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Ida B. Wells: Mother of the Civil Rights Movement
The acclaimed civil rights leader Ida B. Wells (1862-1931) is brought vividly to life in this accessible and well-researched biography. Wells was a founder of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and she helped black women win the right to vote. But what she is most remembered for is the success of her lifelong crusade against the practice of lynching--called by some "our nation's crime"--in the American South. She fought her battle by writing and publishing countless newspaper articles and by speaking around the world. Her outspokenness put her in grave danger many times over, but she would not be silenced, and today she is credited with ending lynching in the United States. Her story is one of courage and determination in the face of intolerance and injustice. AFTERWORD, BIBLIOGRAPHY, INDEX.
192 pages, Hardcover
First published January 17, 2000
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About the author
Dennis Brindell Fradin
290 books23 followersThe award-winning author of nearly 300 non-fiction books for children and young adults, Dennis Fradin is known for his meticulous research, attention to detail and smooth, graceful writing.
Fradin attributes his success in part to years of teaching in the Chicago Public Schools. In order to hold his second graders’ attention at the end of the day, he would spin stories about crayons in distress and birds with broken wings. One such story caught the attention of an editor who asked him to write a series of books about the United States. The Sea to Shining Sea series (Children's Press), launched Dennis's career as a full-time author.
Dennis Fradin has written children's books on topics as varied as astronomy, colonial history, the Underground Railroad, slave escapes and scientific discoveries. He has written biographies of Thomas Jefferson, Samuel Adams, Jane Addams and Louis Braille, among others. Bound for the North Star is his riveting collection of true slave escape stories. The Power of One: Daisy Bates and the Little Rock Nine, co-authored with his wife Judy, was a Golden Kite Honor Book.
Dennis has collaborated with Larry Day on two picture books, Let It Begin Here! and Duel! with Walker Books. He's completed two dozen Turning Points books for Marshall Cavendish. Along with his wife Judy, Dennis wrote Five Thousand Miles to Freedom for National Geographic Children's Books, followed by their Witness to Disaster series.
Fradin attributes his success in part to years of teaching in the Chicago Public Schools. In order to hold his second graders’ attention at the end of the day, he would spin stories about crayons in distress and birds with broken wings. One such story caught the attention of an editor who asked him to write a series of books about the United States. The Sea to Shining Sea series (Children's Press), launched Dennis's career as a full-time author.
Dennis Fradin has written children's books on topics as varied as astronomy, colonial history, the Underground Railroad, slave escapes and scientific discoveries. He has written biographies of Thomas Jefferson, Samuel Adams, Jane Addams and Louis Braille, among others. Bound for the North Star is his riveting collection of true slave escape stories. The Power of One: Daisy Bates and the Little Rock Nine, co-authored with his wife Judy, was a Golden Kite Honor Book.
Dennis has collaborated with Larry Day on two picture books, Let It Begin Here! and Duel! with Walker Books. He's completed two dozen Turning Points books for Marshall Cavendish. Along with his wife Judy, Dennis wrote Five Thousand Miles to Freedom for National Geographic Children's Books, followed by their Witness to Disaster series.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
August 28, 2017
tldr:
It is a TRAVESTY that Ida Wells is not better known to our history. It is largely due to Wells' efforts that lynchings are no longer the celebrated public spectacle that it was in her day.
The book is very readable and is appropriate for middle and high schoolers. There are disturbing photos but kids should appreciate the seriousness of our history, rather than get desensitized to ubiquitous no-stakes death of action movies.
backstory:
I discovered Wells this year on the Rejected Princesses website last year.
http://www.rejectedprincesses.com/pri...
She had a Google Doodle this year, and this biography has been staring at me from the library feature bookshelf for several months. I finally picked it up and after reading their three page intro / summary, I was hooked and read the entire book in one sitting.
Wells was uncompromisingly militant, idealistic, and refused to settle for 'good enough'. She was in the mold of W.E.B. DuBois and Malcolm X., and even with her allies she would get into fights (Frederick Douglass, Susan B. Anthony, Booker T. Washington) if she felt they weren't doing enough. This is an excellent biography and you owe it to yourselves to AT LEAST read the first three pages that introduces and summarize her story. Go find it in your library. I'm going to have to pick up her autobiography next:
Crusade for Justice: The Autobiography of Ida B. Wells
by Ida B. Wells-Barnett, Ada B. Wells, Alfreda M. Duster (Editor)
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
eta:
I raved about this book above, but apparently I had only read about halfway through it. I took it to the library to return and made sure I read the rest, but by the time I finished the second half, I realized that it was so good I had to keep it just to tell everyone I knew about Wells.
The first half is amazing, and the second half of her life is even more incredibly inspirational. I'm now reading everything available on Wells. Also many of her original writings are available on Gutenberg.
We Americans owe a great debt to Wells, and her name deserves to not be lost to history.
It is a TRAVESTY that Ida Wells is not better known to our history. It is largely due to Wells' efforts that lynchings are no longer the celebrated public spectacle that it was in her day.
The book is very readable and is appropriate for middle and high schoolers. There are disturbing photos but kids should appreciate the seriousness of our history, rather than get desensitized to ubiquitous no-stakes death of action movies.
backstory:
I discovered Wells this year on the Rejected Princesses website last year.
http://www.rejectedprincesses.com/pri...
She had a Google Doodle this year, and this biography has been staring at me from the library feature bookshelf for several months. I finally picked it up and after reading their three page intro / summary, I was hooked and read the entire book in one sitting.
Wells was uncompromisingly militant, idealistic, and refused to settle for 'good enough'. She was in the mold of W.E.B. DuBois and Malcolm X., and even with her allies she would get into fights (Frederick Douglass, Susan B. Anthony, Booker T. Washington) if she felt they weren't doing enough. This is an excellent biography and you owe it to yourselves to AT LEAST read the first three pages that introduces and summarize her story. Go find it in your library. I'm going to have to pick up her autobiography next:
Crusade for Justice: The Autobiography of Ida B. Wells
by Ida B. Wells-Barnett, Ada B. Wells, Alfreda M. Duster (Editor)
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
eta:
I raved about this book above, but apparently I had only read about halfway through it. I took it to the library to return and made sure I read the rest, but by the time I finished the second half, I realized that it was so good I had to keep it just to tell everyone I knew about Wells.
The first half is amazing, and the second half of her life is even more incredibly inspirational. I'm now reading everything available on Wells. Also many of her original writings are available on Gutenberg.
We Americans owe a great debt to Wells, and her name deserves to not be lost to history.
March 2, 2013
Wow. Even before Rosa Parks, she sat on a train in the "wrong" section. I couldn't believe that it was tried twice, once in her favor, once in the train company's favor. grr. Loved the pictures of her and her family. The lynching pictures were very graphic. I knew that lynchings were a terrible problem in the USA during a certain time period, but I always envisioned them as 20-30 guys that were bored and evil. Turns out- newspapers sometimes advertised lynchings AHEAD of time. what????? also, whole towns (2000 people) would come out to them, kids and everything. awful awful awful. Fradin does an excellent job once again.
May 30, 2008
appropriate for older kids - amazing woman to learn about - but some pretty disturbing photos of lynchings. important to learn about, uncomfortable, but worthwhile.
March 7, 2007
i learned that white poeople back in the days lynched black people cause they think they are better than blacks
June 6, 2008
Um...My dad wrote this book and about 200 others. Check out the other Fradin books here or in your local library!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews