Let It Shine: Stories of Black Women Freedom Fighters
Let It Shine: Stories of Black Women Freedom Fighters
by Andrea
Davis Pinkney is geared to upper elementary and middle
school age children. Let It Shine: Stories of Black Women Freedom Fightersis organized chronologically and
covers the lives of ten women: Sojourner Truth, Biddy Mason, Harriet Tubman,
Ida B. Wells-Barnett, Mary McLeod Bethune, Ella Josephine Baker, Dorothy Irene
Height, Rosa Parks, Fannie Lou Hamer, and Shirley Chisholm. The first page of
each of the ten biographies faces a stunning oil on canvas portrait of the
featured woman, which contains a variety of allegorical images. These images
reflect each freedom fighter's accomplishments. The effect of the artwork is so
strong that you can't help but want to read the biographies to learn more about
each of the amazing women pictured.
I was at first taken aback by the tone of the
writing but quickly came to the conclusion that it is one of the major
strengths of the book. Since these are biographies, I was expecting writing
that was heavy on facts and somewhat academic in tone. Instead, the stories are
in the voice of an expert storyteller. The language, the phrasing, and the
emotion all come from the oral tradition. While the facts are there, it is the
emotions the author elicits that makes you care about them. As I was reading the
stories, I almost felt as if a storyteller were standing nearby and telling me
about women she knew and understood. As a result, both my attention and
emotions were engaged. I will remember what I read. In recognition of the
quality of the book's "artistic expression of the African American
experience via literature and the graphic arts," it was designated a
Coretta Scott King Honor Book in 2001.
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