Lydia Maria Child: The Quest for Racial Justice (Oxford Portraits)
Grade 7 Up-A profile of the remarkable 19th-century author and abolitionist. Child overcame both societal and family expectations to become a successful and influential writer, and was the first woman to edit a children's magazine, pen a "domestic manual" for women with limited incomes, and write a regular newspaper column about urban life. Kenschaft explains how Child became increasingly aware of the evils of slavery and discrimination, and sacrificed her commercial success to publish treatises calling for abolition of slavery in the South and better treatment of the free blacks in the North. After the Civil War, she supported women's and Native American rights. Although the author points out her subject's weaknesses, she is admiring of Child's efforts to overcome a difficult marriage and poverty to fight for her beliefs. Plenty of background material is given about slavery, the Civil War, and the societal strictures under which women of the day labored. Excerpts from Child's work are provided in sidebars. Average-quality, black-and-white illustrations and photos supplement the text. This well-done book will give young people an opportunity to learn more about one woman and the ideals for which she stood.Mary Mueller, Rolla Junior High School, MOCopyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.