Yours for Justice, Ida B. Wells: The Daring Life of a Crusading Journalist

by Philip Dray, Stephen Alcorn (Illustrator)

Overview

The award-winning picture book tells the inspirational story of journalist Ida B. Wells and her crusade for justice and civil rights. A must-have for American, Black, and women's history collections.

In 1863, when Ida B. Wells was not yet two years old, the Emancipation Proclamation freed her from the bond of slavery. Blessed with a strong will, an eager mind, and a deep belief in America's promise of "freedom and justice for all," young Ida held her family together, defied society's conventions, and used her position as a journalist to speak against injustice.

But Ida's greatest challenge arose after one of her friends was lynched. How could one headstrong young woman help free America from the looming "shadow of lawlessness"?

Author Philip Dray tells the inspirational story of Ida B. Wells and her lifelong commitment to end injustice. Stephen Alcorn's remarkable illustrations recreate the tensions that threatened to upend a nation while paying tribute to a courageous American hero.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781682633106
Publisher:	Holiday House
Publication date:	08/04/2020
Sold by:	Penguin Random House Publisher Services
Format:	eBook
Pages:	48
File size:	22 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	10 - 14 Years

About the Author

Philip Dray was a Pulitzer Prize finalist and winner of the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Book Award for At The Hands of Persons Unknown: The Lynching of Black America. It was through his work on this book that he became acquainted with Ida B. Wells and her compelling story. He lives in New York.

Stephen Alcorn was born in the United States and grew up in Italy. A professor at Virginia Commonwealth University, he is an award-winning printmaker, portraitist, and illustrator of over fifty children's books, including Let it Shine, a Coretta Scott King Honor Book. He lives in Virginia.

Editorial Reviews

Dray, a Pulitzer finalist for At the Hands of Persons Unknown: The Lynching of Black America, brings his expertise to a younger audience with this eloquent biography of anti-lynching crusader and journalist Ida B. Wells. A narrative peppered with anecdotes guides readers through defining moments of Wells's life, from her 1884 lawsuit against a railroad company whose Jim Crow policies prevented her, a black woman, from riding in the first-class compartment, to her growing career as a newspaper columnist, to the 1892 lynching of her close friend. Alcorn's (Let it Shine: Stories of Black Women Freedom Fighters) striking, symbol-infused hand-colored prints on creamy vellum get star billing. A large trim size accommodates the stylized illustrations, soaring vignettes in muted hues that portray a statuesque and self-assured Wells. Fluid lines swirl or jut across spreads, establishing a brisk visual pace. In one scene, a hand extended from a fancy sleeve labeled "Whites Only" pushes down an African-American man wearing overalls. In another, Wells the writer drifts from an ink bottle like a genie from a lamp, the spectral-shaped black ink forming her dress. Author notes, a timeline and more enhance this age-appropriate introduction to difficult issues and the woman who educated the world about them. Ages 8-12. (Feb.)

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Publishers Weekly

Gr 1-5- An excellent picture-book biography. Although Wells is well known for her efforts to end the horrific practice of lynching, here defined as "execution outside the law," the text maintains a child-appropriate approach. Wells's anger and frustration are expressed but the crimes are not described. Background notes go into more detail and outline the journalist's advocacy work for equal rights for blacks and women. Alcorn's outstanding illustrations give readers a sense of the woman. She is depicted as well dressed and elegant, an image borne out by the photographs at the end of the book. Flat, watercolor-tinted drawings of expressionistic scenes sometimes float, sometimes sprawl, across the pages in a boldly flowing manner. The perspective is constantly shifting, even among the elements on a single page. While most of the human figures are rounded, white people who are abusing blacks are shown as caricatured shapes full of sharp lines and angles. Sometimes a large white hand pushes down a black person, again emphasizing a lack of humanity. A noose is incorporated into one illustration but there are no pictures of people being hanged. Alcorn's inventive, imaginative artwork softens the violence without minimizing it. Through words and pictures, the book conveys the story of a woman who exhibited admirable fortitude and bravery.-Lucinda Snyder Whitehurst, St. Christopher's School, Richmond, VA

School Library Journal

The author of an adult study of the history of lynching addresses a younger audience in this stirring tribute to an African-American journalist who, more than any other single figure, is associated with bringing the despicable practice to an end. Born a slave, Wells grew up to be a dedicated reformer who took on a number of social injustices in the course of a long career. Dray retraces the biographical high spots, then closes with a photo-enhanced look at her later achievements and a capsule history of lynching. Adding strong notes of reverence to the narrative, Alcorn's big cubist paintings center on Wells, who is often seen floating gracefully, surrounded by people with downcast eyes and tilted heads, fluttering pages of print and scales or other symbols. Capped by a well-chosen list of additional resources at several levels, this handsomely packaged introduction to one of the most important progenitors of the Civil Rights Movement is just the ticket for young readers not yet ready to tackle the Fradins' definitive profile. (Picture book/biography. 7-9)

Kirkus Reviews

"Alcorn's ink-and-watercolor illustrations have a fluid quality, conveying both action within the story and movement from one scene to the next. The use of warm colors and fanciful elements help to mute the harsh realities of lynching and segregation, while still maintaining a respectful tone. Appended with notes on Well's later life, a time line, and bibliography, this makes a good choice for middle-grade readers studying the early period of the civil rights movement." —Booklist

"An excellent picture-book biography. . . Alcorn's inventive, imaginative artwork softens the violence without minimizing it." —School Library Journal

★ "Alcorn's striking, symbol-infused hand-colored prints on creamy vellum get star billing. . . Author notes, a timeline and more enhance this age-appropriate introduction to difficult issues and the woman who educated the world about them." —Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

"In this stirring tribute to an African-American journalist. . . Adding strong notes of reverence to the narrative, Alcorn's big cubist paintings center on Wells. . . Capped by a well-chosen list of additional resources at several levels, this handsomely packaged introduction to one of the most important progenitors of the Civil Rights Movement is just the ticket for young readers not yet ready to tackle the Fradins' definitive profile." —Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher