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A Way Out of No Way: A Memoir of Truth, Transformation, and the New American Story
On the heels of his historic election to the United States Senate, Raphael G. Warnock shares his remarkable spiritual and personal journey.
“Sparkling… a narrative of an extraordinary life, from impoverished beginnings in Savannah to his arrival on Capitol Hill. Along the way, he reflects with considerable candor and insight on the meaning and importance of faith, truth-telling and political and social redemption.”— The New York Times Book Review
“A compelling, insightful memoir that details an extraordinary journey.” — Bryan Stevenson
Senator Reverend Raphael G. Warnock occupies a singular place in American life. As senior pastor of Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church, and now as a senator from Georgia, he is the rare voice who can call out the uncomfortable truths that shape contemporary American life and, at a time of division , summon us all to a higher moral ground.
Senator Warnock grew up in the Kayton Homes housing projects in Savannah, the eleventh of twelve children. His dad was a World War II veteran, and as a teenager his mom picked tobacco and cotton in rural Georgia. Both were Pentecostal preachers. After graduating from Morehouse College, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s alma mater, Senator Warnock studied for a decade at Union Theological Seminary while serving at Harlem’s Abyssinian Baptist Church. At thirty-five, he became the senior pastor at Ebenezer, where Dr. King had preached and served.
In January 2021, Senator Warnock won a runoff election that flipped control of the Senate at one of the most pivotal moments in recent American history. He is the first Black senator from Georgia, only the eleventh Black senator in American history, and just the second Black senator from the South since Reconstruction. As he said in his maiden speech from the well of the senate, Senator Warnock’s improbable journey reflects the ongoing toggle between the pain and promise of the American story.
A powerful preacher and a leading voice for voting rights and democracy, Senator Warnock has a once-in-a-generation gift to inspire and lead us forward. A Way Out of No Way tells his remarkable story for the first time.
“Sparkling… a narrative of an extraordinary life, from impoverished beginnings in Savannah to his arrival on Capitol Hill. Along the way, he reflects with considerable candor and insight on the meaning and importance of faith, truth-telling and political and social redemption.”— The New York Times Book Review
“A compelling, insightful memoir that details an extraordinary journey.” — Bryan Stevenson
Senator Reverend Raphael G. Warnock occupies a singular place in American life. As senior pastor of Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church, and now as a senator from Georgia, he is the rare voice who can call out the uncomfortable truths that shape contemporary American life and, at a time of division , summon us all to a higher moral ground.
Senator Warnock grew up in the Kayton Homes housing projects in Savannah, the eleventh of twelve children. His dad was a World War II veteran, and as a teenager his mom picked tobacco and cotton in rural Georgia. Both were Pentecostal preachers. After graduating from Morehouse College, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s alma mater, Senator Warnock studied for a decade at Union Theological Seminary while serving at Harlem’s Abyssinian Baptist Church. At thirty-five, he became the senior pastor at Ebenezer, where Dr. King had preached and served.
In January 2021, Senator Warnock won a runoff election that flipped control of the Senate at one of the most pivotal moments in recent American history. He is the first Black senator from Georgia, only the eleventh Black senator in American history, and just the second Black senator from the South since Reconstruction. As he said in his maiden speech from the well of the senate, Senator Warnock’s improbable journey reflects the ongoing toggle between the pain and promise of the American story.
A powerful preacher and a leading voice for voting rights and democracy, Senator Warnock has a once-in-a-generation gift to inspire and lead us forward. A Way Out of No Way tells his remarkable story for the first time.
288 pages, Hardcover
Published June 14, 2022
82 people are currently reading
518 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 75 reviews
August 12, 2022
Clearly a ghost-written campaign prep book, but a well-done example of the genre, and the info was interesting and helpful, as I knew nothing about Rev. Warnock's background.
"I grew up watching Dad work to the point of exhaustion every day and still fall short of the ability to provide fully for our family. But, thanks to the assistance of the federal government, my family never lived outdoors, we never went hungry, and I never missed out on an opportunity to learn. As a preschooler, I attended Head Start, a program aimed at helping to prepare children from low-income families for school. In high school, I was accepted into the Upward Bound program and spent Saturday mornings and six weeks during the summer on the campus of Savannah State College for enrichment in math, English, and science. When it came time for college, I received Pell Grants and low-interest student loans that helped to pay my way. These were all good, federally financed programs that have given America's poor children a chance and lifted poor Black children from the sunken places caused by generations of willful racism" (29).
Warnock comes from an illustrious tradition of Black theology and scholarship, having attended Morehouse, been taught by Delores Williams, Vincent Wimbush, James Melvin Washington, Carolyn Ann Knight, and James H Cone at Union. He also studied with Phyllis Trible (of Texts of Terror fame), Christopher Morse, Larry Rasmussen, Robin Scroggs.
