Pub Date: February 1, 2019
Dewey: B
LCCN: 2018010807
Lexile Code: 0000
Features: Bibliography, Illustrated, Index, Maps, Price on Product, Unabridged
Target Age Group: 10 to 12
Physical Info: 0.50" H x 9.10" L x 7.30" W ( 1.05 lbs) 112 pages
BISAC Categories:
Juvenile Nonfiction | Biography and Autobiography | Social Activists | Cultural and Regional | Women | African American and Black | General | History | United States 19th Century | Social Topics | Prejudice Racism and Colorism
Series: Fighting for Justice
Description: Building on the brilliance of Fred Korematsu Speaks Up, the newest installment in the Fighting for Justice series introduces young readers to another real-life champion for civil rights: Bridget Biddy Mason, an African American philanthropist, healer, and midwife who was born into slavery. When Biddy arrived in California, where slavery was technically illegal, she was kept captive by her owners and forced to work without pay. But when Biddy learned that she was going to be taken to a slave state, she launched a plan to win her freedom. She refused to be defined by her enslavement, and coauthors Arisa White and Laura Atkins devote much of their narrative to Biddy Mason's later life as a business and civic leader in the fledgling city of Los Angeles.
Brief description: Arisa White is a Cave Canem graduate poet and her work has been nominated for the NAACP Image Awards, California Book Awards, and Wheatley Book Awards. Her recent poetry collection You're the Most Beautiful Thing That Happened was a nominee for the 29th Lambda Literary Awards. As the creator of the Beautiful Things Project, Arisa curates cultural events and artistic collaborations that center narratives of queer and trans people of color. She serves on the board of directors for Nomadic Press and is an assistant professor at Colby College.
Review Quotes:
Winner of the Nautilus Book Award
Winner of the 2021 FOCAL Award
Silver Award Winner, 2020 Independent Publisher Book Awards
Winner of the Book Award for Young People's Literature, 2020 Maine Literary Awards
A Great Kid Books Best New Book
"Difficult but necessary, inclusive and respectful, this book does a beautiful job of telling truths about our history and how we construct it." --Kirkus Reviews, starred review
"A first purchase for biography, history, and general nonfiction collections alike." --School Library Journal, starred review
"Wonderful." --Los Angeles Review of Books
"Moving and enlightening." --Public Books
"★★★★★" --Readers' Favorite
"This is as impressive a project as you will ever see to potentize history." --Foreword Reviews
"A work that possesses undertones of inspiration that finally bloom into empowerment and freedom, Biddy Mason Speaks Up is a great read for all ages." --Duende Literary
"A shining achievement." --Multiculturalism Rocks!
"Combines moving poetry with informational sections in each chapter along with a full-page illustration of a key scene in that chapter. . . . Biddy Mason's [story] is one with roots in California and significance everywhere." --The Pirate Tree
"Highly recommended." --Midwest Book Review