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Fearless Firsts: Artists Who Changed Entertainment: 50+ Entertainers Who Overcame the Odds
Celebrate 50+ artists who broke barriers, took risks, and changed the world of entertainment forever!
While these creatives came from different backgrounds and overcame unique struggles, they had one thing in they would not take "You can't" for an answer. With a don't-give-up attitude, these fearless firsts fought for what they believed in and created a better artistic world.
In this book, you'll read about very famous entertainers, like Taylor Swift and Oprah Winfrey. You'll also discover the first Asian American comic book writer and the first runway model in a wheelchair. You'll meet the world's first modern graffiti artist, the first Black man to host a TV series, and the first Indigenous American Oscar winner. Beyond individuals, you'll learn about important groups, like the East West Players and the Hamilton cast. By the time you're done reading, whether you see yourself as an artist or not, you'll be inspired to stay optimistic, fight against injustice, and be fearless in whatever you set your mind to!
While these creatives came from different backgrounds and overcame unique struggles, they had one thing in they would not take "You can't" for an answer. With a don't-give-up attitude, these fearless firsts fought for what they believed in and created a better artistic world.
In this book, you'll read about very famous entertainers, like Taylor Swift and Oprah Winfrey. You'll also discover the first Asian American comic book writer and the first runway model in a wheelchair. You'll meet the world's first modern graffiti artist, the first Black man to host a TV series, and the first Indigenous American Oscar winner. Beyond individuals, you'll learn about important groups, like the East West Players and the Hamilton cast. By the time you're done reading, whether you see yourself as an artist or not, you'll be inspired to stay optimistic, fight against injustice, and be fearless in whatever you set your mind to!
128 pages, Hardcover
Published May 6, 2025
2 people are currently reading
4 people want to read
About the author
James Buckley Jr.
299 books69 followersIn addition to his work as a professional editor, James Buckley, Jr., is also the author of many books on American sports that are geared toward young fans and budding athletes.
Buckley, who has founded a company called Shoreline Publishing Group to produce books for reluctant readers, maintains that sports are far more than simple hobbies or ways to burn off excess energy.
Buckley, who has founded a company called Shoreline Publishing Group to produce books for reluctant readers, maintains that sports are far more than simple hobbies or ways to burn off excess energy.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
March 8, 2025
Arc Review:
Overall Rating: 4 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Cover Rating: 4 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Illustrations: 4 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I think this is a really cool book and I love the concept for it. The author gives you a quick description on why each of these entertainers have changed the industry by breaking barriers, and taking risks. There struggles come from either race, ethnicity, sexuality, gender orientation, disabilities, neurodiversity, and etc. I think this is a good book for kids or anyone in that matter. I like how they don’t just focus on one time of person but all types of people. They also have nice illustrations to go along in the book of each of the entertainers that are done well.
Thank you NetGalley
Overall Rating: 4 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Cover Rating: 4 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Illustrations: 4 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I think this is a really cool book and I love the concept for it. The author gives you a quick description on why each of these entertainers have changed the industry by breaking barriers, and taking risks. There struggles come from either race, ethnicity, sexuality, gender orientation, disabilities, neurodiversity, and etc. I think this is a good book for kids or anyone in that matter. I like how they don’t just focus on one time of person but all types of people. They also have nice illustrations to go along in the book of each of the entertainers that are done well.
Thank you NetGalley
March 12, 2025
A diverse collection of entertainers who've achieved first in a field, ranging from current names we'd all know to older, past achievers in a wide variety of fields. The illustrations are simple yet realistic with colorful graphics and charts/boxes of info scattered throughout. Each artist basically gets a one page text into with a full color rendering of them on the next. See the cover for an example of those rendering, While I tended to flip through, stopping, going back and forth, and enjoying the illustrations as I browsed. It's well-written and gives a brief recap of who, what, and why they're included, so even artists you don't know are nicely introduced.
I considered it a real plus that so many different fields were included. All types of people in all kinds of fields, each achieving in their own ways. Everything from Taylor Swift and her amazing Eras Tour and Lin-Manuel Miranda of Hamilton fame on the cover, to lesser known but equally amazing personalities like Megan Piphus Peace, the first female puppeteer on Sesame Street and Carol Shaw, the first female game creator for Atari. The fields are nicely broken down for you at the back, btw, with artists listed in their category. I might also note that while Miranda obviously gets a mention, he's included as part of the whole of the cast of the musical Hamilton, a nice nod to the diversity of that cast. I'd also somehow missed that musical artist Billie English has Tourette's Syndrome, a disease that makes her rise to fame all the more amazing given that vocal renderings are often impacted by the disease. And, never fear, there are "oldies" included, too. I liked that both Desi Arnez and Lucille Ball were showcased, for instance, including her becoming the first female president of a studio at the time, one that produced the likes of "Star Trek", I might add.