I hadn't realized that Freeman A. Hrabowski III, long-time president of the University of Maryland who has transformed it into a machine for turning out black STEM PhDs, grew up a t Sixth Avenue Baptist Church in Birmingham, where Warnock interned.
When he was in Baltimore, was invited to offer the prayer at the opening of the legislative session. Planned a standard prayer but learned they were debating a moratorium on the death penalty. He prayed "remind us that every Sunday we preach and sing in the name of a death row inmate, a man born in a barrio called Bethlehem, raised in a ghetto called Nazareth, a man who was brought before the state on trumped-up charges, convicted by the state without due process, and executed one dark Friday . . . God declares solidarity with the most marginalized, those on the underside of justice." (110)
Describes how they organized to take busloads of New Orleans residents back to vote, and how they organized it from the room where MLK organized the Poor People's Campaign in the last months of his life. "King was, by all accounts, quite despondent in those days. His staff had not seen him laugh in a long while." (147) - this was just so sad to me.
Ebenezer teamed with the Temple, the oldest Jewish congregation in Atlanta, to create a Record Restriction Summit - a one-stop shop for getting an expungement. "The program has brought together representatives of law enforcement, the District Attorney's Office, and the courts on a Saturday and condensed the usual 120-day process for Fulton County residents into a single day. They also have a Multifaith Initiative to end Mass Incarceration.
Describes Stacey Abrams's New Georgia Project to register low-propensity voters b/c "the demographics of Georgia were changin gand that research showed there were 800,000 to 1 million eligible but unregistered voters of color in Georgia. She had already raised the funds to hire and train canvassers to go into the neighborhoods, find these potential voters, and register them to vote." (182)
"The heart and soul of the nation were at risk. With a demagogue occupying the White House and giving his tacit approval, white supremacy was on the rise. The nearly four years of the Donald Trump presidency had seen a resurgence of unabashed, unashamed bigotry on a scale that I had not witnessed before in my lifetime" (199).
"African Americans, many of whom were newly registered, showed up at the polls in unprecedented numbers for both the November 2020 presidential race and the Georgia Senate races. And those votes played a crucial role in unseating an incredulous Trump and sending me and Jon Ossoff to the Senate. The former president's continued claims of widespread voter fraud are just his way of saying that the votes of certain people don't count, can't count, and can't be real because the election outcomes was not consistent with the myth of white supremacy. . . .. January 5 represents the hope of an America moving closer to our ideal. But January 6 reveals the dark, ugly underbelly. Both are true." (210).
"In the months following the November 2020 election, state legislatures controlled by Republicans introduced at least two hundred fifty voter suppression bills, using voter fraud as a false pretext . . . this is Jim Crow in new clothes" (213).
The American Rescue Plan also provided help to another group that had been suffering long before the pandemic: Black farmers. Their plight has been on my radar for years as I followed news accounts of the USDA's admission of long-term discrimination against Black farmers in lending and financing practices. . . . I heard from Black farmers, who for decades were unable to get the kind fo financing made readily available to white farmers and, as a result, have been saddled with huge debt and the threat of losing their farms. Their dwindling numbers tell the tale: in 1920, Black farmers accounted for 14 percent of all farmers in the United States, but by 2017 their numbers had shrunk to just 1.4 percent. Implementation blocked by suit filed by Stephen Miller. (218).
I initially picked this up b/c I'm following a thread about the phrase "making a way out of no way" and I was disappointed that, unless I skimmed over it somewhere, he never addresses his use of that phrase for the title. It comes out of the Black Christian tradition, so it makes sense - but I had hoped to hear what it meant for him in particular.
"I grew up watching Dad work to the point of exhaustion every day and still fall short of the ability to provide fully for our family. But, thanks to the assistance of the federal government, my family never lived outdoors, we never went hungry, and I never missed out on an opportunity to learn. As a preschooler, I attended Head Start, a program aimed at helping to prepare children from low-income families for school. In high school, I was accepted into the Upward Bound program and spent Saturday mornings and six weeks during the summer on the campus of Savannah State College for enrichment in math, English, and science. When it came time for college, I received Pell Grants and low-interest student loans that helped to pay my way. These were all good, federally financed programs that have given America's poor children a chance and lifted poor Black children from the sunken places caused by generations of willful racism" (29).
Warnock comes from an illustrious tradition of Black theology and scholarship, having attended Morehouse, been taught by Delores Williams, Vincent Wimbush, James Melvin Washington, Carolyn Ann Knight, and James H Cone at Union. He also studied with Phyllis Trible (of Texts of Terror fame), Christopher Morse, Larry Rasmussen, Robin Scroggs.
I hadn't realized that Freeman A. Hrabowski III, long-time president of the University of Maryland who has transformed it into a machine for turning out black STEM PhDs, grew up a t Sixth Avenue Baptist Church in Birmingham, where Warnock interned.
