| Description |
1 online resource (296 pages) |
| Note |
Print version record. |
| Summary |
"Written in a highly polished yet informal style, this book will appeal to readers interested in memoirs of accomplished businesswomen and African American success, as well as those who want a glimpse into the fast-paced world of a top-level ad executive." --Library Journal "Valerie Graves has written a no-holds-barred account of what it was like to grow up on the wrong side of town in the 1960s, become a teenage mother, and end up being one of the most celebrated copywriters in advertising history. Her book is raw and riveting." --Nancy Hill, CEO, American Association of Advertising Agencies "Pressure Makes Diamonds is welcome relief from those who decry America's future. Valerie Graves is a poster woman for achievement despite racism and gender discrimination." --Allen Rosenshine, Chairman Emeritus, BBDO Worldwide "Valerie Graves's first book is her story of an African American teenage mother who fights her way into advertising in Detroit in the 1970s. Then in New York she uses her uniqueness to become one of the top ad writers in the world. Enjoy." --Robert Downey Sr., Writer/Director, Putney Swope "I never knew what it was like to be black in this industry until I read Valerie Graves's book." --Peggy Conlon, Former CEO, The Advertising Council "Pressure Makes Diamonds is an important and timely book that brilliantly details Valerie Graves's pioneering life and transformative career in the historically segregated advertising industry. With world-class creative skills and gritty determination, Graves achieved award-winning mainstream success; opened doors for aspiring minorities; and helped to change how blacks are perceived in the media." --Byron E. Lewis, Chairman Emeritus, UniWorld Group This is the unflinching memoir of a female African American advertising executive's unprecedented and unlikely success, which began in the Mad Men era. It follows her journey from the projects of Motown-era Michigan to the skyscrapers of Madison Avenue and beyond. With marches, riots, and demonstrations as the backdrop, and rock 'n' roll as a soundtrack, this book accompanies Graves as she traverses the seismically shifting terrain of 1960s and '70s America on her quest to "be somebody." In the '80s and '90s, as Graves makes her ascent to the East Coast heights of the white male-dominated advertising world, she turns familiarity with harsh realities like racism and sexism into robust insights that deeply connect with African American consumers. During the golden era of black advertising, she becomes an undisputed "somebody." Soon, though, she learns that money, success, a good marriage, and connections that reach all the way to the White House cannot entirely insulate her against the social ills that threaten to crush black Americans. |
| Subject |
Graves, Valerie (Advertising executive)
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Advertising executives -- United States -- Biography.
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African American women -- United States -- Biography.
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BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Women.
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BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / General
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BUSINESS & ECONOMICS / Advertising & Promotion
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| Genre/Form |
Autobiographies.
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| Other Form: |
Print version: Graves, Valerie (Advertising executive). Pressure makes diamonds. [Brooklyn, NY] : Open Lens/Akashic Books [2016] 9781617754937 (DLC) 2016903687 (OCoLC)945948541 |
| ISBN |
9781617755200 (electronic bk.) |
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1617755206 (electronic bk.) |
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