Just Call Me Lucky: The Life of Hezekiah Easter, the First African-American Legislator in Rockland County from Nyack, NY

Written in the first person, as a memoir, this book by Elizabeth Vallone narrates the fascinating life of Hezekiah Easter, the first African American Legislator of Rockland County. In it, you will discover a man with many talents, most of them kept private, who achieved so much in a period in which being African American would put you at a disfavor in a society that was still evolving, ever so slowly, from its dark past of human slavery. From his birth in the Deep South to his adolescence in Nyack, NY, and then his participation in WWII, you will learn how he made his life successful by being himself all the way through, with neither fear nor shame. You will also read of his job as a ‘spy’ in the Army, of his musical and languages abilities, and most of all of his political skills. The author collected the material for this book through a long series of encounters with Mr. Easter and created with it this marvelous recounting of his life that will enchant the readers, especially the ones from Rockland County.