When he was in Baltimore, was invited to offer the prayer at the opening of the legislative session. Planned a standard prayer but learned they were debating a moratorium on the death penalty. He prayed "remind us that every Sunday we preach and sing in the name of a death row inmate, a man born in a barrio called Bethlehem, raised in a ghetto called Nazareth, a man who was brought before the state on trumped-up charges, convicted by the state without due process, and executed one dark Friday . . . God declares solidarity with the most marginalized, those on the underside of justice." (110)
Describes how they organized to take busloads of New Orleans residents back to vote, and how they organized it from the room where MLK organized the Poor People's Campaign in the last months of his life. "King was, by all accounts, quite despondent in those days. His staff had not seen him laugh in a long while." (147) - this was just so sad to me.
Ebenezer teamed with the Temple, the oldest Jewish congregation in Atlanta, to create a Record Restriction Summit - a one-stop shop for getting an expungement. "The program has brought together representatives of law enforcement, the District Attorney's Office, and the courts on a Saturday and condensed the usual 120-day process for Fulton County residents into a single day. They also have a Multifaith Initiative to end Mass Incarceration.
Describes Stacey Abrams's New Georgia Project to register low-propensity voters b/c "the demographics of Georgia were changin gand that research showed there were 800,000 to 1 million eligible but unregistered voters of color in Georgia. She had already raised the funds to hire and train canvassers to go into the neighborhoods, find these potential voters, and register them to vote." (182)
"The heart and soul of the nation were at risk. With a demagogue occupying the White House and giving his tacit approval, white supremacy was on the rise. The nearly four years of the Donald Trump presidency had seen a resurgence of unabashed, unashamed bigotry on a scale that I had not witnessed before in my lifetime" (199).
"African Americans, many of whom were newly registered, showed up at the polls in unprecedented numbers for both the November 2020 presidential race and the Georgia Senate races. And those votes played a crucial role in unseating an incredulous Trump and sending me and Jon Ossoff to the Senate. The former president's continued claims of widespread voter fraud are just his way of saying that the votes of certain people don't count, can't count, and can't be real because the election outcomes was not consistent with the myth of white supremacy. . . .. January 5 represents the hope of an America moving closer to our ideal. But January 6 reveals the dark, ugly underbelly. Both are true." (210).
"In the months following the November 2020 election, state legislatures controlled by Republicans introduced at least two hundred fifty voter suppression bills, using voter fraud as a false pretext . . . this is Jim Crow in new clothes" (213).
The American Rescue Plan also provided help to another group that had been suffering long before the pandemic: Black farmers. Their plight has been on my radar for years as I followed news accounts of the USDA's admission of long-term discrimination against Black farmers in lending and financing practices. . . . I heard from Black farmers, who for decades were unable to get the kind fo financing made readily available to white farmers and, as a result, have been saddled with huge debt and the threat of losing their farms. Their dwindling numbers tell the tale: in 1920, Black farmers accounted for 14 percent of all farmers in the United States, but by 2017 their numbers had shrunk to just 1.4 percent. Implementation blocked by suit filed by Stephen Miller. (218).
I initially picked this up b/c I'm following a thread about the phrase "making a way out of no way" and I was disappointed that, unless I skimmed over it somewhere, he never addresses his use of that phrase for the title. It comes out of the Black Christian tradition, so it makes sense - but I had hoped to hear what it meant for him in particular.
October 3, 2022
Just gotta read books by all the people I may or may not vote for in November. This was relatively enjoyable as far as political autobiographies go. In other words, it was an actual autobiography rather than a thinly veiled stump speech. I get why Warnock is for the form of government he endorses; it has served him incredibly well in his own life.
Now to read one of Herschel’s two books: a 2008 autobiography focusing on dissociative identity disorder OR his 1985 “Basic Training” book on how he became one of the most athletic men to ever live. It may not make me a more informed voter, but I’m inclined to read the latter.
Now to read one of Herschel’s two books: a 2008 autobiography focusing on dissociative identity disorder OR his 1985 “Basic Training” book on how he became one of the most athletic men to ever live. It may not make me a more informed voter, but I’m inclined to read the latter.
November 25, 2022
I saw this book when I was making a pickup at the library recently, and I really wanted to know more about Senator Warnock. I’ve been phone banking to support him and knew his positions on issues but here was a book written by himself and I wanted to gain more insight into the man. I was impressed. I loved his use of a quote by the late Rep. John Lewis which explains the title of his book:
“Do not get lost in a sea of despair. Do not become bitter or hostile. Be hopeful. Be optimistic. Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble. We will find a way to make a way out of no way.”
