Maxine Smith's Unwilling Pupils is the authorized biography of Maxine Atkins Smith. As such it tells the story of the civil rights movement in Memphis from Smith's viewpoint. Primarily based on newspaper accounts from the 1960s and 1970s and on Smith's papers housed at the Memphis Public Library, the book also draws from a rich source of interviews conducted by the coauthors and others. This book presents a well-balanced historical background of the civil rights era even while serving as a tribute to Maxine Smith and her work. A panoramic view of Maxine's life, Maxine Smith's Unwilling Pupils, presents one woman's struggle as a prism for understanding the human dimensions of the fight for equality. The biography portrays Smith's lifelong focus on education as she tried to enlighten both blacks and whites about equality and the inalienable rights of all races. Along the way she became the face of the civil rights movement in Memphis during a critical time in the movement's history. Maxine's unwilling pupils often hated her for her outspoken and tenacious advocacy for those rights; her followers loved her for her unwavering commitment to ensure the rights of African Americans. Smith's selfless struggles as chronicled in this biography will leave no doubt that her influence on the progress of civil rights in Memphis was profound. Moreover, her example of tireless commitment should inspire the efforts of new generations of equal rights activists to come.

Why are some people more vulnerable to addiction than others? Why isn't willpower enough to escape the lure of addiction? Why can't enablers and co-dependents help the addict? Where can the addict find hope? What are the keys to recovery? How can an addict stay unhooked? Addiction is ugly and it's not curable. But it doesn't have to be fatal-for the addict or the family. Many addicts survive to live a better life, and broken families are often healed. But admitting the condition, acknowledging the awful reality, requires courage. And staying clean takes commitment and determination. The temptation to abuse again is always present. But the power to fight-and even begin the battle anew-lies within, sometimes just beneath the surface and sometimes buried so deeply it seems impossible to find. The trick is to unearth it before it is too late. Dr. Sherry Hoppe and her sister Sylvia Yates wrote this book to reveal how an average person can be caught in the far-reaching and unrelenting tentacles of substance abuse. To put faces behind the words, "I'm ____ and I'm an addict." To illustrate the injuries inflicted on the victim and the family by addiction. To share Sylvia's story and others like hers so you will know you are not alone-that you're not so different after all-if you are an addict or have an addict in your family. To offer hope when you feel hopeless. Dr. Hoppe is a retired university president and author. Sylvia is a former respiratory therapist and recovering addict.