WOMEN OF HOPE

A gorgeous series of black-and-white photographic portraits that were part of a campaign to show people, especially young African-Americans, that “greatness looks like them” form the heart of this book. Hansen (Breaking Ground, Breaking Silence, p. 404, etc.) provides, for every portrait, a one-page biography of its subject. Among the dozen women included are the actress Ruby Dee, writer Alice Walker, neurosurgeon Alexa Canady, astronaut Mae C. Jemison, activist Fannie Lou Hamer, and teacher Miss Seppie (Septima Poinsette Clark). The format is inflexible; the biographical information is occasionally unduly truncated, e.g., of Maya Angelou’s childhood trauma, Hansen says “her song was silenced by a terrible experience and she stopped speaking.” This is inspirational, but it’s also effective as art and as history. A list of “More Women of Hope” is appended. (bibliography) (Picture book/nonfiction. 7-10)