and courage.” — Adrienne Rich