The Fierce 44: Black Americans Who Shook Up the World – Short Biographies and Portraits of African American Leaders

by The Staff of The Undefeated, Robert Ball (Illustrator)

A dynamic collective biography that presents 44 of America’s greatest Black movers and shakers, from Frederick Douglass to Aretha Franklin to Barack Obama, written by ESPN’s TheUndefeated and illustrated with dazzling portraits by Rob Ball. From visionaries to entrepreneurs, athletes to activists, the Fierce 44 are beacons of brilliance, perseverance, and excellence. Each short biography is accompanied by a compelling portrait by Robert Ball, whose bright, graphic art pops off the page. Bringing household names like Serena Williams and Harriet Tubman together with lesser-known but highly deserving figures such as Robert Abbott and Dr. Charles Drew, this collection is a celebration of all that African Americans have achieved, despite everything they have had to overcome. Meet forty-four of America’s most impressive heroes in this collective biography of African American figures authored by the team at ESPN’s TheUndefeated.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, History, Middle Grade, Childrens, African American, Historical

96 pages, Hardcover

First published December 24, 2019

Reviews

[Angela M. Artis · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an AMAZING Homage, to the 44th President of the United States of America, Barack Obama. Extremely informative, concise, and the artwork is elevating and mesmerizing.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice, concise biographies, with a portrait for each one.

Q2020 book.

[Lesley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Teensy snippets on 44 awesome Black Americans. 44 cause of you know who.

[Pat · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Fierce 44 is a collective biography of 44 prominent Black Americans who have made an impression- who shook up the world, in the words of the staff of The Undefeated at ESPN. The 28 men and 16 women represent varied fields in music, art, literature, the sciences, athletics, entertainment, and prominent historical figures. Each one page mini biography is accompanied by a modern full color portrait that adds immensely to the up-to-date feel of the book. The portrait has a single sentence explaining why the person is included and after the name of each person their activities and birth and death years are listed. The descriptions of each person summarizes the aspects of their life that made them remarkable.

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am very impressed with the range of "dreamers and doers, noisy geniuses and quiet innovators, record breakers and symbols of pride and aspiration" depicted in this beautifully illustrated collection of one-page biographies. What's not to love about a book that invites you to learn about Alvin Ailey, Michael Jordan, and Ida B. Wells in one volume?

I especially liked how the portraits are accompanied by one-liners describing the importance of the subject - this helps young readers connect the biographies to what they see in daily life. Sidney Poitier: "because he ushered in the modern black leading man," Zora Neale Hurston: "because she inspired pride in southern black culture"; Jay-Z: "because he's the greatest man in hip-hop" (is this debatable??)

The Fierce 44 is an accessible, engaging introduction to influential African Americans; I recommend it to readers in the 3rd grade-and-up crowd and look forward to sharing it with kids in my library.

[Angie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. I was hoping for more, but each person only got a couple of pages or so. I knew the bios of each person would be brief, but not so brief that they felt like blurbs. I have read a few children’s books with the same amount of text or less about some of these people that still told me more and were more interesting and engaging writing. I also thought the choices of which people to include was …interesting. I was hoping for a few specific people who never showed up in the book, like Benjamin Bannaker. I thought I would come away from this book with a list of more in-depth bios to seek out, but was left mostly uninspired.

[Penny lurkykitty · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Fierce 44 is a collection of mini-biographies of African Americans who have made significant contributions from the time of slavery up until the present. It is called 44 because President Obama is the 44th. There are people included who are very well known such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Oprah Winfrey, and less famous people. I enjoyed reading about Mary McLeod Bethune and Charles Drew in particular. Although intended for upper elementary/middle grade readers, adults will learn a lot from this book. Hopefully, The Staff of The Undefeated will come out with a larger book which includes more people.

[Elizabeth Behrens · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good book about important people of color in America's history, many of which are NEVER mentioned in a classroom setting. The illustrations were lovely. I thought that the information provided for each person was good, but some of the entries I wanted the book to go into the actual impact that person had actually had on what they were doing. I do recognize that this book is a non-fiction intended for younger audiences and that the entries were probably left vague on purpose. Overall I enjoyed being able to share this book with my kids and show them that old white dudes aren't the only people in America's history worth knowing about.

[C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

The fierce 44 is a quick two-hour read and packed full of great gems regarding some of the most influential African Americans from slavery to present day. I love the premise of "44" as a nod to our 44th president. While most of the profiles are based on common knowledge, there are a few more in-depth or expanded detail that history lovers will appreciate.

