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roseleaf24's review
3.0
I was concerned about this one when I saw it on the Newbery list, but it's author, Arna Bontemps, was a Harlem poet and does not write from a racist perspective. This book is, of course, out-dated, but I hope it got the attention it deserved when it first came out. Bontemps here makes an effort to highlight the situation and contributions of black people throughout history, with special attention to famous individuals. Some of those are still well-known to me now, but others I hadn't heard about. His inclusion of the importance of faith and the work of many Christian organizations in the cause of abolition and subsequent education efforts stands in contrast to many current works that only bring out the complicity of churches in defending slavery and oppression.
kibbles15's review
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
3.0
If you are looking for a detailed book on the history of American slavery and racism, this is most likely not the book for you. The author does discuss the trials of People of Color throughout history. However, the author chose to put his main focus on specific people who where able to succeed despite the circumstances they were presented with.
Content Warnings
Minor: Rape, Torture, Child death, Colonisation, Slavery, Racism, Racial slurs, Kidnapping, and Death
triscuit807's review
4.0
3.5-4 stars. This is a very good introduction to African American history, especially pre-Civil War. There was so much info about the slave ships that I never encountered even in college level American History classes. The primary focus was on the US, but Bontemps did include some history from Africa, the Caribbean, and South America, e.g. the Haitian slave revolt. Because of the scale of history, much of the book was devoted to the period pre-Civil War with the result that the rest felt very hurried. I would have liked more on Reconstruction and Jim Crow as well as contributions in WWI and WWII. Also the synopsis of African American creators neglected one that was very important but wasn't considered so in her time: Zora Neale Hurston. I read this for my 2019 Reading Challenge and my Newbery Challenge (Honor Book, 1949).
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