Ida B. Wells: Mother of the Civil Rights Movement
Grade 5 Up-This stellar biography of one of history's most inspiring women offers an excellent overview of Wells's life and contributions. Born a slave, she went on to become a schoolteacher, probation officer, journalist, and activist who fought for the right of black women to vote, helped to create the NAACP, and almost single-handedly halted the horrific practice of lynching. The account of her relationships with famous personalities like Susan B. Anthony, Frederick Douglass, and Harriet Tubman provides an accurate sense of her importance during her lifetime. The Fradins make poignant comparisons between their subject's life and those of figures like Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rosa Parks, while showing how Wells paved the way for the civil-rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s. Black-and-white photographs and reproductions enhance the clear, well-written text and give readers a feel for the times in which Wells lived and the obstacles she had to overcome. A bibliography, picture credits, and index are included, but there are no direct source attributions for the many quotations and anecdotes sprinkled liberally throughout. Steve Klots's Ida Wells-Barnett (Chelsea, 1994; o.p.) is similar, but is for a slightly younger audience. The Fradins' compelling book is one that most libraries will want.Leah J. Sparks, Bowie Public Library, MDCopyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.