Stories of the Spirit of Justice

by Jemar Tisby

New York Times bestselling author Jemar Tisby collects the true, impactful stories of figures across history—from the well-known to those often forgotten—who resisted racism and created a legacy of hope and perseverance. Each short biography is paired with an illustration and discussion prompts to help inspire young readers and people of any age to make a difference and continue to work toward justice today.

We are living in the Civil Rights Movement of our day. But the challenges of the present call us to remember the past. Throughout American history, there has always been a small but resilient group of people who, motivated by their faith, resisted oppression and pushed for greater equality and liberty for all. From well-known figures like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks, and Harriet Tubman, to those time has nearly forgotten, all of these people tapped into an abiding spirit of justice to pursue the dignity of all people.

Stories of the Spirit of Justice is the companion book for young readers ages 8-12 to Jemar Tisby’s The Spirit of Justice and tells the story of the justice movement through short biographies of the figures who did the work. With illustrations depicting the people profiled and practical tips connecting readers to the continued fight for justice, this is essential reading for everyone who still dreams of a land where all are truly free.

Stories of the Spirit of

covers the colonial era to the present dayincludes questions for reflection, discussion prompts, and suggestions for further readingroots each story in the historical moment, with descriptions of the state of justice in different eras in American historycan be used by families and church or school groups to start meaningful conversations with kids 

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Childrens, Biography

224 pages, Hardcover

Published January 7, 2025

About the author

Jemar Tisby is president and co-founder of The Witness: A Black Christian Collective. He has written about race, religion, and culture for The Washington Post, CNN, Vox, Christianity Today and The New York Times. He is the co-host of the Pass The Mic podcast, which is frequently rated as one of the top 100 religion and faith podcasts on iTunes. Tisby is a PhD student in history at the University of Mississippi, studying race and religion in the 20th century, and he has spoken to thousands at colleges, conferences, and churches across the country on such topics as “Understanding the Heart Cry of Black Lives Matter,” “The Historical Politics of Race in America,” and “The Image of God and the Minority Experience.” In 2017, the Religion News Association recognized him for excellence in student religion reporting for his articles on the police-related killings of unarmed black citizens. https://thewitnessbcc.com

Reviews

[Becca Rickert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed the bite-sized biographies of so many faith-filled, justice-minded African American people who impacted different time periods in US history. A youth read but good for anyone!

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I saw this book on a Goodreads giveaway one day and thought I’d check it out. I had entered the giveaway for my niece and nephews but wanted to read a bit of the book myself. Well, once I started reading I realized how interesting it was and that I should read the whole book.

I learned about significant historical figures that were Black that I hadn’t heard about before. But I also learned new information about the figures u was more familiar with.

The chapters are written in nice, short, digestible sections.

I highlighted a ton of information and kept asking friends “did you know this?”. I feel like we all learned.

I wish I’d read this book in school. I think it’s probably for an older crowd than kids just because of the way it’s written but maybe kids have a better vocabulary than I give them credit for.

Definitely worth reading. Highly recommend it.

[Shera · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stories of the Spirit of Justice is a comprehensive series of historical accounts of the struggles of enslaved Africans and their descendants. Spanning Colonial period, to the early 21st century, this book includes the Jan. 6th insurrection and how racist policy is still a problem as of 2024. After the 2024 presidential election, books such as this are even more valueable in teaching social justice to rising generations of young American voters. I recommend this book for children age 9+ and teens. I also recommend this book especially to school libraries for the vast spread of historical figures. This book is an excellent secondary source for a young student researching material for a writing assignment, especially because each account mentions primary sources the account was drawn from.

Read cover to cover, Stories of the Spirit of Justice is an excellent introduction to the history of racism in the Americas. The book is very careful in regards to its accuracy, pointing out what details have been lost to time. Each biography is a gem of brevity, ranging from three to five pages each. Modern day chapters focus on anti-racist organizations and their founding collective as opposed to individuals.

Each chapter is acommpanied with an illustration of unshaded paint with charcoal-like outlines, alluding to a African and abstract art. Portraits capture the legendary silhouettes that we have come to recognize these figures by, from Harriet Tubman's kerchiefed head to MLK's broad chin. These illustrations are important for giving shape and personality for each individual account, as well as helping children recognize their faces in future photographs they may see throughout their research.

