(1) K-3 Illustrated by Laura Freeman. "Thurgood would become the first to do a lot of things that a Black person had never done before." When he attended Lincoln University, a Black college, Thurgood Marshall's debate team became the first to participate in an interracial debate. As a young lawyer in Baltimore, he won a court case admitting a Black student to the University of Maryland, the first time a court had ordered the desegregation of a school. And he won the Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka case before the Supreme Court in 1954 and became a Supreme Court justice himself in 1967. Magoon's title comes from Marshall himself: "In recognizing the humanity of our fellow beings, we pay ourselves the highest tribute." The crystal-clear and accessible text, focusing on essential cases in the career of "Mr. Civil Rights," does justice to the Justice. Freeman's stately digital illustrations employ effective graphic elements: newspaper headlines, "whites only" signs, bits of the Constitution, the scales of justice. The superb back matter includes a timeline, a list of major court cases, a bibliography, and an excellent selection of books for further reading.

Reviewer: Dean Schneider | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2021

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Bryan Collier. Thurgood Marshall, the first African American Supreme Court Justice, was a skilled debater and orator from a young age. As a young lawyer, Marshall sharpened his disgust about unjust laws into irrefutable evidence to prove that separate is not equal. In engaging, accessible prose, Winter presents facts of Marshall's life as if presenting a court case. Repeated words--"FACT," "VERDICT"; "JUSTICE," "INJUSTICE"--mark defining moments; vernacular phrases create a more conversational tone. Collier's sometimes shadowy art reflects the violence and chaos that permeated Marshall's everyday life. An author's note presents more about Marshall work.

Reviewer: Maija Meadows Hasegawa | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2019

(2) 4-6 In 1950, lawyer Thurgood Marshall--determined to "wipe out...all phases of segregation in education"--set about gathering legal cases he could use to argue that school segregation violated the Fourteenth Amendment. Rubin meticulously describes the five cases combined as Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, accessibly presenting complicated legal history and skillfully building on the events' inherent drama. Timeline. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Dean Schneider | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2016

(4) YA Supreme Court Justices series. For each Supreme Court Justice, the life experiences that shaped his or her character are examined along with their Court decisions; special emphasis is placed on important cases over which they presided. John Marshall offers historical context from the colonial era. Illustrations, photographs, and excerpts from their writings provide additional detail and insight and help break up the dauntingly dense-looking texts. Timeline, websites. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these Supreme Court Justices titles: Earl Warren, John Marshall, Sonia Sotomayor, and Thurgood Marshall.

Reviewer: Antonio Trujillo

(3) YA With casual yet informed narrative voices, these biographies offer insight into three well-known public figures, providing multifaceted understandings and allowing readers to form their own opinions. Marshall and Reagan delve into the men's early lives, while Gates focuses largely on the computer tycoon's adult years. All volumes include source notes. Marshall and Gates have websites; Marshall includes a reading list. Bib., ind. Review covers these titles: Bill Gates, Thurgood Marshall, and Ronald Reagan.

Reviewer: Chelsey Philpot

(4) YA African-American Biographies series. Following chapters covering Marshall's childhood and early years, this book focuses on his illustrious career and groundbreaking legal work and on his tenure as the first African-American Supreme Court justice. Despite a choppy text, accompanied by unexceptional black-and-white photographs, report writers will find this a competent resource. A chronology and list of related websites are appended. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(4) YA A & E Biography series. Though the prose is more competent than inspired, the biographies of this diverse group of notables adequately traces their personal and professional achievements. Occasional information boxes contain material that supplements the texts, which are illustrated with black-and-white (and occasional color) photos and reproductions. Both Hendrix and Latifah include discographies. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta