The history of black women in America is one of adversity as well as of reaching, stretching, and striving to succeed. Here are the stories of ten women from ordinary beginnings who overcame racism and sexism, from escaped slave Ellen Craft to Olympic gold medalist Jackie Joyner-Kersee. Photos Ages 9-14. Pub: 2/98. .
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From School Library Journal
Grade 6-10?Bolden presents 10 African-American women who have made significant contributions to American life in spite of racial and gender barriers. Many of the individuals profiled are well known, but some of the lesser-known subjects' stories also make for inspiring reading. Bolden tells of Ellen Craft and her husband, who escaped from slavery by posing as a sickly young man and his slave. One of the most unusual women included is Mary Fields, a courageous woman who traveled alone to the Montana Territory in the 1880s. Rough and often vulgar, she dressed in men's clothing and worked at jobs ranging from light construction to carrying the U.S. mail by wagon and stagecoach. Other figures include Charlotte Forten Grimke, Ida B. Wells, Mary McLeod Bethune, Clara Hale, Leontyne Price, Toni Morrison, Mae C. Jemison, and Jackie Joyner-Kersee. The writing is clear and compelling. While these biographical sketches are interesting and provocative enough to attract recreational readers, the primary use for such a title would be research. However, although a selected bibliography is included, Bolden's writing is generally not well documented, particularly the speculations about the women's feelings. Each profile is accompanied by a black-and-white photograph. A selection of briefer profiles follows the text.?Sylvia V. Meisner, Allen Middle School, Greensboro, NC
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Gr. 6^-9. Bolden presents biographical sketches of 10 African American women, including such famous names as Ida B. Wells, Mary McLeod Bethune, Toni Morrison, and Jackie Joyner-Kersee. She writes easily and confidently about her subjects, several of whom made important contributions to the civil rights movement, and her compelling stories read like fiction, with dynamic protagonists who are portrayed as ordinary women doing extraordinary things rather than unbelievable heroines who can do no wrong. With the possible exception of the colorful Mary Fields, whose biography begins, "She was a 6-foot, 200-pound, cigar-smoking, whiskey-drinking, gun-totin' pioneer who settled her arguments with her fists, and once in a while with a six gun," the women are fine role models for youngsters of any race or gender, and their actions repeatedly convey the message that with hard work and dedication, every door can be opened. Bibliography. Lauren Peterson
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Deceptively simple book,
This review is from: And Not Afraid To Dare: The Stories of Ten African-American Women (Paperback)
The cover of this book and the title 10 Stories of African American Women are deceptively simple. This isn't just a book about females or African American females. It's a story about inspiring individuals with a vision who changed the community around them and was just very motivating for me to read as an individual. The stories are of 10 different women but they interweave to create a bigger picture of life back then for African Americans- much of which still holds true today- like Mary Mcleode Bethune's wise words in her Last Testament to the people. It's especially important in highlighting through the stories the role that the "South" has had in shaping the African American experience both directly and indirectly.The stories themselves are packed with lots of factual information.I had filled a notebook by the time I had finished. I am West African and though I have read the biography of Frederick Douglas, Anne Moody, Dorothy Heights and others- and would like to read Black Women in White America- I found this book at a local bookstore here and it is the first book I'm reading exclusively on African American women. So it was a real eye opener to me and inspiring read. I had never heard of women like Leontyne Price- an opera singer whom I read broke the record for longest applause at the New York Metropolitan opera, where blacks were banned from before 1950. Or Mae Jemison- the first black female astronaut to go to space in the 1990s. Or Clara Hale- a woman in her 60s that opened the first not for profit nursery for drug-addicted children in Harlem. I mean- how beautiful is that? So simple yet so profound. And that's the beauty of this work by Tanya Bolden- the simple yet interesting story-telling. Also very useful is the short profiles of 21 other women "who dared" included in the end.
1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Execelletn Story,
This review is from: And Not Afraid To Dare (Hardcover)
Bolden presents biographical sketches of 10 African American women, including such famous names as Ida B. Wells, Mary McLeod Bethune, Toni Morrison... Bibliography. Lauren Peterson
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