Amy Hill Hearth
Author
Click Below For DetailsKNOW YOUR POWER: A MESSAGE TO AMERICA'S DAUGHTERS
(CO-AUTHOR, WITH SPEAKER NANCY PELOSI).
An inspirational book for women of all ages from the first woman Speaker of the House of Representatives in U.S. history (Doubleday, July 29, 2008). 'STRONG MEDICINE' SPEAKS: A NATIVE AMERICAN ELDER HAS HER SAY
An 85-year-old Native American Elder shares her life story, the unusual story of her tribe, and her views on American life in this very rare oral history (Atria/Simon & Schuster, Spring 2008). HAVING OUR SAY: THE DELANY SISTERS' FIRST 100 YEARS
Centenarian sisters, the daughters of a slave, share their stories and a rarely-heard perspective on a century of American life. Oral history. THE DELANY SISTERS' BOOK OF EVERYDAY WISDOM
The beloved Delany Sisters share their advice for a long and happy life. ON MY OWN AT 107: REFLECTIONS ON LIFE WITHOUT BESSIE
Sadie Delany shares poignant reflections on living without Bessie after her death. IN A WORLD GONE MAD: A HEROIC STORY OF LOVE, FAITH AND SURVIVAL
An in-depth study of two now-elderly Holocaust survivors who met and fell in love in Poland during the final months of World War Two. THE DELANY SISTERS REACH HIGH
A children's biography of the Delany Sisters. |
Scrapbook Amy Hill Hearth, author, journalist and oral history specialist.  Sadie (left) and Bessie (right) Delany celebrating their birthdays with author Amy Hill Hearth. Photo taken by Blair Hearth at the Delany sisters' home in Mount Vernon, New York, September 1992.  Broadway opening night: author Amy Hill Hearth (center) celebrates with her husband, Blair Hearth (right) and brother, Dr. Jonathan D. Hill (left). Photo taken April 6, 1995, New York City.  Actress Amy Madigan ("Places in the Heart," "Field of Dreams"), at left, who played author Amy Hill Hearth (right) in the film adaptation of "Having Our Say." Photo by Blair Hearth, taken on the movie set in Charlotte, North Carolina, February 1999.  Bessie Delany, 1923 TIMELINE for BESSIE DELANY:* Born September 3, 1891. * Graduate of St. Augustine's School (now College), Raleigh, North Carolina, 1911. * Graduate of Columbia University's School of Dental and Oral Surgery, 1923. * Second black woman licensed to practice dentistry in New York State. * Featured in a New York Times story, September 22, 1991 (written by Amy Hill Hearth). * The "feisty little sister" in the oral history, "Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters' First 100 Years." Book was written by Amy Hill Hearth and published by Kodansha America. * "Having Our Say" is a surprise bestseller. Spends a total of two years on The New York Times bestseller list! * "Having Our Say" is adapted to the Broadway stage in 1995. Amy Hill Hearth takes the sisters to see the play on Mother's Day 1995. * "Having Our Say" is adapted for a television film in 1999 starring Ruby Dee as Bessie. * Sadie and Bessie are the subjects of another oral history by Amy Hill Hearth: "The Delany Sisters' Book of Everyday Wisdom" (Kodansha America, 1994). * Bessie dies at home in her sleep, September 25, 1995.  Sadie Delany, 1920 TIMELINE for SADIE DELANY:Timeline, Sadie Delany: * Born September 19, 1889. * Graduate of St. Augustine's School (now College) in Raleigh, North Carolina, 1910. * Attended Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, N.Y. * Graduate of Columbia University (B.S. in Education, 1920, Master's in Education, 1925). * Teacher, New York City public schools, 1920-1960. * First African American to teach domestic science on the high school level in New York City public schools. * Featured in a New York Times story, September 22, 1991 (written by Amy Hill Hearth). * The "sweet sister" in the oral history, "Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters' First 100 Years." Book was written by Amy Hill Hearth and published by Kodansha America. * "Having Our Say" is a surprise bestseller. Spends a total of two years on the New York Times bestseller list! * "Having Our Say" is adapted to the Broadway stage in 1995. Amy Hill Hearth takes the sisters to see the play on Mother's Day 1995. * "Having Our Say" is adapted for a television film in 1999 with Diahann Carroll playing the role of Sadie. * Sadie and Bessie are the subject of another oral history written by Amy Hill Hearth: "The Delany Sisters' Book of Everyday Wisdom" (Kodansha America, 1994). * Sadie's beloved little sister, Bessie, dies on September 25, 1995. Amy Hill Hearth writes an oral history to help Sadie cope with her loss: "On My Own at 107: Reflections on Life Without Bessie." (HarperSanFrancisco, 1997). * Sadie dies at home in her sleep, January 25, 1999, at age 109. The daughters of a man born into slavery in the South, the Delany Sisters were ground-breaking career women, Sadie as a teacher and Bessie as a dentist. Neither ever married, and they lived together all their lives. After the age of 100, the then-unknown and reclusive sisters found unexpected fame when Amy Hill Hearth, a writer on assignment to The New York Times, heard about them. Ms. Hearth tracked them down (they didn't have a telephone) and interviewed them. Following the publication of Ms. Hearth's newspaper story in September 1991, the threesome collaborated on a book, an oral history written by Ms. Hearth. Called, HAVING OUR SAY: THE DELANY SISTERS' FIRST 100 YEARS, it was a runaway hit when it was published in 1993. The delightful sisters became famous at the ages of 102 and 104. While they enjoyed this unexpected chance to "have their say" to a world-wide audience, success did not change them. They continued to make their own soap, and they refused to have a phone installed in their home. They are buried side-by-side in Raleigh, North Carolina. FAMOUS QUOTES: "If it helps one person, it's worth doing." - Sadie "The reason we've lived this long is that we never married. We never had husbands to worry us to death!" - Bessie |
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