The voice that challenged a nation
Subtitle: Marian Anderson and the struggle for equal rights
By: by Russell Freedman
Publisher: Clarion Books
Published: 2004
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 114
ISBN-13: 9780618159765
Subjects: African Americans; Civil rights; African American singers; Singers; Contraltos; Juvenile literature; Biography; Women
Description: In the mid-1930s, Marian Anderson was a famed vocalist who had been applauded by European royalty and welcomed at the White House. But, because of her race, she was denied the right to sing at Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. This is the story of her resulting involvement in the civil rights movement of the time. "A voice like yours," celebrated conductor Arturo Toscanini told contralto Marian Anderson, "is heard once in a hundred years." This insightful account of the great African American vocalist considers her life and musical career in the context of the history of civil rights in this country. Drawing on Anderson's own writings and other contemporary accounts, Russell Freedman shows readers a singer pursuing her art despite the social constraints that limited the careers of black performers in the 1920s and 1930s. Though not a crusader or a spokesperson by nature, Marian Anderson came to stand for all black artists-and for all Americans of color-when, with the help of such prominent figures as Eleanor Roosevelt, she gave her landmark 1939 performance on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, which signaled the end of segregation in the arts. Carefully researched, expertly told, and profusely illustrated with contemporary photographs, here is a moving account of the life of a talented and determined artist who left her mark on musical and social history. Through her story, one of today's leading authors of nonfiction for young readers illuminates the social and political climate of the day and an important chapter in American history. Notes, bibliography, discography, index.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 101-103), discography (p. 105-106), and index.

Newbery Honor Book, 2005.
Table of contents: title: Easter Sunday, April 9, 1939; title: Twenty-five cents a song; title: A voice in a thousand; title: Marian fever; title: Banned by the DAR; title: Singing to the nation; title: Breaking barriers; title: "What I had was singing."