These stories jump and shout with the energy and spirit of the African American oral storytelling tradition. They also shine the light on ten women of the 19th and 20th centuries who dedicated their lives to the fight for Black freedom and civil rights: Sojourner Truth, Biddy Mason, Harriet Tubman, Ida B. Wells-Barnett, Mary McLeod Bethune, Ella Josephine Baker, Dorothy Irene Height, Rosa Parks, Fannie Lou Hamer, and Shirley Chisholm. Andrea Davis Pinkney is an irresistible storyteller: “When Mary Jane McLeod slid from her mother’s womb, her eyes were wide open and she let loose a newborn’s holler that seemed to be shouting good news.” Her tales beg to be shared, enjoyed, and talked about around the dinner table, on a walk, or in the car. These are stories of struggle, of conviction, of pride, of lives worth knowing, and of courage in the face of obstacles. They can help children to understand the history of this nation and the strength to be drawn from values and personal conviction. A bibliography for further reading rounds out this striking volume. (Age 10 and older)

2001 Coretta Scott King Honor Book

Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus and sparked a boycott that changed America. Harriet Tubman helped more than three hundred slaves escape the South on the Underground Railroad. Shirley Chisholm became the first black woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.
The lives these women led are part of an incredible story about courage in the face of oppression; about the challenges and triumphs of the battle for civil rights; and about speaking out for what you believe in--even when it feels like no one is listening. Andrea Davis Pinkney's moving text and Stephen Alcorn's glorious portraits celebrate the lives of ten bold women who lit the path to freedom for generations. Includes biographies of Sojournor Truth, Biddy Mason, Harriet Tubman, Ida B.Wells-Barnett, Mary McLeod Bethune, Ella Josephine Baker, Dorothy Irene Height, Rosa Parks, Fannie Lou Hamer, and Shirley Chisholm.