{"id":37511,"date":"2020-07-04T15:08:50","date_gmt":"2020-07-04T19:08:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=37511"},"modified":"2020-07-04T15:08:50","modified_gmt":"2020-07-04T19:08:50","slug":"review-of-strong-voices-introductions-by-tonya-bolden-illustrated-by-eric-velasquez","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=37511","title":{"rendered":"Review of Strong Voices, introductions by Tonya Bolden, illustrated by Eric Velasquez"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Strong Voices<\/p>\n

Fifteen American Speeches Worth Knowing<\/em><\/p>\n

Introductions by Tonya Bolden
\nillustrated by Eric Velasquez
\nforeword by Cokie Roberts<\/p>\n

Harper, 2020. 128 pages.
\nReview written April 9, 2020, from a library book
\nStarred Review<\/p>\n

This is a book of great American speeches, so it is by its very nature inspiring. I was familiar with more than half of them, but I\u2019m happy to have made a new acquaintance with the rest, and this is a fine collection covering the scope of the history of our nation and the important issues we\u2019ve faced.<\/p>\n

Tonya Bolden has written a detailed introduction to each piece and the speaker, and the speeches are spread out nicely on the pages, beginning with a spread that includes a painting of the speaker. The attractive format of the book appropriately showcases the words.<\/p>\n

The speeches chosen place an emphasis on rights and freedoms, but also on inspirational challenges. It begins with Patrick Henry\u2019s \u201cGive Me Liberty or Give Me Death\u201d in 1775, and finishes with Hillary Rodham Clinton\u2019s \u201cWomen\u2019s Rights Are Human Rights\u201d in 1995.<\/p>\n

In between, of course we\u2019ve got Abraham Lincoln\u2019s Gettysburg Address, Franklin Delano Roosevelt\u2019s \u201cThe Only Thing We Have to Fear Is Fear Itself,\u201d and Martin Luther King Jr.\u2019s \u201cI Have a Dream,\u201d but we\u2019ve also got a speech in 1805 by the Native American Red Jacket, \u201cWe Never Quarrel About Religion,\u201d Lou Gehrig\u2019s \u201cFarewell to Baseball,\u201d and Fannie Lou Hamer\u2019s \u201cI Question America.\u201d<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a Timeline at the back. At first I liked how it places all the speeches on the line with historical events marked as well, going from the Boston Tea Party in 1773 to Hillary Rodham Clinton\u2019s speech in 1995. I also liked that it has a series of shaded dots next to the line for long time periods \u2013 various wars, as well as the Jim Crow laws. But then I noticed that the spacing between things on the timeline isn\u2019t proportional at all. World War I, from 1914-1918, takes up five shaded dots, for example, but World War II, 1939-1945, takes up thirteen shaded dots. But the Vietnam War, 1955-1975, takes up 93 shaded dots. So it\u2019s mainly to lay out the events and speeches in order, and they\u2019re spaced out to read clearly, but not so much to reflect how long different things lasted. So the timeline makes it look like the speeches were spaced out evenly throughout American history, but actually six of the fifteen happened after 1950.<\/p>\n

Reading this book made me want to stand with these Americans and continue working for freedom and justice! I hope it will inspire children and teens the same way.<\/p>\n

tonyaboldenbooks.com<\/a>
\nericvelasquez.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Buy from Amazon.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Find this review on Sonderbooks<\/a> at: www.sonderbooks.com\/Childrens_Nonfiction\/strong_voices.html<\/a><\/p>\n

Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.<\/p>\n

Source: This review is based on a library book from Fairfax County Public Library.<\/p>\n

Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but the views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.<\/p>\n

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