These are just a few of the talented artists showcased here. It was a delight to be reminded how artists have broken barriers, including Geri Jewell, the first actress with an open disability to star in a television series and wheelchair actress Ali Stoker, who won a Tony for her role in the musical "Oklahoma". I can't leave out a mention of Peter Dinkage, either, who was born with achondroplasia, a rare form of dwarfism but hasn't let it slow him down. So many wonderful personalities to meet and, as noted, this is just a handful of those to get to know in this book. There's also a timeline as well as chart of categories mentioned, and a solid list of where you can find out more. Thanks #SourcebooksKids for allowing me an early peek at this fun book. I appreciated the author's reminder that more firsts are being created every day. I mean, it wasn't that long ago few of us had ever heard of poet Amanda Gorman, so let's keep our eyes and ears open for the next "firsts".
I considered it a real plus that so many different fields were included. All types of people in all kinds of fields, each achieving in their own ways. Everything from Taylor Swift and her amazing Eras Tour and Lin-Manuel Miranda of Hamilton fame on the cover, to lesser known but equally amazing personalities like Megan Piphus Peace, the first female puppeteer on Sesame Street and Carol Shaw, the first female game creator for Atari. The fields are nicely broken down for you at the back, btw, with artists listed in their category. I might also note that while Miranda obviously gets a mention, he's included as part of the whole of the cast of the musical Hamilton, a nice nod to the diversity of that cast. I'd also somehow missed that musical artist Billie English has Tourette's Syndrome, a disease that makes her rise to fame all the more amazing given that vocal renderings are often impacted by the disease. And, never fear, there are "oldies" included, too. I liked that both Desi Arnez and Lucille Ball were showcased, for instance, including her becoming the first female president of a studio at the time, one that produced the likes of "Star Trek", I might add.
These are just a few of the talented artists showcased here. It was a delight to be reminded how artists have broken barriers, including Geri Jewell, the first actress with an open disability to star in a television series and wheelchair actress Ali Stoker, who won a Tony for her role in the musical "Oklahoma". I can't leave out a mention of Peter Dinkage, either, who was born with achondroplasia, a rare form of dwarfism but hasn't let it slow him down. So many wonderful personalities to meet and, as noted, this is just a handful of those to get to know in this book. There's also a timeline as well as chart of categories mentioned, and a solid list of where you can find out more. Thanks #SourcebooksKids for allowing me an early peek at this fun book. I appreciated the author's reminder that more firsts are being created every day. I mean, it wasn't that long ago few of us had ever heard of poet Amanda Gorman, so let's keep our eyes and ears open for the next "firsts".
May 6, 2025
This collective biography highlights a diverse array of entertainers who were the first to achieve a significant milestone in their respective fields. Entertainers cover a variety of types of artists from singers, actors, and dancers to those who make the behind-the-scenes magic happen, providing an overview of their life and information about the barriers each had to overcome, including race, gender, disability, and neurodiversity. While some faces may be familiar to readers, many will be new. There are over 50 people featured, but each biography is brief and has a color illustration, which will keep readers turning the pages. A timeline in the back of the book helps orient readers to when each milestone was reached. Informative and engaging book with wide representation that will make a nice addition to school biography shelves.
March 14, 2025
This book was perfect! So many influential, relevant and fantastic people represented in this book. As a school librarian I know this book would come in handy for all the biographies the teachers do through out the year. I would recommend this book to teachers, Children age 8-14 and librarians! I know I would like to have a copy for my school library collection! Thank you to netgalley and source books for this e-arc!
April 24, 2025
This is kind of a unique set of mini biographies for kids. It's not short, so the kids who pick this one up are going to have to be pretty committed. I love that artists of all different types, genders, and races are featured. The art was kind of hit or miss for me. Some of the portraits were spot on (Whoopie Goldberg), and some of them really missed the mark (Lucille Ball). None of the art was bad, it just didn't all match the actual face of the person it was created for.
December 12, 2024
One-page descriptions tell why each of these entertainers are remarkable. And I love that the diverse aspect is more than just race/ethnicity and sexuality: it also features those who have a disability and/or are neurodiverse! I can see this book going over well with my 3rd-5th graders.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews