ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Sheila Johnson \;is an American entrepreneur and philanthropist\, cofounder o f BET\, founder and CEO of Salamander Hotels &\; Resorts\, and the only African American woman to have a principal shareholder stake in three pro fessional sports teams.
\nABOUT THE BOOK:
\nThe cofounder of BET and first African American woman billionaire shares h er deeply personal journey through love and loss\, tragedy and triumph&mda sh\;an inspiring story of overcoming toxic influences\, discovering her tr ue self\, and at last finding happiness in her work and life.
\nFrom humble beginnings as a schoolgirl and young violinist in Maywood\, Illino is\, Sheila Johnson rose to become one of the most accomplished businesswo men in America. A cofounder of Black Entertainment Television\, she became an entrepreneur and philanthropist at the highest levels.
\nBut tha t success came at a painful personal cost.
\nSheila grew up in a mid dle-class family that encouraged her love of the arts and music. But her i dyllic childhood ended at age sixteen when her beloved father announced he was leaving for another woman\, an act that shattered her mother and dest royed Sheila&rsquo\;s trust. She vowed she&rsquo\;d never be in her mother &rsquo\;s position&mdash\;dependent on a man for her sense of self-worth a nd for financial security. Yet when she was barely out of her teens\, Shei la married a man who would take her right down that same unfortunate path.
\nFilled with sharply drawn\, emotionally powerful scenes\, \;W alk Through Fire \;traces the hardships Sheila faced in her marriage a nd her professional life. Despite her skills as a violinist and music teac her\, as well as her obvious entrepreneurial talent\, she had to fight to overcome self-doubt and fears of failure. Sheila vividly details her strug gles\, including battling institutional racism\, losing a child\, sufferin g emotional abuse in her thirty-three-year marriage\, and plunging into a deep depression with her divorce. And yet\, out of that pain came renewed purpose and meaning. In the third act of her life\, Sheila Johnson has not only made her mark as the founder of Salamander Hotels &\; Resorts and the only Black female co-owner of three professional sports teams\, she h as also\, finally\, found true love.
\nWalk Through Fire \;is a uniquely American success story. And it is the deeply personal portrait of one woman who\, despite heartache and obstacles\, finally found herself a nd her place in the world.
\nhttps://toledo.libnet.info/event/8931930 URL;VALUE=URI:https://toledo.libnet.info/event/8931930 ATTACH:https://static.libnet.info/images/events/toledo/Sheila_Johnson_EB.j pg END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR