Ann Philips (Children's Literature)
Marian Anderson became a legend on Easter Sunday, 1939, when she sang at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. before a spellbound crowd of 75,000. The Daughters of the American Revolution (D.A.R.) had unwittingly provoked bolder demands for desegregation in the arts when they refused Anderson a concert in Constitution Hall because she was African-American. Eleanor Roosevelt resigned from the D.A.R. in protest, and helped to arrange the venue for Anderson's groundbreaking "Freedom Concert." Born in a vibrant mixed immigrant neighborhood of Philadelphia, Anderson received funds from her church congregation allowing her to train with notable music coaches after being denied entry into music school on racial grounds. In 1939 she enthralled European audiences on her first foreign tour, performing 123 concerts in 15 countries. But America lagged far behind Europe in racial tolerance. Never intending to be a crusader, Anderson nonetheless soon became an international symbol of progress in the advancement of human rights due to her dignity and persistence. In the early 1950's she insisted that all of her concerts be fully integrated. This fascinating short biography incorporates numerous contemporary photographs and excerpts from Anderson's letters and interviews, giving a comprehensive view of the superlative singer's most productive years set in the context of the civil rights struggle. It is a moving and absorbing read for teens and adults as well as the target audience. Notes, bibliography, discography and index are included. Highly recommended for school and public libraries. 2004, Clarion Books/Houghton Mifflin Company, $18.00. Ages 9 up.

Kathie M. Josephs (Children's Literature)
This beautiful biography is about one of the nation's greatest African American vocalist--Marian Anderson. Although she was from a poor family, Marian says she never felt poor or different from the other diverse individuals who lived in her neighborhood; the children played together every day just having fun and not thinking about differences. This biography contains photographs from all phases of her life and of people and incidents that played an important part in her success as both a singer and a person. Under the title of each chapter is a quotation made either by Marian or by an individual who was touched by her. In chapter seven, "Breaking Barriers," is the quotation that I believe explains Marian Anderson. "The essential point about wanting to appear in Constitution Hall was that I wanted to do so because I felt I had that right as an artist." Such an intelligent individual. Freedman has captured the person and the history. The reader wants to learn more. He thoughtfully included six pages of chapter notes and several pages of "Selected Discography." On the back cover of the book is a quote by Jessye Norman, an opera and concert singer, that is a perfect ending to a perfectly written biography. "She wore the glorious crown of her voice with the grace of an empress and changed the lives of many through the subtle force of her spirit and demeanor. If the planet Earth could sing, I think it would sound something like Marian Anderson." You must own this book. 2004, Houghton Mifflin, $18.00. Ages 12 up.

