Book Review: The Voice that Challenged a Nation by Russell Freedman

Marian Anderson was prominent African American vocalist during the Civil Rights Movement. Her voice brought audiences of all colors and backgrounds together for the good of the nation.  

The page of this book are full of beautiful black and white photos that chronicle the life of Marian Anderson and her career. The book expertly describe her early childhood, rise to stardom, and the impact she had on the music industry. Freedman does a wonderful job of balancing the telling of her career within the backdrop of segregation and Civil Rights. The reader can practically feel the buzz of the Easter concert described on the beginning pages and feel the growth of the unexpected heroine she became for all. This book includes chapter notes, a selected discography, and an index.

"In lush operatic style, Pam Munoz Ryan’s picture-book biography When Marian Sang (2002), with beautiful illustrations by Brian Selznick, celebrated the triumph of the great African American vocalist in the face of the vicious segregation of her time. Now for middle-grade and junior-high readers comes this handsome, spaciously designed photo-biography. In his signature prose, plain yet eloquent, Freedman tells Anderson’s triumphant story, with numerous black-and-white documentary photos and prints that convey her personal struggle, professional artistry, and landmark civil rights role. Everything leads up to her 1939 historic performance at the Lincoln Memorial, where, denied the right to sing at Constitution Hall, she thrilled a crowd of 75,000 and a national radio audience. Freedman reveals that Anderson never invited political confrontation, but with the support of such friends as Eleanor Roosevelt, she had a profound effect on the nation. Documentation is an essential part of her exciting story, with many pages of source notes as well as an enthusiastic, annotated bibliography, and, of course, a discography. Older readers and adults will want this, too." — Hazel Rochman, Booklist

Book Information:

Freedman, R. (2004). THE VOICE THAT CHALLENGED A NATION: MARION ANDERSON AND THE STRUGGLE FOR EQUAL RIGHTS. New York: Clarion Books. IBSN 9780618159765.

What Next?

For a graphic novel about the Civil Right Movement read MARCH by John Lewis