After reading the book, my mind is blown even further by the fact that we’re even engaged in a run-off election between a highly educated, inspirational man who cares and works hard to Georgians and a brain damaged man who makes idiotic statements and whose only claim to fame is that he was once a football star. His supporters are mostly white people, which shows to go ya that Racism is alive and well in Georgia. These white voters are willing to vote for a black man because they know Walker is in lock step with their orange god, TFG.
Enough of that. Back to the book. Here are some of the things I learned about Rev. Warnock: his parents were hard working people that were underpaid to the point that they needed to rely on government assistance. The family lived in a housing project. Still, faith was strong in that family and Warnock began preaching at a very young age.
As a teenager, he became enamored of Rev. Martin Luther King. He realized that King’s mission was not only to spread God’s word but to act on it by bringing about social justice in a peaceful manner. Warnock listened to Rev. King’s recorded messages and began teaching himself to sound and preach more like King.
Warnock was able to get enough financial aid and scholarships to be able to attend first Morehouse College, which is where King and so many other activists began their education post high school. He went on to earn his Masters and Doctorate. He’s been the preacher at several churches involved in social activism and, lately, at Ebeneezer Baptist Church. That’s where Martin Luther King Jr. and his father were ministers.
What a prestigious pedigree and what awesome work he’s already completed both at the churches and as a Senator from Georgia. He won that seat in 2020 and that was a run-off election too. After two years of his hard, steady work I guess some Georgians were afraid of where he was heading and decided to support the decidedly weaker candidate.
I have to admit there were places that the book dragged. There was a lot of name dropping and a lot of pats on the back. Those pats were well deserved and I just skipped over the parts with names I totally didn’t recognize.
I am glad I read the book and even gladder that I will be volunteering time to help Rev. Warnock get re-elected to the Senate.
“Do not get lost in a sea of despair. Do not become bitter or hostile. Be hopeful. Be optimistic. Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble. We will find a way to make a way out of no way.”
After reading the book, my mind is blown even further by the fact that we’re even engaged in a run-off election between a highly educated, inspirational man who cares and works hard to Georgians and a brain damaged man who makes idiotic statements and whose only claim to fame is that he was once a football star. His supporters are mostly white people, which shows to go ya that Racism is alive and well in Georgia. These white voters are willing to vote for a black man because they know Walker is in lock step with their orange god, TFG.
Enough of that. Back to the book. Here are some of the things I learned about Rev. Warnock: his parents were hard working people that were underpaid to the point that they needed to rely on government assistance. The family lived in a housing project. Still, faith was strong in that family and Warnock began preaching at a very young age.
As a teenager, he became enamored of Rev. Martin Luther King. He realized that King’s mission was not only to spread God’s word but to act on it by bringing about social justice in a peaceful manner. Warnock listened to Rev. King’s recorded messages and began teaching himself to sound and preach more like King.
Warnock was able to get enough financial aid and scholarships to be able to attend first Morehouse College, which is where King and so many other activists began their education post high school. He went on to earn his Masters and Doctorate. He’s been the preacher at several churches involved in social activism and, lately, at Ebeneezer Baptist Church. That’s where Martin Luther King Jr. and his father were ministers.
What a prestigious pedigree and what awesome work he’s already completed both at the churches and as a Senator from Georgia. He won that seat in 2020 and that was a run-off election too. After two years of his hard, steady work I guess some Georgians were afraid of where he was heading and decided to support the decidedly weaker candidate.
I have to admit there were places that the book dragged. There was a lot of name dropping and a lot of pats on the back. Those pats were well deserved and I just skipped over the parts with names I totally didn’t recognize.
I am glad I read the book and even gladder that I will be volunteering time to help Rev. Warnock get re-elected to the Senate.
August 2, 2022
Warnock and his fellow Georgia Senator, Jon Ossoff, surprised and delighted a lot of people when they won their respective seats in early January 2021 in a run-off election. Warnock is up again in 2022 for a full-term and as per usual, here's a book of his for the voters to get to know him (once again) since he is now asking them to re-send him to the Senate.
As you can imagine it's a book about his life: his early years and family, going to school, his involvement with the church, how he eventually became involved in politics, etc. Depending on your interest (the religious aspects were not for me), this is probably a pretty good way to get to know Warnock, especially if you're not a political junkie and/or you don't live in Georgia.
Not much more to say. There isn't stuff that is nitty gritty nor anything that was offensive (as something for public consumption and that he's up for re-election, obviously it'd be combed over for opposition research and all that). So if you're looking for gossip about Ossoff or Georgia politics, this isn't really it (he also doesn't seem like the type anyway), but if you're looking to learn more about a rising star in the US Senate, this might be a good pick up.
Borrowed from the library and that was best for me. If you're a voter this is probably not a book that will change your mind in any way, but if you're looking to inform yourself prior to voting, this certainly wouldn't be a bad pickup if you have the time to finish before the election. Maybe a good bargain buy if you're looking to digest it on your time.
As you can imagine it's a book about his life: his early years and family, going to school, his involvement with the church, how he eventually became involved in politics, etc. Depending on your interest (the religious aspects were not for me), this is probably a pretty good way to get to know Warnock, especially if you're not a political junkie and/or you don't live in Georgia.
Not much more to say. There isn't stuff that is nitty gritty nor anything that was offensive (as something for public consumption and that he's up for re-election, obviously it'd be combed over for opposition research and all that). So if you're looking for gossip about Ossoff or Georgia politics, this isn't really it (he also doesn't seem like the type anyway), but if you're looking to learn more about a rising star in the US Senate, this might be a good pick up.
Borrowed from the library and that was best for me. If you're a voter this is probably not a book that will change your mind in any way, but if you're looking to inform yourself prior to voting, this certainly wouldn't be a bad pickup if you have the time to finish before the election. Maybe a good bargain buy if you're looking to digest it on your time.
June 26, 2022
I could have read this in one sitting. It probably helps that Senator Warnock is a preacher, but he has an easy storytelling manner that makes the pages go by.
Even if he hadn't gotten into politics, his would be a fascinating story. Most of this memoir is about tracing his path from a childhood in Savannah, to being the first in his family to go college at Morehouse, to his post-graduate work in New York, his first church in Baltimore, before returning to Atlanta to become senior pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church. Warnock is not just a reverend, he is a social activist as well. He has worked to eradicate prejudice, end the mass incarceration of Black and brown men, and end the death penalty. His decision to enter politics and run for the U.S. Senate is the most recent part of his life, so there's not much of the book dedicated to it.
Which might be my only criticism. Warnock really skims the surface of his life, not going into a lot of details. You get a sense of who he is and what he's become, but not much more than that. Some of what he discusses could have benefited from more detail. For example, the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. influences a lot of Warnock's choices about what he wanted to do in his own life, but there's not a lot of detail. He mentions mentors, but doesn't really talk about how they helped or shaped him. That level of detail could have enhanced this memoir.
Perhaps he's saving that for a future book or two, but for now, this is a good introduction to the first Black Senator from Georgia.
Even if he hadn't gotten into politics, his would be a fascinating story. Most of this memoir is about tracing his path from a childhood in Savannah, to being the first in his family to go college at Morehouse, to his post-graduate work in New York, his first church in Baltimore, before returning to Atlanta to become senior pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church. Warnock is not just a reverend, he is a social activist as well. He has worked to eradicate prejudice, end the mass incarceration of Black and brown men, and end the death penalty. His decision to enter politics and run for the U.S. Senate is the most recent part of his life, so there's not much of the book dedicated to it.
Which might be my only criticism. Warnock really skims the surface of his life, not going into a lot of details. You get a sense of who he is and what he's become, but not much more than that. Some of what he discusses could have benefited from more detail. For example, the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. influences a lot of Warnock's choices about what he wanted to do in his own life, but there's not a lot of detail. He mentions mentors, but doesn't really talk about how they helped or shaped him. That level of detail could have enhanced this memoir.
Perhaps he's saving that for a future book or two, but for now, this is a good introduction to the first Black Senator from Georgia.
August 7, 2022
Thank you for the Senator and Reverend for his honest and inspiring memoir. I didn't know much about Mr. Warnock, so I was very curious to find out about him when this book came out. His role as an activist minister was eye-opening and it seemed politics was the next logical step, as he wanted to change the country in a positive way on a national scale. I say that we need more politicians like Mr. Warnock, those who want to serve the people, instead of making a name for themselves and becoming rich. I hope more well-meaning people like him with community service and activist backgrounds will go into politics, rather than the self-serving people who seem to be serving in Congress today. (And they come from both sides of the political aisle).
July 20, 2022
I've admired Rev. Warnock ever sincenI first heard him speak. His book is interesting, inspiring and hopeful.
I am always intrigued by people who have every reason to be bitter, but somehow continue to see the good all around us, remain hopeful and faithful to God, and to be always working to make things better for all of us. Rafael is one of these people!
I am always intrigued by people who have every reason to be bitter, but somehow continue to see the good all around us, remain hopeful and faithful to God, and to be always working to make things better for all of us. Rafael is one of these people!
July 17, 2023
Curious about our new senator, I thought I'd give his book a read, and I'm glad I did. It was good and encouraging to hear his story from his perspective and to understand what he is passionate for and why.
I found myself wanting more information about his pastoring experience, and more about his personal family life, as they are mostly omitted from the book.
I found myself wanting more information about his pastoring experience, and more about his personal family life, as they are mostly omitted from the book.
June 30, 2022
Wonderful!
July 2, 2023
This ought to be required reading. Never preachy, always honest.
September 18, 2023
I voted for Warnock because his opponent was a joke. Having read this, I will vote for the senator again regardless of who his next opponent may be.
