Queens of the Resistance: Maxine Waters: A Biography

Queens of the Resistance #2

by Brenda Jones, Krishan Trotman

Part of the four-book Queens of the Resistance series, saluting some of the most beloved boss ladies in a celebration of Representative Maxine Waters, who reclaimed her time and led the first calls for impeachment    Maxine Waters is an icon for a generation of women powerbrokers in politics. She is an “unbought and unbossed” acolyte of all the legendary firebrands, like Shirley Chisholm, Barbara Jordan, Tupac, and Malcolm X. The daughter of a single mom from St. Louis, she’s smart, sassy, and an outright firecracker. She is the first woman of color, and the first person of color, to regulate the boyz at the big banks as the powerful chair of the House Financial Services Committee. Auntie Maxine called out the crimes and corruption of this Oval Office with precision before anyone else dared to take a stand. Make no mistake, she is coming for the “king,” and whenever she aims, Maxine Waters doesn’t miss. With illustrations, deep research, and writing as endlessly quotable as she is, Queens of the Resistance pays tribute to this phenomenal woman.   About the Each book of the Queens of the Resistance series will be a celebration of the rebellion against the oppression of women and an embracement of the new in the United States government. The series is adorned with sass, discernment, and the badassery of the present and future leadership. The Doomsday Clock is at a minute to midnight, and the patriarchal power grid that lights “the shining city on a Hill” is about to black out. It’s time to yield to the alternative—the power of women.

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction, Biography Memoir, Audiobook, Biography

175 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 30, 2020

Reviews

[Devin Boehmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved!!! This was my first read of the 4-part series and I am so thankful that Jones and Trotman decided to publish these. I barely knew anything about Auntie Maxine and I’ve come away from this short bio in complete awe of her. She has been on the front lines of many major events in American history and has invested so much time, government aid and energy in supporting Black communities. I loved learning about her path to politics and how she demands nothing less than respect everywhere she goes. And overall this bio was written in an entertaining, fun way (with some great artwork) while educating about her life and American history in general. Can’t wait to read about more queens in the rest of the series!

[Ula · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 out of 5 👸🏾 Queen of Black Feminism

'Queens of the Resistance' is a series of books about modern-day politicians committed to making an impact on our everyday lives. They advocate for a change of the existing administrative model to be more inclusive and welcome for every gender and skin color. These Queens are concerned about racial justice, everyday problems of lower & middle-class Americans as well as undocumented ones, and climate change.

This volume tells the story of Maxine Waters, who knows all about the struggles of lower-class Americans, Black Americans, women, and single parents. She faced Jim Crow laws and scrutiny of white congressmen, yet she hasn't stopped advocating for women and people of color.

The biggest advantage of the series is language, pure gen Z / millennial slang and references made me smile. That whole attitude made the book more enjoyable and easier to digest.
I enjoyed that piece and want to read more books of that series!!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher Plume for Young Readers for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and feelings are my own.

[Kristy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this. Auntie is a badass!

[Kevin Alexander · Rating 2 out of 5]

Anyone who has read my previous reviews of the books in this series know that I have struggled with finding the enjoyment in this series due to the nature of how the series is written. This once again falls into a form of hagiography. However, for some odd reason it didn’t not bother me as much as it had in the previous installments of the series I read. This book provided a passable introduction to the life of Maxine Waters. To my knowledge this is the first biography of Maxine Waters. However the book is once again marred by the annoying teen-like prose but it seemed lesser than the books of the series I have read thus far.

[Educator · Rating 5 out of 5]

Auntie Maxine is on the move. Maxine Waters is a powerhouse and internationally known policy maker and upholder. She fights for the improvished and wants equal footing footing. This is her story as told by sisters with a cause. The book contains quotes from Auntie as well as poetry and song lyrics that are pertinent to the content within the chapters but also fit Auntie's mission and purpose.

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did know much about this key figure before, but I definitely have a vested interest in politics now. Wow, to know that she is fighting for us up on Capitol Hill helps me sleep soundly at night!

[Dom · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful woman to learn about! I had not known "Auntie Maxine's" connection to her community and her strong history in politics. Such a powerful and competent force in the fight against Trump's regime. A worthy national hero to celebrate.

