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Speak up, Speak Out!: The Extraordinary Life of Fighting Shirley Chisholm
144 pp.
| National |
January, 2022 |
TradeISBN 978-1-4263-7237-7$27.90
(2)
4-6
The list of New York Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm's accomplishments during a time when race and gender were overt factors in exclusion from politics makes her an iconic figure in American history. Chisholm's political rise was groundbreaking on the local, state, and national stages. After this extensively researched biography opens with a map of Brooklyn and a foreword by Stacey Abrams, Bolden traces the arc of Chisholm's life and the many challenges she faced on her way to becoming the first Black woman to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives, helping found the Congressional Black Caucus, and in 1972 becoming the first Black person to run for a major party's presidential nomination. The daughter of immigrant parents, Chisholm spent her early years living in Barbados with her grandmother, eventually returning to the U.S. to continue her education. Her journey into history was not without twists, turns, and disappointments, and Bolden's plainspoken narrative paints a picture of a woman who was as hardworking as she was determined. Short, accessible chapters give readers a sense of the times as well as the woman. A photo insert appears partway through; back matter includes an author's note, sources, and an index. See also recent picture books She Was the First! (rev. 11/20) by Russell-Brown, Shirley Chisholm Dared (rev. 3/21) by Williams, and Shirley Chisholm Is a Verb! by Chambers.
Reviewer: Monique Harris
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
March, 2022