THE SINGER AND THE SCIENTIST

Well-known historical figures from wildly different disciplines have a surprising connection.

In 1937 New Jersey, Marian Anderson sings to a White audience in a huge theatre, but the minute the curtain is down, she’s no longer a star. She’s a Black woman who is invisible to most and persona non grata to others—especially nearby hotels. Without a place to stay for the night, she’s on her own, until someone from the front row of the audience approaches her and invites her to stay in his guest room. The man is Albert Einstein, and he knows all too well what it’s like to be treated as less than human in one’s own country, ever since he fled Germany soon after Hitler’s rise to power. The two get along and talk music, and Albert is glad to pull out his violin and play for her. The evening portrayed in this picture book is the start of what would presumably go on to be a lifelong friendship between people known for their professional achievements who were uncomfortable in the spotlight as activists but did their work quietly. Muñoz’s illustrations are inviting, buoyant, and colorful, and the text does not oversimplify the racism Anderson endures. Though the afterword gives quick details on both figures’ lives more generally, it does not cite or give context to their relationship beyond telling readers that the incident is “not well known”—a disappointment. (This book was reviewed digitally with 11-by-18.6-inch double-page spreads viewed at 61.4% of actual size.)

A charming anecdote.