The Voice That Challenged a Nation by Russell Freedman

The Voice That Challenged a Nation by Russell Freedman

Newbery Honor Book * Sibert Medal Winner

Carefully researched and expertly told, this Newbery Honor and Sibert Medal-winning book is a moving account of the life of a talented and determined artist who left her mark on musical and social history. Through her story, Newbery Medal-winning author Russell Freedman illuminates the social and political climate of the day and an important chapter in American history. Notes, bibliography, discography, index.

"A voice like yours," celebrated conductor Arturo Toscanini told contralto Marian Anderson, "is heard once in a hundred years."

This insightful account of the great African American vocalist considers her life and musical career in the context of the history of civil rights in this country. Drawing on Anderson's own writings and other contemporary accounts, Russell Freedman shows readers a singer pursuing her art despite the social constraints that limited the careers of black performers in the 1920s and 1930s.

Though not a crusader or a spokesperson by nature, Marian Anderson came to stand for all black artists--and for all Americans of color--when, with the help of such prominent figures as Eleanor Roosevelt, she gave her landmark 1939 performance on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, which signaled the end of segregation in the arts.

Russell Freedman (1929-2018) revolutionized nonfiction for children with his incisive narration, thorough research, thoughtful photography, and in-depth knowledge of his subject. He was well-known for his engrossing biographies and superb descriptions of American history. His many awards include the Newbery Medal, three Newbery Honor Medals, the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award, the May Hill Arbuthnot Honor Lecture Award, and a National Humanities Medal, to name a few. Freedom Walkers, Lincoln: A Photobiography, Because They Marched, The Wright Brothers: How They Created The Aircraft, and Vietnam: A History of the War are among his major publications.