Ida B. the Queen: The Extraordinary Life and Legacy of Ida B. Wells

by Michelle Duster

Journalist. Suffragist. Antilynching crusader. In 1862, Ida B. Wells was born enslaved in Holly Springs, Mississippi. In 2020, she won a Pulitzer Prize. Ida B. Wells committed herself to the needs of those who did not have power. In the eyes of the FBI, this made her a “dangerous negro agitator.” In the annals of history, it makes her an icon. Ida B. the Queen tells the awe-inspiring story of an pioneering woman who was often overlooked and underestimated—a woman who refused to exit a train car meant for white passengers; a woman brought to light the horrors of lynching in America; a woman who cofounded the NAACP. Written by Wells’s great-granddaughter Michelle Duster, this “warm remembrance of a civil rights icon” (Kirkus Reviews) is a unique visual celebration of Wells’s life, and of the Black experience. A century after her death, Wells’s genius is being celebrated in popular culture by politicians, through song, public artwork, and landmarks. Like her contemporaries Frederick Douglass and Susan B. Anthony, Wells left an indelible mark on history—one that can still be felt today. As America confronts the unfinished business of systemic racism, Ida B. the Queen pays tribute to a transformational leader and reminds us of the power we all hold to smash the status quo.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, History, Feminism, Audiobook, Biography Memoir, Historical

168 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 26, 2021

About the author

Michelle Duster is a writer, speaker, professor, and champion of racial and gender equity. In the last dozen years, she has written, edited, or contributed to eleven books. She cowrote the popular children’s history book, Tate and His Historic Dream; coedited Shifts and Michelle Obama’s Impact on African American Women and Girls; and edited two books that include the writings of her great-grandmother, Ida B. Wells. She has written articles for Essence, Refinery29, HuffPost, Teen Vogue, and The North Star.

Reviews

[Elyse Walters · Rating 5 out of 5]

Audiobook.... read by the author - 3 hours and 44 minutes

Interesting? YES!!! ... of both Ida B. Wells and Michelle Duster

Learned a lot about a woman I knew little about? YES!!!

Inspiring? YES!!!
I wanted to meet both the kick ass Ida and her great great granddaughter/ author Michelle Duster.

“Princess of the Press” wasn’t a term I ever remember
hearing anywhere — but somehow — it’s a phrase that will stay with me ... in association with BOTH
Ida B Wells and Michelle Duster .....forever!

And ... ( little tidbit).... any woman who takes a bite out of an adult man bully... is a woman after my own heart.

Years ago ( I was in 5th grade), I got sent to the principals office for ‘biting’ a bully while playing basketball during physical education.
I got in a ‘little’ trouble — but the principal told me (secretly) - that that bully deserved what I did to him.

Ida was an INCREDIBLE ACTIVIST.... and so is Michelle.

I’m only sorry I haven’t seen the photos - which are in the physical book. — I’ll find a way - next time I’m in a book store or library.

Many thanks to Betsy Robinson whose review inspired me to read ( listen) to this informative/ engaging book!

[Rosa · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ida B. the Queen started promising and turned into a disappointment. Ida is a phenomenal figure in history that doesn't get enough recognition. I was hoping to recommend this to others but it falls short. The writing is disjointed and sporadic. I can't figure out if this is a biography, semi-autobiography, history? In the middle of the sentence about Ida - the next page talks about Sarah Bartman, then Black Lives Matter. Since the author is a direct relative, I assumed she would add some personal elements or unknown details but that is also lacking. Unfortunately, I would not recommend it.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley.

[Elisheva · Rating 3 out of 5]

The summary on the back of the book led me to believe that the book was a biography of Ida B. Wells. However, the book was more of a contextualization of Wells' activism within the larger context American history and the Black experience in America. Overall, the book was fine and an interesting read, but it somewhat disorganized and hard to follow. I often had to parse sentences with awkward structures, contractions, random moments of first person narration, and excessive superlatives. I liked how the book had sources and citations in the back, but the author frequently ascribed thoughts and feelings onto Wells without citing to a source for those thoughts. Did Wells really think x and y or was the author projecting onto Wells? How did the author reach those conclusions about Wells' behavior? I love primary sources and would have loved to see more. (But maybe I'm just a nerd who likes citations too much.) The book would benefit from some further editing and organization.

Some thoughts on the current organization of the book:
-The "Timeline" (currently chapter V) would be better placed at either the front or back of the book, but definitely not randomly dropped in the middle. The timeline was also a weird mix of bullet points and sentences - a uniform structure would make it easier for the reader to follow.
-"Who Ida Was to Me") (currently chapter II), is one of the few sections written in first person and would be a great Author's Note or (chapter one) at the front of the book as it explains the author's relationship to Wells and why the book was written.
-"Who was Ida B Wells" (currently chapter I) is a great hook to draw the reader into the book but feels disconnected from the rest of the book by the current chapter II.
-"How Ida Became Ida" (current chapter IV) is a brief biography of Wells' early life and would be better served as chapter three.
-"A Voice for the People" (currently chapter III) discusses Wells' activism and part, but only part of her adult life. It should come after the chapter about Wells' early life.
-"A Powerful Legacy" (currently chapter VI) is an argument connecting Wells' activism to contemporary social and racial issues. The argument was compelling but a lot was lost due to the disjointed nature of the chapter. It would benefit from some clarity.
-"In her Name and Tradition: Tributes to Ida" (currently chapter VII) was a way to end the book.

As a reader, the constant time and tonal shifts was hard to follow. Furthermore, the author had side bars that discusses tangential historical and contemporary issues which provided context to the reader. While I liked the idea of the side bars, I was perplexed at their purpose - some reiterated information already written in the main text, or had no connection to the text on the page. For example, about Tuskegee airmen simply said that they existed and to read about them to visit a specific museum. The sidebar on the Underground Railroad was later repeated word-for-word in the main text and seemed redundant. Some information within the main text would be better served as a side bar (ex: the multi-paragraph tangent about recent activism around discrimination against POC due to their natural hair).

Sometimes the author went into detail explaining basic historical information and other times, the author assumed the reader already had the basic context for the historical background and jumped into how it related to Wells. The Underground Railroad was provided with a basic background explanation but the Peace Conference (which I later deduced was referring to the talks that occurred after WWI) was not. Another example is with Frederick Douglass - the author discusses Douglass multiple times but does not give a basic biography of him until nearly 100 pages into the book.

I got an advanced reader copy from a Goodreads giveaway.

[Reads With Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super quick read. 3.5. It’s not what I was expecting, I was hoping for more. I’m gonna read the other Ida B Wells biography written by Wells’s daughter. I like reading from the family members of Wells so I’m glad I read this one.

[Betsy Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

How does a Black female baby born in Mississippi in 1862 to enslaved parents as the Civil War roiled around them become a renowned journalist, teacher, and activist with the courage to stand up for what is right no matter what the obstacles? “Black people have often taken to ‘making a way out of no way,’ (125)” writes author Michelle Duster. This kind of courage and steadfast intelligence take my breath away. This history is important and I will not try to truncate any of it into a brief review of this colorful book. Read it if you want to understand where we live today in the U.S. of A.

Although this history of civil rights activist Ida B. Wells is credited to her great-grand-daughter, Michelle Duster, per the acknowledgments, the book is a team effort of publisher Julia Cheiffetz, writer Hannah Giorgis, photo editor Nicholas Ciani, and amazing illustrator Monica Ahanonu.

It is a terrific compendium of not only Wells’s story but of so many people who have worked their butts off for equality. This is a wonderful text to add to any reader’s Black history education.

