Gorrell (North Star to Freedom, 1997) presents a well-researched history of Florence Nightingale, the events that shaped her, and the political climate of her time. Using photographs, drawings, and Nightingale’s own writings, the period in which she is lived is described and puts into context the extraordinary achievements of a woman who changed the way in which medical care is given. This is not a romanticized picture of “the lady with the lamp.” It is the story of a demanding, sometimes infuriating person who was independent at a time when women of her social and economic class were dependent creatures whose purpose in life was to marry well. Nightingale refused marriage opportunities to pursue a single life. This was made possible by her father’s gift of an income. The narrative begins slowly as Gorrell sketches the historical background of Nightingale’s world. Interest quickens when Nightingale and her family take center stage and the story focuses on their lives and the beginnings of her social conscience. Chapters detailing the state of nursing and medical care of the time, the Crimean War, and the work for which Nightingale is most famous are very compelling. Illustrations selected from historical sources are enhanced by descriptive passages that lend interest to the text. A chapter-by-chapter list of source notes, a bibliography, and picture sources are important documentation. An index is useful for student reports or quick reference information. An excellent biography of a complex heroine. (Nonfiction. 10+)
Pub Date: Nov. 8, 2000
ISBN: 0-88776-494-0
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Tundra Books
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2000
A thoughtful, engaging history for intermediate students interested in Africa.
Oliver’s debut, about one of West Africa’s most powerful and charismatic leaders, delivers a vibrant mix of history and historical fiction for young adults.
The book introduces the medieval empire of Mali with several short narrative essays on trans-Atlantic exploration, trade and mining and soon narrows its focus to the compelling life story of the emperor Mansa Musa, who ruled Mali in the early 1300s. Oliver shows how Musa gained influence while making a lavish, politically important trip to Mecca, and his deft explanation of how Musa crossed the vast Sahara Desert briefly but skillfully conveys the difficulty of the lengthy voyage. This enjoyable work smoothly blends historical text with memorable anecdotes from primary and secondary sources, photos and sketches of replicas of ancient and medieval African art, and well-drawn maps. The book moves at a fast pace, and the author’s clear, straightforward style is likely to appeal to young adults. He easily switches between topics, discussing history (how Musa gained recognition in Egypt and North Africa), religion (how Islam shaped Musa and his empire), architecture (the methods of construction for Malian mud-brick buildings) and fables (the legend of the Malian “gold plant”). However, Oliver always strives for historical accuracy; even his fictional account of a young sandal maker who travels to Niani’s great market contains period-appropriate language and scenery. The book also includes a lengthy glossary that is amply illustrated with drawings and photographs of West African boats and buildings. The work’s one shortcoming is its abrupt ending after Musa returns home; it lacks a thorough explanation as to how and why the empire of Mali eventually dissolved.
A thoughtful, engaging history for intermediate students interested in Africa.Pub Date: March 26, 2013
ISBN: 978-1468053548
Page Count: 128
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: July 31, 2013
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Ringgold’s biography of Rosa Parks packs substantial material into a few pages, but with a light touch, and with the ring of authenticity that gives her act of weary resistance all the respect it deserves. Narrating the book is the bus that Parks took that morning 45 years ago; it recounts the signal events in Parks’s life to a young girl who boarded it to go to school. A decent amount of the material will probably be new to children, for Parks is so intimately associated with the Montgomery Bus Boycott that her work with the NAACP before the bus incident is often overlooked, as is her later role as a community activist in Detroit with Congressman John Conyers. Ringgold, through the bus, also informs readers of Parks’s youth in rural Alabama, where Klansmen and nightriders struck fear into the lives of African-Americans. These experiences make her refusal to release her seat all the more courageous, for the consequences of resistance were not gentle. All the events are depicted in emotive naive artwork that underscores their truth; Ringgold delivers Parks’s story without hyperbole, but rather as a life lived with pride, conviction, and consequence. (Picture book/biography. 5-9)
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-689-81892-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1999
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