Fannie Lou Hamer (Gateway Civil Rights) [Library Binding]

Penny Colman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1993 | Age Level: 7 and up | Series: Gateway Civil Rights

A biography of the civil rights activist who devoted her life to helping blacks register to vote and gain a national political voice.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 7 and up
  
• Library Binding: 32 pages
• Publisher: Millbrook Press (October 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1562943235
• ISBN-13: 978-1562943233
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.6 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,838,172 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Penny Colman writes about illustrious and fascinating women and a wide range of significant and intriguing topics in her award-winning books for all ages. Born in Denver, Colorado, in 1944, she grew up in North Warren, Pennsylvania, on the grounds of a state mental hospital, where her father was a psychiatrist. In 1960, she joined a group and rode her bicycle (plus took a few train rides) across the U.S. In 1964 she dropped out of college, worked in a frozen food factory in Sweden and hitchhiked throughout Europe, including to Turkey and Greece. Between 1965-1970, she graduated from college and graduate school, got married, and had three very close-in-age children. In 1987, as her children were graduating from high school, Penny Colman embarked on a freelance writing career and has been going full steam ever since.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One woman's role in the voting rights movement, April 5, 2001

By 

Michael J. Mazza - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Fannie Lou Hamer (Pb) (Gateway Civil Rights) (Paperback)

"Fannie Lou Hamer and the Fight for the Vote," by Penny Colman, is a powerful tribute to an important American leader. Hamer (1917-1977), a poor Mississippi sharecropper, was a driving force in the struggle to secure voting rights for poor African-Americans. This book, directed towards younger readers, effectively tells her story.

Colman combines a straightforward text with many historic photographs. The book begins with the dramatic story of the 1964 Democratic Convention, during which Hamer took a stand against the suppression of black people within the Mississippi Democratic establishment. An interesting supplement within the text describes Hamer's influence on singer/songwriter Bernice Reagon. Another such supplement discusses the "freedom songs" that inspired civil rights heroes like Hamer.

Hamer's story is an important one, and more children and adults, regardless of race, should be made aware of her achievements. My thanks to Penny Colman for this well-done book.