num_pages: 48
description: A much-needed window into a little-documented time in black history Based on an actual memoir written by Maritcha Rémond Lyons, who was born and raised in New York City, this poignant story tells what it was like to be a black child born free during the days of slavery. Everyday experiences are interspersed with high-point moments, such as visiting the U.S.'s first world's fair. Also included are the Draft Riots of 1863, when Maritcha and her siblings fled to Brooklyn while her parents stayed behind to protect their home. The book concludes with her fight to attend a whites-only high school in Providence, Rhode Island, and her triumphant victory, making her the first black person in its graduating class.The book includes photographs of Maritcha, her family, and friends, as well as archival and contemporary maps, photographs, and illustrations.Author Bio: Tonya Bolden's books have received acclaim from organizations such as the American Library Association and the New York Public Library, and from publications like School Library Journal, Kirkus Reviews, and Publishers Weekly.
language: English
title: Maritcha: A Nineteenth-Century American Girl
titlecomplete: Maritcha: A Nineteenth-Century American Girl
genres: New York, Historical, History, Childrens, Picture Books, American History, African American, Biography Memoir, Biography, Nonfiction
ratings_count: 154
awards: awardedAt: 1136102400000
name: Coretta Scott King Book Award
category: Author Honor, awardedAt: 1136102400000
name: NCTE Orbis Pictus Award
publisher: Abrams Books for Young Readers