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Reviewed by Robert Collier III for Readers' Favorite
Full Circles by Kenneth D. Thompson Sr. tells a deeply moving story that starts in a tiny, struggling home on East 13th Street. This memoir walks us through the author’s childhood, where he dealt with forced school busing to Burnet Junior High and the hurt of looking out at empty bleachers for his dad. He writes about spaces like the "Conversation Lounge", where young guys without fathers hung out in the neighborhood housing projects. He recounts how he turned that pain around by running youth sports leagues through the East Austin Youth Foundation. Later on, he became the first Black school board president in Pflugerville, where he pulled off major wins like organizing a $200,000 field upgrade and hiring the county’s first Black female superintendent. The book reaches an amazing high point when his son, Kenny, becomes a senior Obama campaign organizer, leading to a proud moment watching him in the 2009 presidential motorcade. Overall, it is a beautiful and honest look at building a meaningful life out of a tough beginning.
Full Circles by Kenneth D. Thompson Sr. is a memoir that sheds light on the burdens minority families carried during school desegregation and inside the child welfare system. It gives you an incredible sense of local Texas history, especially the heartbreak a whole community felt when their historic Black schools were shut down. His professional efforts to change Child Protective Services rules so that fathers and paternal relatives are actually included show how much a person can change a broken system. My favorite part was reading about the baseball bat his son gave him for Christmas with their family rule, "Never Surrender", carved into it, which was such a beautiful moment of healing. Seeing how he stood up to the school board as a parent advocate to demand an excused absence for the "Million Man March" shows a great deal of personal strength on his part. All in all, it is a sincere reflection on what it means to show up, proving that standing in the gap for others can help heal your own past. Very highly recommended.
