Outspoken

December 11, 2023
In comprehensive first-person free verse and oil portraiture, Boston Weatherford and Velasquez reverently draw the life of multifaceted performer, athlete, and activist Paul Robeson (1898–1976) via four acts: Youth, Artist, Activist, Erased. Propulsive text punctuated with song lyrics, many from African American spirituals, record key moments, including the early death of Robeson’s mother (“Sometimes I feel like a motherless child”). From college athlete to stage and film actor, and rising to international celebrity, he became “an emissary for universal struggles,” singing across Europe and the Soviet Union, and later experiencing repercussions for supporting progressive movements. Without shying away from the varied layers behind his public controversy or the details behind his attempted suicide, the creators painstakingly detail history’s intersections in one activist-icon. Ages 9–12.

February 1, 2024
Grades 4-6 *Starred Review* "Two rivers rush through my blood: / Resistance and intellect. / They converge / in my heart, run deep / in my soul." Cast as powerful lines for a one-man retrospective show, interspersed with snatches of spirituals and folk songs in italics to suggest musical backgrounds, this first-person biographical account begins with Robeson's eighteenth-century antecedents and follows the performer and radical activist from childhood to success in collegiate sports and academics, then onto triumphs (and missteps, too) on stage and screen, his blacklisting during the McCarthy era, and, at last, to the strange, bitter end of his later career. His strength of character as an "unbending truth teller and troublemaker" comes through clearly in the illustrations as well as the words; in montages of images, many based on contemporary photographs, Velasquez poses him heroically, whether in charismatic performance, speaking out defiantly against racism and social injustice, or, finally, broken down by poor health (and equally poor medical treatment): "Oh Lord, I've done what you told me to do." Weatherford ends on a dramatic note with a pounding, alphabetically arranged summary of relevant one-word descriptors, from "activist" to "unparalleled." By including "un-American?" in that list, she invites readers to judge for themselves.

COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

February 1, 2024
Weatherford and Velasquez explore actor Paul Robeson's remarkable achievements. Written as a "one-man show" in the first person, this tale in four acts highlights the phases of Robeson's remarkable life (1898-1976). He adored his father, who was born into slavery and gave Robeson every chance to develop mentally, physically, and spiritually. Robeson excelled as a scholar and athlete, and in college he developed his skills as a performer. Although he studied law, other opportunities led him to the stage, where his acting and singing moved crowds both at home and abroad. He took advantage of his fame to speak out against oppression wherever he went. Robeson enjoyed positive experiences in the Soviet Union, where he found that racism didn't curtail his life as it did in the U.S. When the Red Scare villainized Soviet and Communist sympathizers, Robeson refused to denounce communism; the government took away his U.S. passport, and his life and livelihood became limited. Lengthy verse, presented in double columns and a small typeface, is accompanied by powerful, painterly images, many based on actual photographs, set against a white background. Informative, insightful, and comprehensive, this book will be a valuable addition to reference shelves, classrooms, and anywhere older elementary children are drawn to learning more about legendary American changemakers. This inspiring volume leaves nothing out. (timeline, source notes, bibliography, copyright acknowledgments) (Picture-book biography. 8-12)

COPYRIGHT(2024) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

May 1, 2024
Weatherford provides an unflinching look at the life of Robeson (1898-1976), activist, scholar, singer, actor, and athlete. Through a series of resonant first-person, free-verse poems, she covers his life from childhood just one generation removed from enslavement to international stardom as an entertainer and his subsequent blacklisting by the federal government. The book is divided into four acts: Youth, Artist, Activist, and Erased. Weatherford's poems are interspersed with lines from Negro spirituals (which Robeson was known for singing), such as "Steal Away" and "Scandalize My Name," along with his own words. Robeson earned a law degree, but discrimination led him to leave that career behind and focus on the arts, a love of his since childhood. Following his success on the stage, Robeson became more active politically, and Weatherford uses his own words to describe his feelings upon visiting the Soviet Union in 1934: "Here I am not a Negro but a human being." Support for the USSR cost him his livelihood. Weatherford doesn't shy away from the racism he faced (including spelling out a racial slur) or from Robeson's suicide attempt. Velasquez's illustrations, produced in oil on watercolor paper, capture Robeson's stature as well as his despair. The book ends with Robeson contemplating how he will be remembered. A timeline, source notes, a bibliography, and copyright acknowledgments for illustrations inspired by existing photos are appended. Marva Anne Hinton

(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

January 1, 2024
Weatherford provides an unflinching look at the life of Robeson (1898-1976), activist, scholar, singer, actor, and athlete. Through a series of resonant first-person, free-verse poems, she covers his life from childhood just one generation removed from enslavement to international stardom as an entertainer and his subsequent blacklisting by the federal government. The book is divided into four acts: Youth, Artist, Activist, and Erased. Weatherford's poems are interspersed with lines from Negro spirituals (which Robeson was known for singing), such as "Steal Away" and "Scandalize My Name," along with his own words. Robeson earned a law degree, but discrimination led him to leave that career behind and focus on the arts, a love of his since childhood. Following his success on the stage, Robeson became more active politically, and Weatherford uses his own words to describe his feelings upon visiting the Soviet Union in 1934: "Here I am not a Negro but a human being." Support for the USSR cost him his livelihood. Weatherford doesn't shy away from the racism he faced (including spelling out a racial slur) or from Robeson's suicide attempt. Velasquez's illustrations, produced in oil on watercolor paper, capture Robeson's stature as well as his despair. The book ends with Robeson contemplating how he will be remembered. A timeline, source notes, a bibliography, and copyright acknowledgments for illustrations inspired by existing photos are appended.

(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)