This is a wonderful book, and I think it would be enjoyed by most readers and should be given to younger readers who need to hear positive stories of how people can overcome adversity and succeed in life! Lovely book.

[Heidi · Rating 3 out of 5]

An accessible, beautifully illustrated volume, with 44 brief biographies of Black Americans who pioneered and/or made a significant difference. From athletes to abolitionists, celebrities to activists, this collection was uplifting and eye-opening. I've added about half a dozen names to my list of memoirs; I want to learn more about businesswoman Madame C.J. Walker, artist Basquiat, poet Maya Angelou, revolutionary Malcolm X, Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall. If my children were still school-aged, this would be required reading in my home.

[Cathy Klein · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a quick, but very informational book about many African Americans and their influence in America.

Of course, there were the common ones such as Barrack Obama, Jimmy Hendrix and Martin Luther King, Jr., but there were many others I enjoyed hearing about as well such as Katherine Johnson and Dr. Charles Drew.

Even though it is a kids book, I think it's a great reminder of people in history as well as a lesson on some that many adults would enjoy as well.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice and simple collection of mini bios of Black Americans. This was a great blend of extremely famous people you're sure to know (like Barack Obama and Harriet Tubman) and some more obscure names that wouldn't be mentioned in an average history class. Even though I listened to the audiobook and didn't get the added benefit of the illustrations, it was still a high quality and interesting book. A quick listen that sent me looking for the biographies of many of these folks.

[Tina Beecham · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book of 44 influential African Americans throughout history. The book was well illustrated by Robert Ball. He did a great job. The book gave a short summary of each persons contributions to civil rights, politics, music, literature, dance, or sports. Every young kid needs this book on their selves.

[Eleni Brooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Listened on Audible Stories.

Really good listen, 2 minute sound bites about 44 influential Black Americans. A good overview of their life which makes you want to learn more. I’ll be honest I’d never heard of a number of these but I’m glad I did today. Will be looking into buying a copy for my younger siblings.

[TTreadsYA · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned of a lot of amazing people through this book that were never mentioned in history before. I might be Canadian but this is extremely important for us all to read and know. People of colour are often erased from history and that's horrible! My only negative on this book is that I would have love to have learned more about each person!

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book gives a very brief biography of 44 black Americans who shaped the world. I am not the target audience for this book, more middle grade and possibly young adults. Personally, I give it 2.5 stars and raise it to 3 stars for Goodreads.

[Library Lady Terri · Rating 4 out of 5]

One page entries about 44 Black Americans from our past and present who did and are still doing great things in our world. Love to use these to introduce myself to people who fell through the cracks in my education/awareness.

[Anna Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read for any one, check this wonderful book of black history out and you will learn a lot of things. And this book will make you want more. Barack Obama was the 44th president. The Fierce 44 is a great name for this book. The portraits are great.

[Bibliomama · Rating 4 out of 5]

One page biographies of 44 Black Americans from every corner of American life, with accompanying vibrant portraits. I can’t complain about the inclusion of any of the selections. But there are so many others that could have been included.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A perfect book for helping young people recognize the accomplishments of Americans who are called black. Hopefully, they will be curious enough to dig deeper and learn more about these people and others like them

[Erin Richards · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick one page celebrations of 44 different Black Americans who changed history. My hope is it will inspire kids and adults to want to read more about all these great people.

[Donald · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very insightful and educational...brief snippets of history that involved Black Americans. A great read and a must have!

[Sylvie M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book packs so much interesting information into such so few pages. I loved it.

[Nichole Thornton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick little bios on 44 African Americans that changed the world. Loved the art, too.

[Kathryn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I know about most of these (or don't care to know, about the sports figures), but was glad to learn about a couple of notable Black Americans that I'd never heard of, before.

[S. LaRue · Rating 5 out of 5]

In The Know.

It is always good, enlightening and encouraging to learn more information about My People. Very good read. More to share with my children and grandchildren.

[Book Buying With Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great illustrations and great choices of subjects. Especially liked that it not only featured queer people but specifically mentioned their sexuality.

[amypete · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick, informative biographies with striking portrait illustrations. I'm glad I recognized several of the Fierce 44. I would read this one again to learn and remember more.

[Kristin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The selected biographies a good contemporary mix of influential figures in a variety of fields. I enjoyed this one more than other biography collections of Black historical figures geared for kids.

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great for kids and adults.