Young, Gifted and Black: Meet 52 Black Heroes from Past and Present by Jamia Wilson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book, as the authors point out, is written in the spirit of the song “to be young, gifted and black.”
Not all the men and women in this book were young when they became famous. But, it is important to see that there are others who had dreams, before you, who succeeded.
And it may be that you have never heard of Matthew Henson, but he was an explorer who was the first African-American to trek in the Arctic, despite the fact that he didn’t learn to read until 12, and found work on a merchant ship, where the ship’s captain taught him. He was right along there with Admiral Perry when he went to explore the Arctic.
There are the usual people in there, of course, as well, such as Harriet Tubman and George Washington Carver. But there is also Mo Farah, Kofi Annan and Jesse Owens. The time line spans the past and the present, including Simone Biles, the gymnast. This is also not limited to African-Americans, but Black people from all over the world. We have Oprah Winfrey next to Pelé. And each short bio has a quote. Nelson Mandela’s “It always seems impossible, until it it’s done”
This is a great book, that should be in every school and library. It will inspire, and delight. And show what has gone before.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.