Powerful Words: More Than 200 Years Of Extraordinary Writings By ....
Grade 5 Up--Hudson highlights the words of 36 well-known African-American men and women from colonial to contemporary times. Benjamin Banneker, Frederick Douglass, W. E. B. DuBois, Mary McLeod Bethune, Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, Thurgood Marshall, and Toni Morrison are among the featured individuals. Marian Wright Edelman provides the foreword and is profiled later on in the book. Hudson bases his book on the writings of the subjects themselves, taken directly from speeches, books, essays, articles, letters, poems, and songs. The passages reflect the culture and conditions of the times, taking into account issues of slavery, discrimination, racism, and the growth and development of the African-American community. Most of the entries include a full-page, black-and-white drawing of the subject. For each one, Hudson gives a brief introduction to set the scene. Following each excerpt is a biographical sketch, as well as individual or public responses. The strength of this book rests on its illumination of the power of words to question, educate, inspire, and empower.--Mary N. Oluonye, Shaker Heights Public Library, OHCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.