Thanks to Jemar Tisby and Zonderkids Books for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review, posted on Goodreads on November 10th 2024.

[Libby · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent overview of Black people who have worked for justice. Their stories track the arc of American history starting from the colonial era and ending with people living and active today. Some names, such as Harriet Tubman, are well-known, but Tisby highlights lesser known aspects of their work for justice. Many were unknown to me, and their stories were often most interesting as they highlight the way everyone can work against racism. For all of them, Tisby points out how their work was impacted by their faith in Jesus.

My one issue with the book is I don't think most kids will pick up on their own. Based on my observations in the libraries where I work, text-heavy nonfiction often sits unread on the shelves. It is going to take adults sharing with the middle grade audience for whom its intended. I hope that is what happens with this excellent book.

Review based on an eARC received through NetGalley.

[Corrie Haffly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having read Jemar Tisby's The Spirit of Justice, I was already familiar with the brief biographies of the many people introduced in the pages of Stories of the Spirit of Justice, which is for young readers (ages 8+). This version has amazingly succinct chapters, distilling the important facts and historical significance of each character in just a few readable pages. Each chapter has a charming illustration to depict the historical figure. Dr. Tisby successfully hits his theme of the "spirit of justice" throughout all of the bios to provide a full and diverse picture of how individuals have worked for justice over the last 400 years in North America and the United States.

Even as a grown-up well beyond the targeted age range, I really enjoyed this book and think it might be less intimidating than Dr. Tisby's original book! The short chapters make it very readable and allow you to just spend a few minutes at a time to learn something new.

[Kari · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jemar Tisby has given us a wonderful resource here, short biographies of people throughout American history who, because of their faith, pursued a spirit of justice in a variety of ways. He highlights these leaders and gives historical context for their actions. I particularly liked how he demonstrates the different ways to be faithful to a spirit of justice and to hold on to humanity in the face of an attempt to dehumanize. There are folks in this book that you have heard of, but there are also people you have not, whose faithful actions deserve to be heard. This is a great book to give to upper elementary, especially as we head into Black History Month. I have a digital copy but I will be buying a paper copy for my shelves!

[A Allen · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is nearly 200 pages of biographies. Each person included in the book gets their own section within their time period. For example, Coretta Scott King is the title for a section within "The Civil Rights Era" part of the book. I did not realize, when I borrowed this book from the public library, that Tisby would cite bible verses or talk so much about religion, salvation, Jesus, Christianity, Islam, etc. because I had not read this part of the synopsis on the back: "Since the very beginning, there have always been people who, motivated by their faith, resisted oppression and pushed for the greater equality and liberty for all." Oddly religious book for a compilation of biographies for young readers.

[Kira K · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. This is a great accompaniment to the fiction book that I previously enjoyed. It’s great that the book is split up into eras and movements making it easier to contextualise the individuals stories. It was great to learn more about some of those in the original story and I learnt something new from it too even as an adult.

[Diane Rembert · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book educates middle schoolers on some of the pioneers of the Civil Rights Movement, as well as a few other African Americans that we should know. Since they’re not teaching about them in school, this book needs to be a part of every home library.

[Gerry · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is intended for children but I found it a great read for me.
I've recently found Jemar Tisby through his substack and videos.
in this book I was introduced to 40+ justice seekers throughout America's history.

[Cat Fithian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great collection of short bios of many people who have fought for justice and equality. Discussion questions and further readings included.

[Efox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely five stars for this book.

Tisby does a wonderful job highlighting the contributions of African Americans throughout American history - from the first couple who started a family through the creative influencers of the pandemic - I learned so much. The kids learned so much. Many of these figures were familiar to me, but a lot weren't and the honest, yet age appropriate way he deals with racism and the horrible legacy that slavery and greed has left behind.

In addition to having to have multiple hard discussions with my kids, they learned what "hypocritical" meant ("there's a word for that! whoa") and we're really bummed to learn that we have not fixed racism and that they and their friends are currently experiencing it even if we aren't aware of it, it also helped them to see that their faith is one that calls us to justice, even when it's not hard and costly, and one that calls us to dream of the world the way it was intended to be.

I would absolutely recommend this book.