January 25, 2024
Political biographies are often very dry. I enjoyed a lot of this book especially when he talked about his life as a pastor. As far as these types of books go it was fine!
July 18, 2022
Interesting read to learn about this new Georgia senator. I especially loved hearing his speech in the Senate that is added to the end of the audiobook!
July 6, 2022
Memoir of a brilliant, highly motivated man, who made the most of the opportunities given to him. Fascinating look into a religion and culture different from mine.
July 2, 2022
Reading this I realized how little I know about Sen. Warnock (which fair enough, I'm not his constituent and only became aware of him during the Georgia runoffs) but he does have a fascinating life. This is the type of memoir I don't prefer, which focuses on career trajectory rather than delves deep into personal history (though this does have both) and so there weren't as many nuggets for my nosiness to latch onto, but still a quick read. Hope the people of Georgia do right by themselves and send him back to the Senate.
August 31, 2023
Fascinating. I enjoyed his story.
February 6, 2023
Wonderful book. I understand a lot more about this Georgia Senator whom I admire so much.
I've voted for him each time he ran. I'm glad to be represented by him.
I've voted for him each time he ran. I'm glad to be represented by him.
July 1, 2022
I would vote for him, again!
November 30, 2024
I purchased this book from the gift shop at the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta in Nov. 2022 while I was there supporting Sen. Warnock's reelection campaign. Sen. Warnock is Georgia's first African American Senator, only the 11th in the nation's history. He is also the pastor of Atlanta's Ebenezer Baptist Church, the very church where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr was a co pastor with his father, who was pastor there for 40 years. I learned nearly as much about the King family from this autobiography/memoir as I did about Sen. Warnock, including about King Sr's political activism and role in getting both JFK and Jimmy Carter elected president.
Sen. Warnock's unique life, faith-driven activism, and political analysis would be sufficient material for this book, but the history of the King family, his relationship with important political figures such as John Lewis and Stacey Abrams (and of course Jon Ossoff) provide a fascinating history of Georgia politics and activism. He offers a detailed discussion of his own activism in HIV/AIDs awareness, Medicaid expansion, and voting rights, all tied in part to his work as a pastor. The discussion of his faith is threaded throughout, though from a standpoint of his perspective and not to preach. Given that he balances being a U.S. Senator with serving as pastor to one of the most widely known churches in the U.S., I'd love to see his voice elevated in contrast to the frequent political rhetoric that evokes religion as an excuse to limit the rights of others.
Sen. Warnock's unique life, faith-driven activism, and political analysis would be sufficient material for this book, but the history of the King family, his relationship with important political figures such as John Lewis and Stacey Abrams (and of course Jon Ossoff) provide a fascinating history of Georgia politics and activism. He offers a detailed discussion of his own activism in HIV/AIDs awareness, Medicaid expansion, and voting rights, all tied in part to his work as a pastor. The discussion of his faith is threaded throughout, though from a standpoint of his perspective and not to preach. Given that he balances being a U.S. Senator with serving as pastor to one of the most widely known churches in the U.S., I'd love to see his voice elevated in contrast to the frequent political rhetoric that evokes religion as an excuse to limit the rights of others.
June 26, 2022
A really great read. I’ve been impressed when I’ve seen him speak on tv and now I’m even more impressed with the great senator from Georgia.
November 11, 2022
The Rev. Dr. Raphael Warnock describes himself as “not a senator who used to be a pastor, but a pastor in the Senate.” This book is the inspiring story of his life and the lives of many other Black religious leaders/political activists who came before him. I love his quote about religious people participating in political activism: “This is making grace real and changing people’s lives.”
August 19, 2022
A quick read. Inspiring personal story. He certainly has my support. I’d vote for him for president for sure. Some of it was a bit self-serving, but given what he has accomplished, he has earned all that touting.
March 21, 2023
A remarkable journey by the son of a junk man to a preacher at Martin Luther King's former church and recently, to US Senator. This man represents the best of people who make it into politics.
February 28, 2023
Even though I do not live in Georgia, I have twice written letters to Georgia voters to encourage them to support Raphael Warnock for U.S. Senate. I was ecstatic that he won in both January 2021 and December 2022! When I saw his book, I definitely wanted to read it and find out more about his life and how he, as a southern pastor, came to run for the Senate.
Reading Dr. Warnock’s book, I came to deeply admire this man. He comes from a religious family; both parents have served as pastors and have fought for social justice. Growing up in an economically disadvantaged home, the eleventh of twelve children, his early opportunities are a great testament to our federal programs. He attended Head Start as a preschooler, Upward Bound in high school, and took advantage of academic enrichment courses. He received Pel grants and low-interest loans to finance his education at Morehouse College, Dr. Martin Luther King’s alma mater. He studied at Union Theological Seminary while serving at the Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem. Throughout his life, even starting in childhood, Warnock emerged as a strong leader. He threw himself into his work at every level. Eventually, Dr. Warnock came to be the lead pastor at Ebenezer Baptist, where Dr. King had preached.
