An uplifting salute—and profiles in persistence.
Glimpses of country music’s African American female trailblazers.
This book was named for a 1970 album by Linda Martell, the first Black woman to perform at the cathedral of American country music, the Grand Ole Opry. Martell is one of 18 Black female solo artists and groups who get their due in individual chapters authored by a variety of contributors. The profiles were written with awareness that the book’s subjects needed extra gumption to navigate the historically (and still predominantly) white country music world. These well-crafted minibiographies begin with pianist and composer Lil Hardin Armstrong, who got her surname and not much else from her two-timing husband, trumpeter Louis. Several of these female pioneers were uncredited, undercompensated, or held back by romantic partners as well as by racism. Among the book’s best-known 20th-century subjects are Odetta, the Pointer Sisters, and Tina Turner. (The editors use an elastic definition of what it means to be a “country artist.”) Among the contemporary country music marvels who earned their own chapters are Valerie June, Mickey Guyton, and Giddens, who conceived of this book and illustrated it to boot. Her cartoonish digital art, in which the featured women have round, wide-set eyes and outsize heads, gives everyone a Funko figure–like look, and why not? These performers are having fun. Readers will be, too.
An uplifting salute—and profiles in persistence. (more to discover, recommended listening, project background, source notes, index) (Nonfiction. 9-12)Pub Date: May 5, 2026
ISBN: 9781536230246
Page Count: 56
Publisher: Candlewick Studio
Review Posted Online: March 23, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A tighter focus would make this fascinating life story even more intriguing.
In this graphic memoir by sports journalist Shah, a ninth grader pursues his passion in the face of familial expectations pushing him toward a medical career, while also navigating the perils of high school social life.
It’s 1995, and Indian American Amar is desperate to meet the Chicago Bulls—Michael Jordan, in particular—when they stop by his Orlando, Florida, school. A lucky break leads him to his first sports interview, with Phil Jackson, and his tenacity takes him further, leading to multiple conversations with Shaquille O’Neal. But Amar’s luck in journalism doesn’t spill over to his relationship with his crush, blond Kasey Page (“like a mixture of Cameron Diaz, Tinkerbell, and heaven”), or his efforts to remain close with best friends Rohit and Cherian, who start spending more time with other classmates. The work relies on captions as much as plot developments to propel the story. It also follows a broad cast of characters—close and former friends, antagonists, supportive adults, and famous athletes—who appear in multiple storylines. The story accurately depicts the complexities of life as a young teen, though overlapping life challenges pull it in multiple directions, leaving some threads underexplored and hastily wrapped up. Doucet illustrates the characters using loose, disjointed outlines that give the artwork a sense of movement, and the colorful backgrounds use patterns and action lines to indicate a wide array of emotions.
A tighter focus would make this fascinating life story even more intriguing. (author’s note, photographs) (Graphic memoir. 9-12)Pub Date: Aug. 5, 2025
ISBN: 9781546110514
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Graphix/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: June 13, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
In no particular order and using no set criteria for his selections, veteran sportscaster Berman pays tribute to an arbitrary gallery of baseball stars—all familiar names and, except for the Yankees’ Alex Rodriguez, retired from play for decades. Repeatedly taking the stance that statistics are just numbers but then reeling off batting averages, home-run totals, wins (for pitchers) and other data as evidence of greatness, he offers career highlights in a folksy narrative surrounded by photos, side comments and baseball-card–style notes in side boxes. Readers had best come to this with some prior knowledge, since he casually drops terms like “slugging percentage,” “dead ball era” and “barnstorming” without explanation and also presents a notably superficial picture of baseball’s history—placing the sport’s “first half-century” almost entirely in the 1900s, for instance, and condescendingly noting that Jackie Robinson’s skill led Branch Rickey to decide that he “was worthy of becoming the first black player to play in the majors.” The awesome feats of Ruth, Mantle, the Gibsons Bob and Josh, Hank Aaron, Ty Cobb and the rest are always worth a recap—but this one’s strictly minor league. (Nonfiction. 10-12)
Pub Date: Sept. 7, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-4022-3886-4
Page Count: 138
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: Aug. 2, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2010
BOOK REVIEW
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