Sets a new standard for works celebrating overlooked historical figures.
An illustrated biography of the remarkable 17th-century Mughal empress.
Historian Lal demonstrates exemplary historical methodology throughout as she traces the life of Nur Jahan, 20th wife of Emperor Jahangir and widely considered to have wielded unprecedented power for a woman at the time. Lal clearly identifies primary sources like the Akbarnama (an official chronicle of Emperor Akbar’s reign) and honestly acknowledges gaps in the historical record. Thoughtfully placed informational asides explain Mughal customs, pronunciations, and titles. Crabapple’s full-color illustrations transform the pages into windows onto Mughal India’s opulent world, depicting elaborate court ceremonies and bustling bazaars. The book comes alive through rich sensory details. Lal’s account of political intrigue rivals any modern thriller as she navigates the complex family rivalries, intricate schemes for power, and strategic marriages that characterized Mughal court life. She skillfully illuminates Nur’s extraordinary accomplishments—leading troops into battle, hunting tigers, commissioning architecture, issuing currency in her own name—while consistently describing her subject using words like wise, intentional, and brilliant. This unrelentingly positive portrayal, while inspiring, represents the book’s only real weakness; given the extensive research underlying this work, a more balanced view that acknowledged Nur’s human complexities would have added depth. The substantial backmatter reveals that this accessible work is a product of Lal’s extensive research for her adult biography, lending additional credibility to an already well-documented narrative that successfully combines scholarly rigor with engaging storytelling.
Sets a new standard for works celebrating overlooked historical figures. (sources, notes) (Biography. 10-14)Pub Date: Aug. 5, 2025
ISBN: 9781324030331
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Norton Young Readers
Review Posted Online: Aug. 2, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2025
A breezy, bustling bucketful of courageous acts and eye-popping feats.
Why should grown-ups get all the historical, scientific, athletic, cinematic, and artistic glory?
Choosing exemplars from both past and present, Mitchell includes but goes well beyond Alexander the Great, Anne Frank, and like usual suspects to introduce a host of lesser-known luminaries. These include Shapur II, who was formally crowned king of Persia before he was born, Indian dancer/professional architect Sheila Sri Prakash, transgender spokesperson Jazz Jennings, inventor Param Jaggi, and an international host of other teen or preteen activists and prodigies. The individual portraits range from one paragraph to several pages in length, and they are interspersed with group tributes to, for instance, the Nazi-resisting “Swingkinder,” the striking New York City newsboys, and the marchers of the Birmingham Children’s Crusade. Mitchell even offers would-be villains a role model in Elagabalus, “boy emperor of Rome,” though she notes that he, at least, came to an awful end: “Then, then! They dumped his remains in the Tiber River, to be nommed by fish for all eternity.” The entries are arranged in no evident order, and though the backmatter includes multiple booklists, a personality quiz, a glossary, and even a quick Braille primer (with Braille jokes to decode), there is no index. Still, for readers whose fires need lighting, there’s motivational kindling on nearly every page.
A breezy, bustling bucketful of courageous acts and eye-popping feats. (finished illustrations not seen) (Collective biography. 10-13)Pub Date: May 10, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-14-751813-2
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Puffin
Review Posted Online: Nov. 10, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2015
Deftly written and informative; a call for vigilance and equality.
An examination of the history of Chinese American experiences.
Blackburn opens with a note to readers about growing up feeling invisible as a multicultural, biracial Chinese American. She notes the tremendous diversity of Chinese American history and writes that this book is a starting point for learning more. The evenly paced narrative starts with the earliest recorded arrival of the Chinese in America in 1834. A teenage girl, whose real name is unknown, arrived in New York Harbor with the Carnes brothers, merchants who imported Chinese goods and put her on display “like an animal in a circus.” The author then examines shifting laws, U.S. and global political and economic climates, and changing societal attitudes. The book introduces the highlighted people—including Yee Ah Tye, Wong Kim Ark, Mabel Ping-Hua Lee, and Vincent Chen—in relation to lawsuits or other transformative events; they also stand as examples for explaining concepts such as racial hierarchy and the model minority myth. Maps, photos, and documents are interspersed throughout. Chapters close with questions that encourage readers to think critically about systems of oppression, actively engage with the material, and draw connections to their own lives. Although the book covers a wide span of history, from the Gold Rush to the rise in anti-Asian hate during the Covid-19 pandemic, it thoroughly explains the various events. Blackburn doesn’t shy away from describing terrible setbacks, but she balances them with examples of solidarity and progress.
Deftly written and informative; a call for vigilance and equality. (resources, bibliography, image credits) (Nonfiction. 10-14)Pub Date: March 26, 2024
ISBN: 9780593567630
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024
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