I think what spurred Raphael Warnock to become passionate about civil rights was the imprisonment of his much-revered older brother Keith, who was a police officer found guilty of trumped up drug charges that landed him a lifetime prison sentence. The incredible unfairness of this circumstance was an ongoing heaviness for Raphael, as he could not get justice for his brother. Keith was finally released to home confinement after spending decades in prison, when COVID hit, and nonviolent prisoners were sent home.
Rep. John Lewis said, “Do not get lost in a sea of despair. Do not become bitter or hostile. Be hopeful. Be optimistic. Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble. We will find a way to make a way out of no way.”—John Lewis' quote is the inspiration for this memoir’s title, and it’s supremely relevant to Warnock’s world view, and to his work.
During Warnock's maiden speech to Congress in March of 2021, he spoke out strongly in favor of the voting rights act, called For The People Act: "...as a man of faith, I believe that democracy is the political enactment of a spiritual idea: the sacred worth of all human beings, the notion that we all have within us a spark of the divine and a right to participate in the shaping of our destiny. Reinhold Neibuhr was right: "Humanity's capacity for justice makes democracy possible; but humanity's inclination to injustice makes democracy necessary."" Sadly, the voting rights act did not pass.
At the end, Warnock says, “I love our country. I love it enough to hold up a mirror so that we might see ourselves in all our beauty, complexity, and imperfection, and work to do better….With vision and courage, we can live up to the promise and the power of our name (United States) We can take all of the broken and beautiful pieces of our complicated American story, and weld them together in a new chapter of hope and possibilities. We the people are called to this moment.”
Reading Dr. Warnock’s book, I came to deeply admire this man. He comes from a religious family; both parents have served as pastors and have fought for social justice. Growing up in an economically disadvantaged home, the eleventh of twelve children, his early opportunities are a great testament to our federal programs. He attended Head Start as a preschooler, Upward Bound in high school, and took advantage of academic enrichment courses. He received Pel grants and low-interest loans to finance his education at Morehouse College, Dr. Martin Luther King’s alma mater. He studied at Union Theological Seminary while serving at the Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem. Throughout his life, even starting in childhood, Warnock emerged as a strong leader. He threw himself into his work at every level. Eventually, Dr. Warnock came to be the lead pastor at Ebenezer Baptist, where Dr. King had preached.
I think what spurred Raphael Warnock to become passionate about civil rights was the imprisonment of his much-revered older brother Keith, who was a police officer found guilty of trumped up drug charges that landed him a lifetime prison sentence. The incredible unfairness of this circumstance was an ongoing heaviness for Raphael, as he could not get justice for his brother. Keith was finally released to home confinement after spending decades in prison, when COVID hit, and nonviolent prisoners were sent home.
Rep. John Lewis said, “Do not get lost in a sea of despair. Do not become bitter or hostile. Be hopeful. Be optimistic. Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble. We will find a way to make a way out of no way.”—John Lewis' quote is the inspiration for this memoir’s title, and it’s supremely relevant to Warnock’s world view, and to his work.
During Warnock's maiden speech to Congress in March of 2021, he spoke out strongly in favor of the voting rights act, called For The People Act: "...as a man of faith, I believe that democracy is the political enactment of a spiritual idea: the sacred worth of all human beings, the notion that we all have within us a spark of the divine and a right to participate in the shaping of our destiny. Reinhold Neibuhr was right: "Humanity's capacity for justice makes democracy possible; but humanity's inclination to injustice makes democracy necessary."" Sadly, the voting rights act did not pass.
At the end, Warnock says, “I love our country. I love it enough to hold up a mirror so that we might see ourselves in all our beauty, complexity, and imperfection, and work to do better….With vision and courage, we can live up to the promise and the power of our name (United States) We can take all of the broken and beautiful pieces of our complicated American story, and weld them together in a new chapter of hope and possibilities. We the people are called to this moment.”
July 10, 2022
On January 5, 2020 Raphael Warnock was sworn in as the first elected Black senator from Georgia. Jon Ossoff was sworn in as the first elected Jewish senator from Georgia. Both men who, by their election, created a super-slim democrat majority in the United States Senate. And both men demonstrated, during their first year in office, a level of maturity and integrity somewhat lacking in recent years. A Way Out of No Way is a well written memoir introducing Raphael Warnock to the American public. While widely known in theological circles as pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church (Dr. Martin Luther King's home church), Warnock, who earned his doctorate in theology from Union Theological Seminary, emerged as a newcomer and underdog in his senatorial campaign. But just as his dedication and hard work led him out of the housing projects of Savanah, Georgia and into that national limelight so, too, did his spiritual life inform him of the social and political needs of the 21st century. Raphael Warnock is a good man, a good writer, a good pastor, and a good United States Senator. His memoir deserves to be read.
