Ida B. Wells, Voice of Truth

November 29, 2021
Duster, the great-granddaughter of Ida B. Wells (1862–1931), narrates this biography of Wells, “an educator, a journalist, a feminist, a businesswoman, a newspaper owner, a public speaker, a suffragist, a civil rights activist, and a women’s club leader,” as well as a cofounder of the NAACP. Straightforward prose highlights instances of Wells’s persistence against injustice, while Freeman’s multilayered digital illustrations enrich the text with cinematic vignettes. Spreads include scrapbook-style layouts and portraits filled with light, hues, patterns, and textures. If some of the diction is a bit elevated for the stated age range (“lynching was used to keep the Black community in an economically and socially inferior position”), Duster’s profile succeeds in celebrating an accomplished, outspoken innovator, introducing a clear icon of justice, equality, and determination. Back matter includes a timeline and a note about Wells’s legacy. Ages 4–8.

December 1, 2021
An informative profile of trailblazing African American journalist and civil rights activist Ida B. Wells. Author Duster introduces the book's subject in the form of an illustrated family photo album, explaining that Wells was her great-grandmother. Duster chronicles the major events in Wells' life, beginning with her birth into slavery in 1862 and ending with her death in 1931. At the age of 16, Wells' parents died, leaving her to care for five younger siblings. She became a teacher, began to write about social and political issues of the time, and stood up for social justice. In 1892, the lynching of three of Wells' friends further stoked the fire in her belly. Her writing grew bolder, and she began to speak out publicly against racial discrimination, gender equality, and lynching at the cost of her livelihood and personal safety. The text incorporates a few details about Wells' personal life and includes an overview of her professional accomplishments--her work with the suffrage movement, co-founding of the NAACP, and creation of the Negro Fellowship League. Freeman's trademark multitextured digital art emotionalizes the matter-of-fact text. Photographs and pamphlets written by Wells appear in the artwork as illustrated facsimiles. The story is bookended by striking double spreads displaying stirring quotes attributed to Wells in enormous hand lettering. (This book was reviewed digitally.) A straightforward biography that pays tribute to an impressive and courageous life. (timeline, tributes) (Picture book biography. 5-8)

COPYRIGHT(2021) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

January 1, 2022
Grades 2-5 The most commanding feature of this picture-book biography of civil rights activist Ida B. Wells is Freeman's vibrant artwork. Colorful images pop off the pages, complementing the text written by Duster, a great-granddaughter of Wells. This isn't a memoir, despite a few personal references, but rather a testimony to Wells' commitment to publicize the horrible injustices and racism of Jim Crow America. Wells was born into slavery, raised five younger siblings after both her parents passed away, and became a teacher, writer, and co-owner of a newspaper. She lost her teaching job after criticizing unequal education practices, and lost her first printing press in a fire set in retaliation to her anti-lynching activism. She never lost her resolve, and during her almost 50-year career, she helped found the NAACP and the National Association of Colored Women's Clubs and established the Negro Fellowship League. The book ends with a time line, an author's note, and an encouraging message to stand up, speak up, and make a difference--like Ida B. Wells herself.

COPYRIGHT(2022) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Starred review from April 8, 2022

Gr 3 Up-There are many biographies of Ida B. Wells for children but none as personal and poignant as this one. Born into slavery, Wells was a larger-than-life figure throughout her career as a supporter of all people deserving dignity, purpose, and freedom. The causes she championed were education, feminism, and both voting and civil rights, to name just a few. When Wells saw obstacles, she found ways to overcome them. The author, Wells's great-granddaughter, writes in the first-person with justifiable pride about her ancestor but not at the expense of facts. Wells became a teacher and co-owned a newspaper called Memphis Free Speech where she voiced her concerns about the "separate but equal" issue in education. Those contrary public views lost Wells her livelihood. Later, friends of hers were lynched solely because their grocery store rivaled a white-owned store. This sparked Wells to lecture widely, both in the U.S. and abroad, about the inhumane and unjust practice of lynching. The illustrations are extraordinary and the book design strong. End papers strikingly showcase quotes attributed to Wells in an oversized font in white on a black background as well as a portrait of her in her youth, mirrored with one of her as an older woman. The picture book format works well for a strong graphic presentation of Wells's life and work, but the content moves this into the realm of slightly older elementary audiences. It would not be out of place in a middle school setting. VERDICT A superb biography for all libraries, this picture book can effectively be used with a broad range of students as an introduction to the importance of activism and Black history.-Joan Kindig

Copyright 2022 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 1, 2022
A picture-book biography of an iconic journalist and civil rights leader deserves an opening line befitting its subject, and this one delivers: "Some people refer to my great-grandmother Ida B. Wells as a 'boss.'" Born into slavery in 1862, Wells lost both parents and a younger sibling to a yellow fever epidemic by age sixteen, and as the oldest surviving child was put in charge of her five younger siblings. Later, as a young teacher in Memphis, Wells spoke out against the myriad injustices Black people faced; unsurprisingly, she lost her teaching job as a result, but thus began her career as a writer and journalist. Wells is brought to vibrant life thanks to Freeman's (The Highest Tribute, rev. 1/21) stately mixed-media illustrations (see, for example, Wells's daggers-for-eyes look at a train conductor who booted her off for refusing to move to the "colored car" in 1884). Duster is not afraid to brag on her distinguished ancestor, proudly listing Wells's many accomplishments and ably describing her persistence and strength. It should be noted that this title focuses primarily on Wells's early years, and her later life is mostly glossed over (of the integral part she played in pushing back against inequality in the fight for women's right to vote, Duster simply writes that Wells "was involved in the suffrage movement," accompanied by a serene-looking illustration of the activist holding a sign with two white protestors in the background). A timeline and an author's note are appended. Sam Bloom

(Copyright 2022 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

January 1, 2022
A picture-book biography of an iconic journalist and civil rights leader deserves an opening line befitting its subject, and this one delivers: "Some people refer to my great-grandmother Ida B. Wells as a 'boss.'" Born into slavery in 1862, Wells lost both parents and a younger sibling to a yellow fever epidemic by age sixteen, and as the oldest surviving child was put in charge of her five younger siblings. Later, as a young teacher in Memphis, Wells spoke out against the myriad injustices Black people faced; unsurprisingly, she lost her teaching job as a result, but thus began her career as a writer and journalist. Wells is brought to vibrant life thanks to Freeman's (The Highest Tribute, rev. 1/21) stately mixed-media illustrations (see, for example, Wells's daggers-for-eyes look at a train conductor who booted her off for refusing to move to the "colored car" in 1884). Duster is not afraid to brag on her distinguished ancestor, proudly listing Wells's many accomplishments and ably describing her persistence and strength. It should be noted that this title focuses primarily on Wells's early years, and her later life is mostly glossed over (of the integral part she played in pushing back against inequality in the fight for women's right to vote, Duster simply writes that Wells "was involved in the suffrage movement," accompanied by a serene-looking illustration of the activist holding a sign with two white protestors in the background). A timeline and an author's note are appended.

(Copyright 2022 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)