My only complaint is that a huge part of the joy of this book is the striking illustrations of Black activists—colorful but stark portraits of so many luminaries in the civil rights movement—by artist Monica Ahanonu, whose name does not appear anywhere except in a line of the author’s acknowledgements. There is nothing about Ahanonu on the title page or in the front matter (that lists the interior designer), nor is there a credit on the Image Credits back-of-book page. I can only guess that this was a work-for-hire illustration job, but still . . . when artwork contributes as much of the feeling of a book as Ahanonu’s does, the reader shouldn’t have to search as hard as I did to find out who did it. Per her website: “Monica Ahanonu is a freelance illustrator working and living in Los Angeles. Many consider her an expert in color theory, vector illustration, and motion design.” So to stand up for what’s right in a very small way, I’m devoting my last paragraph to her.

[Erricka Hager · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eek, this is such a difficult review to write. Sadly my expectations for this book were very high and Ida B. the Queen never reached them.

Like my fellow reviewers, I struggled with deciphering what exactly the intention of this was. I originally thought it was a mixture of a biography and a history book? I was hoping that we would get a few family secrets since the author is a descendant of Ida.

Sadly, this ended up being a huge letdown, and trust me this hurts typing this during Black History Month. I will say I enjoyed gaining new knowledge about Ida's life but I think this book could benefit from better organization of the chapters and information that was shared.

[Caleb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ida B Wells is my favorite historical heroine. This is a great telling of her life.

[Caroline David · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have always admired Ida B. Wells. She is inspiring for so many reasons and I find myself looking to her as one of the greatest feminists and equal rights activists ever. But this book didn't do it for me. It felt a little self-serving for the author and less about her grandmother. I wanted to feel inspired and motivated but I felt like I was reading more about the author's life than the legacy of Ida B. Wells. I hate to leave a negative review but I feel like the intention of the book wasn't executed that well and I can't say I enjoyed it all too much.

[Elizabeth A.G. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written by her great-granddaughter, this book is more than a biography of journalist, civil and political rights advocate, suffragist, and anti-lynching activist Ida B. Wells, but also a historical perspective on the African American struggle for political and social rights which still resonates today. Author Michelle Duster has done her research of her family tree and also of the era in which her great-grandmother lived and the impact of Wells's Black advocacy years after her death in 1931 and into present day. Ida Wells was born into slavery in 1832, but with the end of slavery and the hard work of her parents, she was college educated, taught school and ultimately turned to journalism with part ownership in her own newspaper which gave her a platform to expound upon the injustices she saw in the treatment of Blacks in the legal system and the inequalities in society. As a journalist she was known as "Iola Wells," a name she adopted after a print error in the spelling of her name. Her determination and perseverance were not dimmed even with threats to her safety and life. The author tells of Ida's involvement with other high profile Black rights advocates and groups, her publication, The Red Record, which detailed physical brutality and lynchings against Black men for trumped up charges, and her support of Black women's rights, and her involvement in the establishment of the NAACP. The author's message is clear that her great-grandmother stood up for what is right and has set the example for future generations of women advocates for social justice. I had heard of journalist "Iola Wells" but this book brings to light the brave woman who sought justice for her race. One difficulty I had with the book was the jumping from one time period to another in the author's attempt to connect Ida to her era and her impact on later movements, and moving from the events of the twentieth century impacting twenty-first century events. An interesting and enlightening book!

[Amanda Hupe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you, Goodreads, Atria Books, and Michelle Duster for the opportunity to read this book!

Ida B Wells is one of the most extraordinary women in history and she doesn’t nearly get enough recognition. Ida B. The Queen by Michelle Duster is an extraordinary book that highlights Ida B. Wells’ life, work, and history. Ida B. Wells was born in 1862, in Mississippi and born enslaved. In 1892, Ida’s friends, Thomas Moss, Calvin McDowell, and William Stewart were murdered in the Curve Riot. That is when she wrote one of her first articles about lynching called, Southern Horrors: Lynch Laws in All Its Phases. She was an activist and a journalist who did not back down. She dedicated her life to protecting Black lives. This book is also filled with other activists who were inspired by her.

This book is not just any book. It is personal. The author is the great-granddaughter of Ida B. Wells herself. The book is filled with pictures, journal entries, and newspaper articles throughout her life. When I originally saw some reviews of this book, I was surprised by all the negativity surrounding this book. The author clearly wants to emphasize how Ida B. Wells inspired generations even to this day. The book even touches on modern-day issues and connects them to moments in history. You know what they say, “those who do not study history are doomed to repeat it.” That is clearly obvious with the social justice issues that are still happening today.

I loved everything about this book. While it is not an in-depth book of just one person’s life, it is how that life inspired a movement. Que Hamilton— “This is not a moment, it’s a movement.” What an incredible woman! It really infuriates me that she is still only a footnote in current history classes. We really need to address how we teach history and how we often ignore the most important figures. I really recommend this read and to pick up the works of Ida B. Wells Barnett. This book gets 5 out of 5 stars.

[Andre(Read-A-Lot) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never include comments about other reviews in my own review. Well maybe never is a bit inaccurate but very rarely. And I’m not going too now, other than to say if you can’t recognize this book by it’s cover, size and content as a Young Adult, even Middle Grade construction, why good night.

Having said that, this is not a full biography of Ida B. Wells. It is an introduction and celebration of the life of an amazing fighter for and elevator of Black lives. It is written by Michelle Duster, Ida’s great-granddaughter, and her love and admiration of her accomplished antecedent is apparent on every page.

This is a quick read that does an excellent job of introducing Ida B. Wells, who may be, with the exception of Harriet Tubman the single most important Blackwoman in our sojourn of USA. It includes enough about Ida’s life to instruct and inspire. Those unfamiliar with Ida will certainly be inspired to seek out one of the many fully penned biographies and those familiar will be reminded and instructed to continue amplifying the life of this truth teller.

Michelle Duster set out to celebrate, remind and introduce Ida B. Wells to the world. In my mind she succeeded on all accounts! 5 stars!

[Janet · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have to agree with reviewers who said that this book is disjointed. It resembles a book report on a relative you didn't know. It was part biography, part chronology, and part the legacy of her great grandmother.

[Pyroclastic Ash · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 Stars
I admire the extraordinary woman that was Ida B. Wells. This is a short overview of her life and contributions from a family point of view. Her family has honored her spirit and her talents, and I can appreciate that even though this is short, it covers a lot about Ida B. Wells, her role in social justice movements, and history. I look forward to reading her autobiography.

[Sharon Huether · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ida grew up the eldest of eight children, Her parents were slaves.
Ida was front and center when it came to racial issues.
Ida published her concerns in the Evening Star and wrote in The Living way.

She used the name Iola in her newspaper columns. She also wrote in the Little Rock Sun, Washington Bees and the American Baptist. She was paid one dollar a week.

In 1913 she was involved with the "National Equal Rights league" and the Boston Guardian.
Ida countered the Black Perspective to counter propaganda. She helped get the "Lynch Law" enacted in Georgia.

Today there are monuments to Ida B. Wells. Streets in her name. Ida B. Wells Homes in Chicago,
US Post office in Holly Spring Miss., a historical marker installed in Chicago July 20, 2029, plus a museum in Miss.

She was posthumous awarded a Pulitzer Prize in 2020 Special Citation as an iconic pathbreaker in American History.

I won this free book from Good reads First reads.

[Becky · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't really know what this was when I saw it while browsing my e-library offerings, but I'd been wanting to read something either by or about Ida B. Wells for a while, and it was short, so I snagged it.

I kinda wish this wasn't the one I chose though. This was written and read by Michelle Duster, Wells' great-granddaughter. I didn't know who Michelle Duster was when I picked this up, and initially I thought it would add a really interesting personal touch to hear about her from her descendant. But as I looked her up, I found that she had written, edited, and/or contributed to quite a few books about her great-grandmother. Now I don't begrudge or blame her at all for that. If my ancestor was as fucking badass as Ida B. Wells, I would absolutely want to tell her story. But, a quick perusal of these other titles show that many seem to have the same general theme of "The Life and Legacy" of Wells, and so as I listened to this, something just felt off to me. I found myself wondering what the point of THIS book was that was different from the others (which, admittedly, I haven't read) and who the intended audience was. And another quick perusal of the reviews of this book tells me that I wasn't alone in this.

This book just felt disjointed and shallow, not to put too fine a point on it. I feel somewhat bad even saying that, because I really wanted to love this, but while I can and do appreciate the woman this was about, and her vast and historically critical and immensely brave actions and accomplishments, I just can't appreciate the book the presented them. It jumped around in time - both Ida's and Michelle's - as well as from topic to topic, and none of them really felt fully fleshed out or presented as more than a telling of events. And then some of those events are related to more modern times... but many of the "modern asides" are just non sequiturs in relation to the actual scope of what I thought the book was about. Like the many mentions of the housing development named for Ida B. Wells. Is it generally relevant to her legacy? Yes, but I'd argue that it's less the DEVELOPMENT than the POLICIES around it, and that could have been better correlated and explained - especially if the audience is intended to be for younger readers.

The fact that I listened to this on audio made it feel even more disjointed, because there may have been segment or section breaks between topics or subjects or events in a printed book, but there wasn't much of anything like that in the audio. And Duster's reading felt like just that - reading. So altogether, it really just felt like a rushed school report.

Maybe this was actually written for teens or young adults, in which case, cool. But I think the criticism of the disjointed narrative and jumpy style still stands. I wish that this had been presented in more of a chronological order, or even by era, or some other method. Maybe education (hers and her work as a teacher), and activism, journalism, challenges to laws, etc. Something to add some sort of glue to hold this together, instead of just feeling like a random assortment of things that happened in Ida B. Wells' life.

I absolutely plan on reading more about and by Ida B. Wells, and maybe even more of Michelle Duster's work, though likely will look for the writings OF Wells next, instead of about her. I am sorry this book didn't work for me, but I have every respect for the woman it's about, and the woman who wrote it.

[Allyn]

Ida B. was a phenomenal figure in history and I was excited to start this book. However, this was less of a fully fleshed out biography and more of a non-linear summarization of her life. This is a good starting point for learning more about her though and it's written and narrated by her great-granddaughter.

I do wish though that this was looked over a bit more as I did notice that the date of Malcolm X's (El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz) death was incorrectly stated as February 14th.

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Last night I was able to attend a Zoom presentation through Politics & Prose to hear the author, Michelle Duster, Ida B's great granddaughter, speak. She was thoughtful, articulate and insightful in detailing how the book is laid out and her objectives for writing it. She wants to inform young people about the American history that isn't taught in schools.

I especially appreciated reading this book following her presentation. I was approximately 60 pages in before hearing her speak. The over arching goal of illustrating the horrific, continuous hardships and racism that so many have endured is definitely achieved. I knew of some of the incidents sited in this book and there were others that I was unfamiliar with. How is it that our educational system misses relaying so many of the painful moments in our history?

Reading books like this one will definitely help in furthering the national effort for racial equality and reparations. The author provides other brief bios of those who significantly contributed in the fight for civil rights.

And, the art work (by artist, Monica Ahanonu) is stunningly beautiful! Photos and historical objects and locations are pictured throughout the book.

[Sugarpuss O'Shea · Rating 4 out of 5]

This biography of Ida B Wells is compact & concise. And while that might be a turnoff for some people, I for one loved it. You get a complete picture of who Ida B was, without all the fluff an 800 page tome produces. And while I will eventually get around to reading such tomes, I appreciate this short & sweet biography from her great-granddaughter. And to follow the line of not only the Black women who have served public office--including our current Vice President!--but also the countless men & women, both past & present, who have picked up her mantle for the fight for Black Lives, is a gift. Now, it's time to finish the job she started.

[Michele · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a beautiful book! This is not a typical biography. The author, great-granddaughter of Ida B. Wells-Barnett, has created an accessible, attractive, relevant history that connects her own personal past, the real life of her amazing ancestor, and the connection of Wells-Barnett’s truth-telling and achievements to the struggles and triumphs of women and Black Americans today. I had learned about Ida B. via The History Chicks podcast, but this uniquely personal and gorgeously illustrated book has deepened my understanding of what she did l, her legacy, and why it was so important. A must-buy and a must-read!

[Miriam Kahn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This slim book is one of many I’ve recently read about important and prominent African-Americans. Sadly, the book is difficult to follow, jumping around in time, adding asides and tangents rather than grouping them together.

The ARC is full of black and white photographs and illustrations, some poorly identified.

It’s also not clear who the audience is for this book, YA, children, or adults.

Such a shame as this book could have been a valuable addition to reading lists for Black History Month in February.

I received an ARC from the BookLoft of German Village (Columbus, OH) http://www.bookloft.com

[Joleek · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like many other readers, I was confused by this book. Some parts were really interesting, but overall it didn’t quite hit the mark I was hoping for. More than anything, I had trouble figuring out the purpose and the intended audience. Was the book about the author, a history of the entire civil rights movement, or a biography of Ida B. Wells? The cover art and the slim size of the book seem to indicate it is geared towards young readers, but the prerequisite knowledge needed to read the book did not. The author over-explained some details, often in side bars about other civil rights pioneers, and then used other terms that might be unfamiliar to readers with no additional information. For me, it was just okay.

[Shay Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned so many new things about my Queen, Ida B! And I love how her activism was connected to both historical and current events. An amazing woman with such an amazing legacy!

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Title: Ida B. the Queen: The Extraordinary Life and Legacy of Ida B. Wells
Author: Michelle Duster
Read by: Michelle Duster
Publisher: Simon & Shuster Audio
Length: Approximately 3 hours and 43 minutes
Source: Review Copy from Simon & Shuster Audio. Thank-you!

Do you have an icon in history that you admire?

I somehow had not heard of Ida B. Wells growing up, or if she was mentioned in history books, it was a fleeting reference. I didn’t learn about her as an adult until I listened to a History Chicks podcast about her last year after she was posthumously awarded the Pulitzer Prize for journalism. I was amazed by her life story and was confused on why I didn’t know more about this amazing woman. When I had the opportunity to review this audiobook about Ida B. Wells that was written by her great granddaughter, Michelle Duster, I snapped at the chance.

Ida B. the Queen is not a standard biography or memoir. Michelle Duster tells snippets of Ida’s life and how it impacted her as well as how Ida’s story fits in with contemporary news and black history overall.

Halfway through the book Duster gives a great timeline of Ida’s life and Civil Rights. It was wonderful to see how it fit together. She also gave Ida’s early history in this section. At age 16, Ida’s parents lost her parents to yellow fever and she was in charge of taking care of her siblings. She took a teaching job mile outside of town to earn money to keep her family together. What an amazing sister.

Throughout her life, when Ida B. Wells saw an injustice, she said and did something about it. Two moments that really struck me from the book was when Ida B. Wells saw that a family friend and successful store owner was unfairly lynched in Memphis, she was rightly outraged. She made it her mission to research lynching in America and to write about it. She gave talks around the world about it. She didn’t sugar coat it. Lynching was used as a tool to ensure that African Americans didn’t succeed and were kept “in their place.” Ida was also kicked out of the first class car of a train and she sued the railroad to try to gain equality.

Ida B. Wells was a suffragette but found that the movement was distancing itself from women of color. Instead of being pushed to the back of the parade, she inserted herself in her states group right up front where she belonged as a major member of the group.

One quote in the book really struck me - history is never far away. Even though Ida B. Wells was doing her work a century ago, sadly many of the things she was working for continue to happen today. Her quotes about the East St. Louis riots are just are relevant today. Sadly, lynching is still not outlawed on the federal level. This book gave me a lot to think about.

