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geekwayne's review against another edition
4.0
'Bessie Stringfield' by Joel Christian Gill is the second entry in his Tales of the Talented Tenth series. This is my introduction to the series and I really liked this story aimed at younger readers.
We meet Bessie Smith late in her life, and hear her story from her. She immigrated to America from Jamaica and lost her father and mother in Boston. She adopted by a kind woman amd moved to Florida. Her interest in motorcycles led her to cross the United States 8 times. She served as a civilian courier for the US Army during World War II.
The story is fun and positive. The illustrations are colorful and the story, while having it's darker moments, never stays there, but show how Bessie overcame things. I especially love the image of her zooming away from a truck full of crow-headed racists.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Fulcrum Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
We meet Bessie Smith late in her life, and hear her story from her. She immigrated to America from Jamaica and lost her father and mother in Boston. She adopted by a kind woman amd moved to Florida. Her interest in motorcycles led her to cross the United States 8 times. She served as a civilian courier for the US Army during World War II.
The story is fun and positive. The illustrations are colorful and the story, while having it's darker moments, never stays there, but show how Bessie overcame things. I especially love the image of her zooming away from a truck full of crow-headed racists.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Fulcrum Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
jwinchell's review against another edition
4.0
Wooohooo! Reading about Bessie Stringfield, the Motorcycle Queen of Miami, gave me such a rush. Told in an oral history recounting, Stringfield shares her memories of her orphaned childhood and her years criss-crossing the country, working in carnivals, serving in the military, and finally settling down. I could have used some more facts about her life, but this is a solid graphic biography for middle grades.
hereisenough's review against another edition
4.0
Bessie crisscrossed the US eight times on her motorcycle, and she was the only woman in the US Army's Civilian Motorcycle Courier Unit- and she did all of this as a black woman, in the age of Jim Crow. This comic follows her from her tragic childhood as an abandoned immigrant child, through her adventures on the road, in a circus, and into the army.
This is amazing! I loved learning about such a badass, adventurous woman, and the way her faith wove into everything she did.
This is amazing! I loved learning about such a badass, adventurous woman, and the way her faith wove into everything she did.
ljrinaldi's review against another edition
5.0
I read a book, a while back, that had Bessie Stringfiled in it, and that was how I found out that she was real, so it is wonderful to find this book about this Black woman motocycle rider from the 1930-1950s.
The drawings are a lot of fun, and the attitude shown in the book is great. There is a section where she is running away from the KKK, and she takes a flying leap with her motocycle, and escapes, and all she thinks is, wow, that was fun.
When asked why she didn’t do more for the Civil Rights movement, she said, she was going her part, out running the KKK and JIm Crow people who wanted her hide.
SHe was the only black woman in the army motocycle core, and rode across the United States 8 times, before the Interstate freeway system was built, so that is an amazing feet.
Some of the other reviews complained that we didn’t find out enough about her, but this is a kids book, and it does provide a good overview of her amazing life.
Highly recommend this for libraries, home libraries and schools. What a great woman to teach about, for Black History month, or all year round.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.
The drawings are a lot of fun, and the attitude shown in the book is great. There is a section where she is running away from the KKK, and she takes a flying leap with her motocycle, and escapes, and all she thinks is, wow, that was fun.
When asked why she didn’t do more for the Civil Rights movement, she said, she was going her part, out running the KKK and JIm Crow people who wanted her hide.
SHe was the only black woman in the army motocycle core, and rode across the United States 8 times, before the Interstate freeway system was built, so that is an amazing feet.
Some of the other reviews complained that we didn’t find out enough about her, but this is a kids book, and it does provide a good overview of her amazing life.
Highly recommend this for libraries, home libraries and schools. What a great woman to teach about, for Black History month, or all year round.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.
catladyreba's review against another edition
3.0
For, me, this was too brief! I wanted to know so much more about Bessie Stringfield. I also felt like a lot of content was glossed over. This is where I am kind of stuck with a rating. Obviously, this is aimed at younger readers, and it is not meant to be exhaustive. However, maybe it could have gone a little deeper in parts? I did like the question asked of Mrs. Stringfield towards the end of the book about her part (or lack of a part) in the Civil Rights Movement. I also respect her answer. Overall, I love that these series are highlighting these little known heroes and heroines of Black history.
elizabethlk's review against another edition
5.0
I knew basically nothing about Bessie Stringfield before reading this, which is a damn shame. She is fascinating, and this all-ages comic really brings her story to life. I feel like she is one of those people that everyone should hear about. This was just on display at my local library, and I am so glad that I grabbed this copy to read. I also realise this is book two in the series, and I am pumped to read the book about Bass Reeves (although the library does not have a copy yet).
Definitely recommended!
Definitely recommended!
tiedyedude's review against another edition
4.0
Certainly left me wanting to learn more. Unfortunately, it seems that most of the bibliographical information is on newspaper and magazine articles. An extremely quick read that offers a glimpse into what must have been a fascinating life, despite the matter-of-fact manner in which the subject discusses her own story.