July 18, 2022
I loved this book, truly. It was an amazing quarantine read and written like a sermon yelling at you in that prophetic voice about all the issues you should be concerned with in preserving this democracy. What a fantastic representative the people of Georgia have, and what a phenomenal preacher he must be.
The writing reads exactly like a sermon, full of heart and emotion. The stories included are all relevant and the reader can easily see how they mold Senator Warnock into the representative he is today. The overarching narrative is a little too concise, I wish it were more exploratory in some regards, but nevertheless it weaves together this beautiful theme of the beloved community entangled with social justice. And the additional two appendixes are a nice touch, along with a beautiful cover and embossed silver work.
You will find me giving what I can to this campaign, even as a broke seminarian with too much student debt and doesn’t even make a livable wage. Because Warnock understands. He acts. And he is exactly what we need fighting for everyone going forward.
The writing reads exactly like a sermon, full of heart and emotion. The stories included are all relevant and the reader can easily see how they mold Senator Warnock into the representative he is today. The overarching narrative is a little too concise, I wish it were more exploratory in some regards, but nevertheless it weaves together this beautiful theme of the beloved community entangled with social justice. And the additional two appendixes are a nice touch, along with a beautiful cover and embossed silver work.
You will find me giving what I can to this campaign, even as a broke seminarian with too much student debt and doesn’t even make a livable wage. Because Warnock understands. He acts. And he is exactly what we need fighting for everyone going forward.
July 20, 2022
There is no denying that Raphael Warnock is a powerful and moral person with an interesting story. He was the 11th of 12 children born into a poor Savannah Georgia family. This book talks about his life and how it influenced his adult life. His parents were both preachers so it is no surprise that he chose to follow in their footsteps. It was imprinted into his soul and it was clear that he was a natural speaker and leader.
The fact that he championed for the underdog led him into a life in politics. He is now a Senator in Georgia and fully understands how a democracy works and does not work. I like how he compares the joys of January 5 and the feeling of hopefulness to the utter dismay on January 6 as people stormed the capital destroying our faith in democracy.
I have no doubt that he will lead people to do the right thing and I'm been inspired by listening to him speak. This book, although autobiographical, didn't seem to have the emotion and dynamics that he usually shows. He is a strong and respected person but this book just seems factual and flat
The fact that he championed for the underdog led him into a life in politics. He is now a Senator in Georgia and fully understands how a democracy works and does not work. I like how he compares the joys of January 5 and the feeling of hopefulness to the utter dismay on January 6 as people stormed the capital destroying our faith in democracy.
I have no doubt that he will lead people to do the right thing and I'm been inspired by listening to him speak. This book, although autobiographical, didn't seem to have the emotion and dynamics that he usually shows. He is a strong and respected person but this book just seems factual and flat
December 21, 2022
I read his book right after the runoff election. As a fellow Georgian and Unitarian I was inspired by his life story. Rafael Warnock is now one of Georgia’s US senators for the next 6 years. His biography is a story about a civil rights leader, scholar, pastor and Georgian. There is much to learn from his book. He grew up in a large blended family in Savannah. He graduated from Morehouse College and then moved to New York to study at Union University earning a master’s and PhD in theology. While a student he was an assistant pastor for 10 years at the Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem. His civil rights leadership was an integral part of his life as student and pastor. He then moved to Baltimore as pastor for 5 years continuing his work as activist and pastor. He became pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta in 2005.
May 1, 2023
Warnock's book was an encouraging and inspiring account not only of his personal journey but also of the efforts of underrepresented communities and voices to find representation, advocacy, and support at all levels of government in the course of the country's ongoing progress towards its founding values. Although I sometimes got lost in the details of the church communities and figures that Warnock described, I valued his presentation of a sensible dialogue between his personal values, public political views, and devotion to the needs of his constituents. Warnock's story, as both a minister and a politician, presents a hopeful account of how these spheres of both individual and communal life can work together to build a better country that serves the needs and well-being of all its people and works as a healthy representative democracy.
July 21, 2022
It's a joy to be able to sit quietly and read Raphael tell of his own life. The noise of ongoing political campaigns in Georgia doesn't allow for quietly reflecting what he brings to the job. Somehow we've lost that, but Dr. Warnock is bringing it back for us voters. This volume of his own life shares how he grew up in poverty and with the help of a loving family and programs such as Head Start and Upward Bound became committed to service at a very early age. And it's out of service that he ran for the Senate and is serving Georgia now. I especially appreciate the commencement address and sermon he includes and how he often shares he is standing on the shoulders of giants, both from his family and his community.
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