Women of Hope: African-Americans Who Made a Difference [Hardcover]

Joyce Hansen (Author), Bread & Roses (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up

Features photographs and biographies of thirteen African-American women, including Maya Angelou, Ruby Dee, and Alice Walker.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Inspired by a series of black-and-white posters produced by Bread and Roses (the cultural project of 1199 National Health and Human Services Employees Union, AFL-CIO), these brief biographies feature the inspiring lives of 13 African American women. On the left of each spread is a dramatic sepia-toned photograph framed with a white border, along with a quote and the birthplace and birth date of its subject. On the facing page, a concise summary sketches the highlights of each woman's life in celebratory, but never fawning, prose; direct quotes allow each woman to speak directly to readers about her own beliefs and the legacy she hopes to pass on. The volume proceeds chronologically, with social and political activists (Ida B. Wells-Barnett and Ella Josephine Baker up through Marian Wright Edelman) as well as artistic and professional groundbreakers (Ruby Dee, Toni Morrison, Alice Walker; Alexa Canady, the first African-American woman neurosurgeon, and Mae C. Jemison, the first African-American woman astronaut). With this structure, Hansen (The Captive) creates a sense of the expanding horizon of opportunities that African-American women have gained as the century has progressed. The arresting portraits, set within a sophisticated design, are reproduced with the care of an art book, and they reveal a great deal about each woman's strength of character. This handsome volume will likely engender in readers an appreciation for life's countless possibilities, and send them scrambling to find out more about these extraordinary women. Ages 8-up.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-10-This collection profiles 12 courageous African-American women. The individuals range from civil rights fighters to community workers, from artists to astronauts, and include Ida B. Wells-Barnett, Bessie and Sadie Delany, Septima Poinsette Clark, Ella Josephine Baker, Fannie Lou Hamer, Ruby Dee, Maya Angelou, Toni Morrison, Marian Wright Edelman, Alice Walker, Alexa Canady, and Mae C. Jemison. The book developed from a series of posters issued by the Bread and Roses Cultural Project of the National Health and Human Service Employees Union (AFL-CIO) to provide images of women who have fought against injustice. The series has been widely distributed to schools, colleges, and libraries across the country and may be familiar to readers. Hansen has added a clear, readable, and informative single-page commentary for each of the striking black-and-white portraits. The book has a child-friendly design; its oversized pages allow for easy-to-read type and effective display of the images. An annotated bibliography concludes this attractive and useful volume.
Kathleen Isaacs, Edmund Burke School, Washington, DC
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic (November 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0590939734
• ISBN-13: 978-0590939737
• Product Dimensions: 12.3 x 9.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,588,206 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Accomplishes Its Goal, March 15, 2003

By 

Iley Bright (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Women of Hope: African-Americans Who Made a Difference (Hardcover)

This work inspired me...reminded me what I'm made of and that I can indeed do anything I choose. These women are powerful and pure, living their purpose. I am grateful to know about them.

5.0 out of 5 stars great product, March 17, 2010

By 

Fayola Foster Morton - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Women of Hope: African-Americans Who Made a Difference (Hardcover)

I order this product for my daughter's project. The book was like new with quick shipping. This book was more than I thought. It was a great buy!!!

5.0 out of 5 stars A must have for collectors!, February 3, 2010

By 

Felicia Tolbert "Queen of All Types of things!" (Detroit,MI) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Women of Hope: African-Americans Who Made a Difference (Hardcover)

This is a well put together book. The information was complete and informative. The pictures where absolutely beautiful! A great book to share with teen girls!