I loved that Ida B. Wells great granddaughter, Michelle Duster, not only wrote this book, but she was the narrator. It gave it a personal touch.

Overall, Ida B. the Queen is a great introduction into the life of Ida B. Wells and how it fits into black history and contemporary times.

This review was first posted on my blog at: https://lauragerold.blogspot.com/2021...

[Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember first learning about Ida B. Wells in journalism school. I knew she was one of the most well known female journalists of the 20th century, but I didn’t know much beyond that. As Women's History Month draws to a close, I have to share how much I enjoyed reading “Ida B. Queen: The Extraordinary Life and Legacy of Ida B. Wells.” This book is filled with gorgeous illustrations and artifacts that tell a compelling story about the Black experience alongside the biography of an awe-inspiring woman who was ahead of her time—as a journalist, as a publisher, as a suffragist, and as a civil rights activist. What makes this book all the more powerful is that these stories about Ida are compiled by her great-granddaughter, Michelle Duster.

Ida’s investigative journalism brought to light the horrors of lynching in early 20th-century America. For years, she failed to garner the accolades and attention she deserved (when she died in 1931, the NYT didn’t even write an obit for her). So I’m glad that, today, her activism and her investigative work are being rediscovered and celebrated through landmarks, a posthumous Pulitzer (awarded in 2020), and creative works like this book.

If you have someone in your life who’s passionate about women’s history and/or social justice issues, “Ida B. Queen” would make a great gift—it’s the kind of gorgeous book that begs for a home on someone’s coffee table. I hated returning my copy to the library when I was finished.

[Lori Rector · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's quite amazing to me how many people do not know who Ida B. Wells is. Black people I work with said, Who?. Why is her spirit and tenacity not taught more? Why isn't she known like Rosa Parks? Not only a voice against discrimination of all kinds, but also a mother, writer, and wife. I have so much respect for everything Ida B Wells accomplished and stood for. She was an amazing person and is only received the honor she deserves long after death. I wish she and those like her could see the difference they made.
I didn't love the layout of the book. I felt like we jumped back and forth in time too much to truly follow what happened when. The book was well written and had great information that everyone should know. Ida battled racism and sexism. She was fierce and a force for good. She is why I am allowed to vote & She is why so many people have their rights.

[Danielle Bilbruck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really insightful primer on a civil rights icon

This book is wonderful and educational; well-written to be, I imagine, at an accessible enough reading level where young adults can enjoy and learn, as well as, and alongside older adults.

I learned a lot about Ida B. Wells, the fighter and activist; reading through this will make the busiest, hardest-working person just tired thinking about the work she did, the effort she put forth, and the time she did it in. Truly, this book was a blessing and I’m thankful for the resurgence of awareness of this woman’s contributions to dismantling systemic oppression in America.

[Karly Kiefer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed learning more about Ida B.’s life and legacy, she definitely is THE QUEEN. It’s just amazing to me how ahead of her time she was, how unapologetic she was and how fiercely she fought for justice and equity in a time when those words were not even in most peoples radar. She is someone I can only aspire to be like.

This book was perfect for someone like me who wishes I had the mental fortitude to sit down with a history book or biography, but 9 times out of 10 will go for fiction. It was fun, easy to read, full of pictures, and not intimidating.

[Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

Due to Covid travel restrictions I have been doing a lot of local sightseeing in the Chicago area and reading books that complement my travels. This book provided interesting stories about Ida B. Wells. It's not very long and beautifully illustrated.

[Laurel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, Ida B was quite the amazing woman and this book shines a bright light on her accomplishments and bravery. I enjoyed the way the author showed how Ida’s legacy inspires so many others to stand up for what is right, no matter the consequences

[Parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really lovely introduction to this incredible woman. One of the things I love about this is that the author is Ida's great granddaughter.
The other thing I really like is that she relates Ida's activism to modern female activists.