Invincible: Fathers and Mothers of Black America

by Wade Hudson, E.B. Lewis (Illustrator)

This lyrical picture book explores the birth of Black America, focusing on the little-known men and women who fought for justice and for an America where freedom truly rang for all.

We’re familiar with the founding fathers of white America, but who are the founding fathers (and mothers!) of Black America?

In a poetic narrative of the origins of Black America, acclaimed Black author and publisher Wade Hudson teaches us about the little-known men and women who had a profound effect on the history of the nation. Black America was built by brave pioneers—men and women taken from Africa, who suffered and struggled to build a country, a culture, and institutions. Emphasizing that freedom didn’t ring for all when the United States gained its independence from Great Britain, Hudson shows the slow process by which Black Americans fought for justice over the course of many generations.

Ending with a call to consciousness and to action, Invincible is a powerful, informative, and inspiring account of a history that deserves to be better known.

Genres: Picture Books, Nonfiction, History, African American, Historical, Childrens

40 pages, Hardcover

Published September 12, 2023

About the author

Wade Hudson is the author of nearly 30 books for children and Young adults. He and his wife Cheryl are the founders of Just Us Books, Inc., a leading publisher of multicultural books for children.

Reviews

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐧'𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤. 𝐢𝐭 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐬 𝐧𝐨 𝐩𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬, 𝐩𝐮𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐭, 𝐢𝐧 𝐛𝐥𝐮𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐬. 𝐢 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐧𝐨 𝐝𝐨𝐮𝐛𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐝, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐧𝐨 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞--𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 & 𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐢𝐭. 𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 & 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐨𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐬.

𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞.

𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐤/𝐀𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧 𝐀𝐑𝐂 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰.

[Alice · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars
This beautifully illustrated picture book calls to mind the numerous contributions of African Americans to the establishment and building (literally) of the United States. Although often overlooked because of their skin color, these Americans have made significant contributions to the rich and troubled history of the United States.

I read a digital advanced reader's copy courtesy of the publisher.

[Autumn (Triquetra Reviews) · Rating 5 out of 5]

A blunt, powerful look at the history of Black America - starting with slavery in classic picture form, moving through the 1700's into the mid 1800's in more bullet-point style.

This book starts with a broad overview, and then narrows in on specific moments and movements in history that are reflected in today's Black America.

This is for anyone who wants a non-frilly look at Black America's history, without the more difficult aspects that might be too scary for younger readers.

[Karen Lemmons · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wade Hudson and E.B. Wilson have collaborated to create a powerful children's book on African American contributions to America. Poetic, historical, factual, Wade Hudson tells the story of courageous Africans and African Americans who built America.

[Salamah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Part poem and part timeline this picture book provides good information on the ways Black people worked to make a place for themselves within the U.S. society despite constantly being derailed. I especially liked the detailed timeline and the large print making for easy reading.

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned quite a bit from this gorgeous volume. I did not know, for example, that Central Park in NY was built where a Black community lived and that the community was kicked out and razed over to build the park.

[Debra Hines · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding book with lots of reference material at the end that tells the story of the early founding and mothers who were black.

[Marcie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this quickly and missed so much information and learning that I bought a copy and will reread it but maybe not before January's ALA Notable discussions.

[Margaret Boling · Rating 5 out of 5]

4/18/2025 ~ Black History is American History. An essential book that is lovingly and spectacularly illustrated.

[Amy Sirles · Rating 3 out of 5]

Informative book with a timeline and story about how originally enslaved people contributed to the rise of Black America and their continual fight for freedem.