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cstoeger's review
4.0
What do Benjamin Banneker, Frederick Douglass, Booker T. Washington, W.E.B. DuBois, A. Philip Randolph, Thurgood Marshall, Jackie Robinson, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Jr., and President Barack Obama all have in common? They have made a lasting contribution to African American history, and they are featured in Andrea Davis Pinkney’s book, Hand in Hand: Ten Black Man Who Changed America. Each man has a section, detailing his life’s struggles and specific accomplishments. Even though each section is concise, each man comes alive with Pinkney’s eloquent text. Andrea Davis Pinkney also enlisted the help of her husband, Brian Pinkney, to create the portraits at the beginning of each chapter. Horn Book Magazine calls it “an impressive accomplishment”. Ms. Pinkney was awarded the Coretta Scott King Award in 2013 for her outstanding work. A time line, sources, further reading, and an index are also included.
djlanatron's review
5.0
I think for my upper elementary children this book is really great. I like how each biography discussed the childhood of the men. I like how it was told in a story-telling sort of way that could lend itself to reading portions out loud.
laurend's review
3.0
Good for so many reasons. If you are feeling bad about the country and how we haven't progressed as much as we should or don't like where we are going, read this book.
It is written for kids and a great book to discuss with them.
However, a lot of the writing is awkward. They couldn't decide if they were writing for 5 year olds or 12 year olds and it is painful, especially in the transitions.
It is written for kids and a great book to discuss with them.
However, a lot of the writing is awkward. They couldn't decide if they were writing for 5 year olds or 12 year olds and it is painful, especially in the transitions.
nerfherder86's review
5.0
Wonderfully written look at the lives of ten important African American men, who rose above racism and poverty and many other obstacles to become leaders, pioneers, and statesmen. Each essay is preceded by a lovely poem about that individual; a collection of these ten poems alone would be a great little book. The biographical essays are presented in chronological order, beginning with the facts of the men's childhood and upbringing, to show how America was shaped by them, and how some of the later men were stepping on the metaphorical shoulders of those before them. By the time you get to the final essay, on President Barack Obama, you can see the threads of the lives of the others that paved the way for his life and accomplishments. The chapters are written in oral storytelling style, with plenty of savory metaphors like "August brought on days hotter than the hinges on the sun's front door" that just beg to be read aloud or at the very least, reread and savored. Emphasizes the positive aspects of their character, their faith, hope and perseverance. Beautiful illustrations: swooping, freeflowing calligraphic ink lines on solid color backgrounds that give the essence of each's personality in an energetic jazzy style. Just a gorgeous book and a fascinating read, and a great inspiration to today's kids.
line_so_fine's review
3.0
Well-deserved winner of the Coretta Scott King award this year, each min-bio of the ten figures provided a good synopsis in writing that wasn't at all dry. I think this would be a good thing to hand to a kid when they are doing a longer report on any of these people. The format (larger hard cover) makes it feel a bit like a textbook, which is unfortunate. I think it would be hard to hand sell this to a kid just for pleasure reading, because of the format.
amdame1's review against another edition
4.0
Carefully researched, vivid detail highlights this fabulous biographical collection of ten important black men in America's history. As the author notes, it was difficult to limit it to ten because there are so many who have done so much, but these ten encompass the historical span of the US as well as including avocations such as politics, astronomy, sports, education, and activism. Each entry includes in-depth information about childhood influences, accomplishments, and challenges. I would have liked to have seen some primary source photos included and because of the publication date, it does not include Obama's second term as president. Overall, however, this is an excellent addition to just about any collection.
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