ABOUT THE BOOK
Born a ward of the state in the State of Maine, the child of a Yankee blueblood mother, Dorothy (Collins) Rowell, and a Black Marine, Levi (Cowan) Wilson, from South Carolina, Victoria Rowell beat the odds that befalls many foster children. The Women Who Raised Me is the remarkable story of her rise out of the foster care system to attain the American Dream and of the myriad women who lifted her up, inspired her, and seeded her with the drive and commitment it took to claim her place in the world. The Women Who Raised Me is a loving tribute to the stalwart, honorable women…from pianist and horticulturist, Agatha Armstead, a Black Bostonian, and Victoria’s primary foster mother who noticed her spark for creativity and innate passion for ballet to Esther Brooks, her first official ballet teacher and benefactress at the prestigious, Cambridge School of Ballet in Massachusetts. As pivotal was Vicki’s no-nonsense social worker, Linda Webb. The sheer determination of these diverse women fortified Victoria during her unlikely arrival in New York City at age seventeen with a full scholarship to study at the American Ballet Theater School. Transfixing and redemptive, The Women Who Raised Me is both heartbreaking and heartwarming, ultimately, inspiring. The Legacy Edition of her NY Times bestseller is a tribute to all the children who deserve to have someone to hold their hand, and their space, and to remind them everyone deserves love, and beauty and everything is possible.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Born a ward of the state in the State of Maine, the child of a Yankee blueblood mother, Dorothy (Collins) Rowell, and a Black Marine, Levi (Cowan) Wilson, from South Carolina, Victoria Rowell beat the odds that befalls many foster children. The Women Who Raised Me is the remarkable story of her rise out of the foster care system to attain the American Dream and of the myriad women who lifted her up, inspired her, and seeded her with the drive and commitment it took to claim her place in the world. The Women Who Raised Me is a loving tribute to the stalwart, honorable women…from pianist and horticulturist, Agatha Armstead, a Black Bostonian, and Victoria’s primary foster mother who noticed her spark for creativity and innate passion for ballet to Esther Brooks, her first official ballet teacher and benefactress at the prestigious, Cambridge School of Ballet in Massachusetts. As pivotal was Vicki’s no-nonsense social worker, Linda Webb. The sheer determination of these diverse women fortified Victoria during her unlikely arrival in New York City at age seventeen with a full scholarship to study at the American Ballet Theater School. Transfixing and redemptive, The Women Who Raised Me is both heartbreaking and heartwarming, ultimately, inspiring. The Legacy Edition of her NY Times bestseller is a tribute to all the children who deserve to have someone to hold their hand, and their space, and to remind them everyone deserves love, and beauty and everything is possible.
Victoria Rowell is a 3x Emmy-nominated, 12x NAACP Image Award-winning actress, and is also recognized for her outstanding literary work, The Women Who Raised Me. Victoria has received dozens of Civic Awards for community service. She is a veteran of the big and small screen, best known for her work with Samuel L. Jackson, Eddie Murphy, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Jim Carey, and Dick Van Dyke on Diagnosis Murder as well as her iconic role as Drucilla Winters on CBS’s number one daytime drama, The Young and the Restless. As important, Rowell tirelessly pushed for diversity and economic inclusion behind the camera, historically securing, with the support of the National Urban League, the first Writers Guild of America union contract for an African American on CBS’ Y&R, after a 37-year shutout. Emmy-Award-winning, veteran writer, Susan Dansby, went on to become a member of the Young and the Restless writing team from 2011-2018.
