African Icons: Ten People Who Shaped History

Love this book. I inhaled it from start to finish. So many aspects of African history that have been diluted because our whitewashed version showcases only slavery, the Civil War and Civil Rights movement. This is a fascinating and engaging intro for kids (and plenty of adults) to illuminate a culture we have short changed. I am ordering several more copies of this book to give to the young readers in my life for upcoming holidays and I can’t wait to bring it to my kids bookclub and have what promises to be some remarkable conversations with them after they are finished reading. Really well done, everything from the subject to the research to the font and illustrations to the gentle reminders throughout that the more we know, the better off we are.

A lovely book with lots of information.

(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)I fell in love with the premise from the summary alone. There is a world of stories about African people before enslavement that is sorely missing in schools and societal consciousness. Baptiste's endeavor is rich, descriptive, and portrays history and facts in a lyrical and compelling way. In society which are designed to minimized Africa and African voices, African Icons wants to de-colonize our understanding of history. It's a book that presents history as storytelling, as the raw potential of stories as pasts, while also taking back a voice.

I love this cover by Hillary D. Wilson. The strength oozing from the cover makes you want to pick it up and read about who is inside.“The True Size of Africa” illustration shows the impact of their history on the world. It is amazing to me that a continent that is so large can be smothered by others who are much smaller. Tracy Baptiste tells us the history and some of the stories of early Africa and I find it fascinating. Matched with the illustrations by Wilson and the connection is complete.Add in the human factor where readers can identify with personal stories and their impact on society and the world and you can’t put this book down.Do I have a favorite story? I really liked hearing about the early history. Then when we got to the personal stories, I have to confess that the women fascinated me and I read in awe of their journeys. I have trouble getting out of bed on some days, and what these women did in the timeframes that they lived in is just…no words.Every person should read this book. African Icons should be a staple in school reading lists and available to read in all libraries. If you haven’t read this book for yourself, then get it. If you have children, get it. You do not have to be non-white to enjoy the history and learn about the past. The past affects today and these Icons teach us as we strive to move forward.

This book is a great introduction for young readers to get an initial introduction to these amazing people featured in the book. As the author mentioned, her book is "To bring to life some of he history of Africa before the forcible transportation of so many by the middle passage to enslavement in the American's and the Caribbean". I loved the illustrations and extensive research the author did to compile these amazing stories! Highly recommended for students, young readers, and classrooms!