Roberts Vs. Texaco: : A True Story Of Race And Corporate America

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Summary: THIS MUST READ IS ENLIGHTENING AND COMPELLING!
Review: Bari-Ellen Roberts lived the story and recorded the events remarkably well. This book should be read by employees AND employers alike. It's a reality and we can no longer stick our heads in the sand.

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Summary: What an eye opening!
Review: First of all, I would like to apoligize for Mr. Alan Wain.....he sounds very bitter. And another thing, Roberts did not get rich. Saying she was at the right place at the right time is by far the biggest BS ever, because she did not go into that position knowingly. But Texaco did hire her knowing that she would not get the promotions due her because of her race. For shame on what Texaco stood for! They had it coming to them big time. And I hope no one forgets about this case and the many horrific details that helped the plaintiffs victor!

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Summary: Wonderful account of race and corporate America
Review: I enjoyed this book tremendously. It was a little slow toward the end, but overall it was very well-written. It's a shame that this type of blatant racism still exists today, not that I'm surprised, but it's truly a shame. It took a lot of courage and stamina on Roberts' part to force Texaco to acknowlegde their archaeic and ignorant business practices relative to race. I applaud Bari Ellen Roberts even when there are those who still believe in Texaco's innocence...much like the reviewer who chooses to perpetuate one of America's largest problems...the belief that other races are inferior and should bow down to this almighty, superior race. "Forgive him, for he knows not what he does." I enjoyed reading about her life and what she went through that made her into what she is today. This is definitely a book worth reading for all.

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Summary: Ignorance is Still Bliss when it comes to corporate America
Review: I read this book and I am MORE encouraged in my own fight against a large corporation that I felt discriminated against me. Needless to say Ms. Roberts felt she had to tell her story and IN HER OWN WORDS she did so. That included recalling the trials and tribulations of her own life growing up to the present (as all these mentally damaging things were going on.) For other reviewers to say "too much about Roberts and too little about Texaco" just shows the ignorance that still exists. Her personal account reveals that racial discrimination is still happening today in THIS DAY AND AGE. If one wants to hear more about Texaco then let them read Texaco's account of what happened. Oh that's right, acccording to Texaco, they still believe that they did nothing wrong... I rather hear from the personal accounts of those involved- to see the REAL toll of what racism does to people rather than hear a bunch of corporate and legal BS.

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Summary: One Admirable Woman's Story; One Company's Shame
Review: I regret that this story is written "with Jack E. White" and not told by Roberts herself. The value of this book is primarily as a personal memoir. As told by White, it is a rather superficial, though intimate, personal outline of Roberts' life--the difficult time she had growing up, her ill-fated marriage, her strength and ambition in the face of adversity. I came away from the book admiring Roberts for her courage and determination, and appalled at Texaco's corporate culture, its hierarchy and unforgiveable prejudice. Were it not for anti-discrimination law, Texaco's sins would have remained hidden and unrectified. Until further notice, I'll certainly be buying my gasoline anywhere else!

Rating:
Summary: One Admirable Woman's Story; One Company's Shame
Review: I regret that this story is written "with Jack E. White" and not told by Roberts herself. The value of this book is primarily as a personal memoir. As told by White, it is a rather superficial, though intimate, personal outline of Roberts' life--the difficult time she had growing up, her ill-fated marriage, her strength and ambition in the face of adversity. I came away from the book admiring Roberts for her courage and determination, and appalled at Texaco's corporate culture, its hierarchy and unforgiveable prejudice. Were it not for anti-discrimination law, Texaco's sins would have remained hidden and unrectified. Until further notice, I'll certainly be buying my gasoline anywhere else!

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Summary: Brave and motivational. Very true and a reality check.
Review: Ms. Roberts book was so real it was frightening to think that racism that she experienced still exists and is getting worse.

The good thing is that the book gives you hope and makes a model corporation out of Texaco in the end. By the year 2002, all major corporation will look to Texaco as a leader in real diversity.

Look at Denny's and AT&T and other companies that have had racial/discrimination charges and we see exactly what Ms. Roberts is talking about.

She is a brave woman to tell the story must African Americans were too afraid to speak about.

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Summary: An Eye-Opening View of Overcoming Corporate Racism
Review: Roberts vs. Texaco,a true story of race and corporate America, started a little slow, depicting Bari-Ellen Roberts' life since childhood. At first, I didn't know why it went into such detail, but as I read along, I understood how all of the pieces in her life connected to the storyline.
Throughout her life, Bari-Ellen was faced with overt, institutional, and implicit racism. As she entered Texaco's workforce, the racist philosophies were the worst she had ever seen. The book depicts the monumental challenges she faced in such a hostile environment. (The glass ceiling and the "good-old-boy" network.) The effects of this, along with hitting the glass ceiling/"brick wall" was enough for her and a core group of others to spark a class action lawsuit which cost the company the largest discrimination settlement in U.S. history. One hundred and seventy-six million dollars!
This book did an excellent job by not focusing solely the lawsuit aspects. Bari-Ellen put a lot of herself into writing this book. I enjoyed reading about her family issues and personal opinions as the case was pending. The outcome was emotionally touching and inspiring.

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Summary: Ignorance is Still Bliss when it comes to corporate America
Review: This book is not a success story. It is a sad tale which only reinforces the notion that the only prospects black Americans have for success in this world are either as athletes, entertainers, or as those lucky enough to be in a position to reap the benefits of an ( ) scheme against rich corporations. Make no mistake - Roberts is no hero. The best thing that ever happened to her was that she found herself fortunate to be working at a corporation thrust into the national spotlight because of "incriminating" tapes of Texaco executive referring to "black jellybeans" stuck to the bottom of the jar. Public relations and perception forced Texaco to settle the way that it did. But if anyone out there thinks that blacks are, or will be in a better position because a select few lawyers got to split up 176 million dollars, they are as foolish as they are blind. And Roberts is as greedy as she is disingenuous - pretending as if she struck a blow against racism - when the only thing she really did was get rich. She tries to pretend as if she did it for all blacks, but let's see how much of that money Roberts puts into fighting racism and how much she elects to keep for herself.