January 1, 1997
This well-written text, illustrated with pencil drawings, highlights the life of American's first published black poet. Weidt offers a clear picture of the captured African girl who came to this country alone and sickly, but whose talents were recognized by the family who purchased her at the Boston slave market. Important is the underlying story that shows the limitations placed on Wheatley, despite her talents, because she was a slave. Bib., ind.
(Copyright 1997 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)
February 15, 1998
Gr. 3^-6. When Phillis Wheatley arrived in Boston as a slave girl in 1761, no one could imagine that she would go on to become an internationally known poet--and the first black American ever to publish a book. From her first days in the Wheatley household, Phillis was encouraged to learn to speak and read English, and, most importantly, to write. She soon began to compose poems--though, sadly, none of her poems is included here in full--and at the age of 17, only 10 years after her arrival in America, Phillis had begun publishing in the colony newspapers. Weidt's biography in the Creative Minds series provides excellent historical background, explaining in simple, well-written text the concept of slavery and the political conflicts leading up to the Revolutionary War. However, the fact that Wheatley's circumstances were extraordinary compared to the lives of most slaves at the time is not emphasized nor given proper context. Also, the author has a tendency to offer conjecture to compensate for gaps in the known details of Wheatley's life. But, overall, the biography provides a welcome introduction to her life and accomplishments. Bibliography. ((Reviewed February 15, 1998))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1998, American Library Association.)