January 1, 2022
Grades 5-8 In 1965, Shirley Chisholm, "full of might and moxie," took her seat in the New York State Assembly as one of only four women and six Black members. As a little girl, Chisholm was raised strictly, by parents who pushed their four daughters to be educated and proud. Chisholm saw when things were wrong and didn't care when those in charge thought she should stay quiet. Wherever she went, Bolden repeatedly notes, Chisholm was there to "work, work, work," and it paid off; she became the first Black woman elected to Congress, where she toiled to improve ordinary people's lives. In 1972, she ran for President, the first Black woman from a major party to do so. She lost, but her historic race paved the way, as she intended it to, for women like her later on. This lively, detailed look at Chisholm's personal and political life shines in its portrayal of a strong woman who never backed down; Bolden's accessible text is great for report writers covering the groundbreaking Chisholm and the momentous time she lived in.
COPYRIGHT(2022) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
February 1, 2022
A comprehensive biography of Shirley Chisholm's political career. Born in the U.S. to Bajan immigrants in 1924, "Fighting Shirley Chisholm" was raised and educated in both Barbados and the United States. As a teacher and administrator, she labored to improve the welfare of children in New York and championed legislation that supported low-income families and disadvantaged groups all over the country. Dedicated and unrelenting in her passion to serve "the workaday folk who make up most of the nation," Chisholm worked her way up to becoming a congresswoman. The book describes how she was forced to battle racism and sexism en route to becoming the first Black person to seek a major party's nomination for president of the United States. Readers will learn how Chisholm navigated an educational and political system bent on keeping women like her disempowered. The strength of Bolden's skill as a researcher is evident; chapter by chapter, she provides succinct but critical context around the motivations and movements of Chisholm's political career. A foreword by Stacey Abrams helps establish that Chisholm's legacy is one of political innovation as someone who forged a path for others to follow. This informative book has an engaging narrative structure. The use of repetition and inclusion of memorable pearls of wisdom attributed to Chisholm add a poetic tone. An insightful and focused profile of a political trailblazer. (maps, author's note, bibliography, photos) (Biography. 12-14)
COPYRIGHT(2022) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
March 1, 2022
The list of New York Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm's accomplishments during a time when race and gender were overt factors in exclusion from politics makes her an iconic figure in American history. Chisholm's political rise was groundbreaking on the local, state, and national stages. After this extensively researched biography opens with a map of Brooklyn and a foreword by Stacey Abrams, Bolden traces the arc of Chisholm's life and the many challenges she faced on her way to becoming the first Black woman to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives, helping found the Congressional Black Caucus, and in 1972 becoming the first Black person to run for a major party's presidential nomination. The daughter of immigrant parents, Chisholm spent her early years living in Barbados with her grandmother, eventually returning to the U.S. to continue her education. Her journey into history was not without twists, turns, and disappointments, and Bolden's plainspoken narrative paints a picture of a woman who was as hard-working as she was determined. Short, accessible chapters give readers a sense of the times as well as the woman. A photo insert appears partway through; back matter includes an author's note, sources, and an index. See also recent picture books She Was the First! (rev. 11/20) by Russell-Brown, Shirley Chisholm Dared (rev. 3/21) by Williams, and Shirley Chisholm Is a Verb! by Chambers. Monique Harris
(Copyright 2022 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)