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A review by tayler_liberationislit
The Book of Awesome Black Women: Sheroes, Boundary Breakers, and Females Who Changed the World (Historical Black Women Biographies) (Ages 13-18) by Becca Anderson, M. J. Fievre
3.0
In the age of unlearning history rooted in patriarchy and white supremacy, The Book of Awesome Black Women is so important. This book does just as the title suggests, highlights important Black women from history that many people may not have realized contributed greatly to our society. I wish I had a book like this when I was a little girl.
Throughout The Book of Awesome Black Women, we get a glimpse of the lives of Black women who have contributed to the arts, the science field, the political world, religious spaces, sports, and more. We see women featured from the time of slavery to contemporary society, each one opening the doors for the women who came after them and who continue to open doors for others to come. Multiple generations of Black women are highlighted throughout time.
Of course one of the biggest limitations of books like this is that they provide such a limited view of the person’s life, because if they didn’t, it would go on forever. This length was perfect for young people to get a grasp of important, and in some cases unknown, contributions of these Black women to stoke the interest to learn more.
Something else I grappled with reading The Book of Awesome Black Women was how it was co-authored by a white woman. It is disheartening to know a book has to depend on a white woman to prop it up to get the notoriety needed to get it in front of audiences, especially non-Black audiences who need this information just as much as Black people. However, I do appreciate Anderson realizing the need for a book specifically dedicated to Black women and their contributions, and elevating a Black woman to co-author the project.
Overall, I would definitely recommend this book to all young readers. Again, this book opens the mind to the sheer amount of Black women who have often been erased from history and provides a stepping stone to learn more about their stories.
Throughout The Book of Awesome Black Women, we get a glimpse of the lives of Black women who have contributed to the arts, the science field, the political world, religious spaces, sports, and more. We see women featured from the time of slavery to contemporary society, each one opening the doors for the women who came after them and who continue to open doors for others to come. Multiple generations of Black women are highlighted throughout time.
Of course one of the biggest limitations of books like this is that they provide such a limited view of the person’s life, because if they didn’t, it would go on forever. This length was perfect for young people to get a grasp of important, and in some cases unknown, contributions of these Black women to stoke the interest to learn more.
Something else I grappled with reading The Book of Awesome Black Women was how it was co-authored by a white woman. It is disheartening to know a book has to depend on a white woman to prop it up to get the notoriety needed to get it in front of audiences, especially non-Black audiences who need this information just as much as Black people. However, I do appreciate Anderson realizing the need for a book specifically dedicated to Black women and their contributions, and elevating a Black woman to co-author the project.
Overall, I would definitely recommend this book to all young readers. Again, this book opens the mind to the sheer amount of Black women who have often been erased from history and provides a stepping stone to learn more about their stories.