Speak Up, Speak Out! The Extraordinary Life of "Fighting Shirley Chisholm"

 Speak Up, Speak Out! The Extraordinary Life of "Fighting Shirley Chisholm" 

by Tonya Bolden

Published Jan. 4, 2022

National Geographic for Kids

Hardcover

144 pages

Narrative Nonfiction

Review copy provided by publisher

Goodreads Summary

From award-winning author Tonya Bolden comes a biography of the first Black woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and the first Black woman to run for president with a major political party: Shirley Chisholm.
Before there was Barack Obama, before there was Kamala Harris, there was Fighting Shirley Chisholm. A daughter of Barbadian immigrants, Chisholm developed her political chops in Brooklyn in the 1950s and went on to become the first Black woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. This “pepper pot,” as she was known, was not afraid to speak up for what she thought was right. While fighting for a better life for her constituents in New York’s 12th Congressional District, Chisholm routinely fought against sexism and racism in her own life and defied the norms of the time. As the first Black woman in the House and the first Black woman to seek the presidential nomination from a major political party, Shirley Chisholm laid the groundwork for those who would come after her.
Extensively researched and reviewed by experts, this inspiring biography traces Chisholm’s journey from her childhood in a small flat in Brooklyn where she read books with her sisters to Brooklyn College where she got her first taste of politics. Readers will cheer Chisholm on to victory from the campaign trail to the hallowed halls of the U.S. Capitol, where she fought for fair wages, equal rights, and an end to the Vietnam War. And while the presidential campaign trail in 1972 did not end in victory, Shirley Chisholm shows us how you can change a country when you speak up and speak out.

My Thoughts

This book chronicles Shirley Chisholm's life from childhood to her death in 2005. It is a fascinating and important story of this iconic woman. Bolden's exceptional research combined with the narrative style makes you feel like you are beside her every step of the way. 

This book would appeal most to students in middle school and up. It does not provide support from photographs or text features. While this does not impact the information presented, I do wish there were a few photos sprinkled in. 

Shirley Chisholm was a prolific and powerful speaker. Reading this book, as often happens with good nonfiction, made me want to learn more. Below is a recording of her 1972 speech announcing her campaign to run and the first black woman for president of the United States.