[Danny · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm living this series! Honestly, I knew basically nothing about Maxine Waters prior to this. I am in awe of her life accomplishments and her constant grind. She is a smart, creative, takes no shit leader.

[Ash · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun, totally biased look into the life of Maxine Waters. I knew what I was getting in to and enjoyed every second of it.

[Lexi (Reads and Riesling) · Rating 5 out of 5]

The final installment of The Queens of the Resistance series that I’ve read. I truly enjoyed this whole series because it’s a perfect primer for each individual featured. Maxine Waters is so interesting! I honestly knew nothing about her except for “reclaiming my time” so it was amazing to learn about a truly remarkable woman in Congress. I definitely recommend this series for everyone and think it would be appropriate for younger readers as well as adults.

[Sage · Rating 3 out of 5]

Learned a lot about Maxine Waters! I also really appreciated the historical context, but I felt the book jumped around a bit and I wanted to know more about certain parts of her life. She is legendary though.

[Mary Keen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I greatly admire Maxine Waters for her outspoken bravery and all she's accomplished. I learned more about her in this book and the content was useful, even with explanations of complicated legal issues she's dealt with such as Dodd-Frank and payday loans.

The bibliography was useful, but an index, in addition to the chapter headings would have improved it --not sure why one wasn't included.

I like how she demands respect and fights for important things. Unfortunately, this book was written with adolescent slang, cheer leading, etc, inserted frequently, such as "gangsta , y'all" to describe her.

It seems to have been written to appeal to young Black girls, but IMO, this diminished Congresswoman Water's achievements and took away from her decades- long legacy. There were even misspellings to emphasize spoken speech among some Blacks.

I hope a similar factual biography can be published of this amazing woman without the demeaning asides.

[Brooke · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange from my honest review. "Queens of the Resistance: Maxine Waters" is out now.
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Ugh. Love Maxine Waters, did not love this book. Of course reading about Maxine is always great, but I struggled to get through this one.

The writing itself was really not good and made the book so hard to read. The authors tried way too hard to be "hip and cool" in the writing with hardcore teen-prose that honestly ruined the rest of the book for me. It was such a weird mix of actually history with a "Yes, queen!" thrown in places that didn't really make sense.

[Terry · Rating 5 out of 5]

A quick read. The authors capture Maxine Waters—how she became a “I’m not taking any shit from anyone—especially Donald Trump” —one of the few politician still looking out for the poor and middle class.

We get to learn where, how she grew up, and how she became politically active. I did not want to put this short down. Now, I want to call her Auntie Maxine after reading this short but powerful bio.

[Chermaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

3 thumbs up!
This series will be amazing, and I enjoyed learning even more about Maxine Waters. If you thought sh was amazing before, you will learn that she is much more than that . I can't wait to read about the other women in this series but I think this will be an enjoyable read for anyone interested in the women who run this country.

[Ietrio · Rating 3 out of 5]

Resistance? Can one be more the establishment than this person? Living off the taxes collected from the poor, enriching their relatives, doesn't sound good. On the other hand, given they are all like this in Washington, a constant vote of NO for each of the Patriot Act passes, a vote against the Wars, that is impressive, but still no resistance.

[Nic · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m definitely not the target audience generation-wise. I can’t get used to a book that sounds like you’re talking to a teen... things like, “YAAAS” and *in Drake’s Voice* are just not my style- but I’m sure it’s great for young people.

That being said, the information I could follow was nice to know about her.

[Parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maxine Waters has been one of my sheroes since she first came to Congress. She's politically savvy, and serves the tea (whether you like it or not!)

This short book is an excellent introduction to the woman and her tireless work for not only her constituents, but the vast 98% as well.

[Ashley Holbert]

Overall Opinion: Maxine Waters sounds like an amazing woman. That is all.

[Jasmine · Rating 4 out of 5]

i learned a lot and have more appreciation for my rep

[Rose Joyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an inspiring tribute to a strong, smart , sassy, hardworking , no nonsense woman .
The authors obviously greatly admire "Auntie Maxine" and so do I