CCBC (Cooperative Children’s Book Center Choices, 2005)
Russell Freedman’s elegant, eloquent portrait of singer Marian Anderson is not a comprehensive biography. Instead, it focuses on two key components of Anderson’s life: her own struggle to become a singer and her role as a symbol in the struggle for African American civil rights. Freedman begins the narrative with an exhilarating description of Anderson’s landmark concert on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in 1939, then moves back in time to explain how she came to be standing there. Her talent was recognized early on by family and a community that constantly showed its support. But as a young woman, Anderson was not even allowed to apply to a musical conservatory she hoped to attend because of her race. Once her professional performing career began, she had to travel and sing within the strict dictates of a Jim Crow society: train cars, waiting rooms, and audiences were segregated; hotels might not allow her to enter at all. Anderson never stopped striving to improve her art, and early on she knew failure as well as success. Later, she studied abroad to learn the subtleties of the European languages in which she often sang. It was in Europe that her fame took off (although she was already well known among many African Americans in the United States), but worldwide accolades were not enough for the Daughters of the American Revolution to allow her to sing in their Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. That rejection, on the basis of the DAR’s policy against Black performers, led to Eleanor Roosevelt (and others) spearheading the call for the DAR to recant. Anderson was thrust into the limelight in a new way: as a symbol in the fight for equality. It was not a role Anderson was prepared to take on, but she grew to embrace it with dignity and grace. Anderson’s later life is covered briefly in the final chapters of an inspiring and informative volume that includes archival photos, detailed source notes, and a bibliography. CCBC categories: Biography and Autobiography. 2004, Clarion, 114 pages, $18.00. Ages 10-14.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, April 1, 2004 (Vol. 72, No. 7))
She had played the major cities in Europe, appeared before filled-to-capacity halls throughout the US, and been welcomed at the White House, but famous contralto Marian Anderson was turned down by Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. The Daughters of the American Revolution, headquartered there, stood by their "white artists only" policy and wouldn't let her perform. But officials at Howard University, Eleanor Roosevelt, and others who believed in equal rights teamed up to organize a free public performance on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. On Easter Sunday, 1939, Anderson performed before 75,000 people and a national radio audience in an event that sent "a powerful message of defiance against the injustice of bigotry and racial discrimination." Anderson never saw herself as an activist, though, and Freedman never treats her as a symbol. He offers instead a fully realized portrait of a musical artist and her times. Well-chosen, well-placed archival photographs, clear writing, abundant research seamlessly woven into the text, and careful documentation make an outstanding, handsome biography. Freedman at his best. (chapter notes, bibliography, discography, acknowledgments, picture credits, index) 2004, Clarion, 128p, $18.00. Category: Nonfiction. Ages 9 up. Starred Review. © 2004 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Janice M. Del Negro (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, July 2004 (Vol. 57, No. 11))
Freedman offers the story of a movement encapsulated in the biography of an extraordinary African-American woman. Born poor, Anderson grew up with her sisters in a strong family led by her indomitable mother. Her extraordinary voice was discovered at an early age, and her joy in singing led her to church and community events, where "the baby contralto" would earn "twenty-five or even fifty cents" for singing a song. Anderson's early discipline and determination saw her through years of hard work performing and honing her craft. When she was a teenager she made singing appearances for five dollars apiece, and she turned most of the money over to her mother and sisters. The Union Baptist Church (where Anderson sang in the choir) and the black community where she grew up supported her throughout her career: by raising money to buy her first evening gown, to send her to high school, and to pay for the singing lessons that would ultimately catapult her into the international limelight. While Anderson's joy of singing occupies center stage, her growth as a performer is set against the backdrop of invasive Jim Crow laws and the growing Civil Rights Movement. The climax of this biography--and possibly of Anderson's life--is her performance at the Lincoln Memorial in 1939, after she was banned from Constitution Hall by the Daughters of the American Revolution. Freedman tells the story of this extraordinary woman in vivid language enlivened by quotes from Anderson herself. Black-and-white photographs throughout give a sense of the changing times in which Anderson lived and gently remind readers that it was not so long ago. This will satisfy those readers whose curiosity was piqued by Ryan's picture book biography When Marian Sang (BCCB 12/02). Chapter notes, a discography, and a selected bibliography are included; the bound book will contain an index. (Reviewed from galleys) Review Code: R -- Recommended. (c) Copyright 2004, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 2004, Clarion, 128p, $18.00. Grades 5-8.

Horn Book (The Horn Book Guide, Fall 2004)
Freedman's comprehensive account of Anderson's burgeoning career shows the singer's intensive study of and dedication to the classical concert and lieder repertory and presents her accomplishments as both an actor in and an emblem of her times. The many photos are well chosen; appended material includes source notes, a selective bibliography and discography, and an index. Category: Nonfiction-Biographies. 2004, Clarion, 109pp, $18.00. Ages 9 to 12. Rating: 1: Outstanding, noteworthy in style, content, and/or illustration.

Jessica L. Crone (The Kutztown University Book Review, Spring 2005)
Beautiful historical representation of the life of the captivating singer Marian Anderson. Breaking both political and racial barriers, Anderson was an inspiring woman, musician, and African American. Russell Freedman does an amazing job on anything he crafts. Beautifully written with the greatest photographs that showcase such an interesting and important time in history. Category: Nonfiction, Biography. 2004, Clarion Books, $18.00. Ages 11 to 18.

Marge Wood (The Lorgnette - Heart of Texas Reviews (Vol. 17, No. 2))
Few authors write so powerfully as Freedman does about Marian Anderson--or maybe it is a combination of his writing skills and his subject, the beautiful singer who helped turn around social issues for black people in the United States. Although Marian Anderson had no intention of being a social activist, the fact was that her lovely voice and friendly personality were well known around the world before the United States accepted her. This book is full of photographs that help readers get a good picture of Anderson. The book covers her life from early childhood to the end at age ninety-three. Her singing lessons and education were paid for by the generosity of her church family. She traveled in Europe, studying and performing there. She sang all over the United States, and her concerts were arranged by her concert manager, Sol Hurok. She eventually married her childhood sweetheart. They were married for about 50 years. When a concert at Constitution Hall featuring Anderson was banned by the DAR, Eleanor Roosevelt resigned from the organization in protest. Finally, Anderson sang at the Lincoln Memorial to an immense crowd that covered an area from the Memorial nearly all the way to the Washington Monument. Later, Anderson was appointed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower as a delegate to the United Nations. She and many other luminaries, including Eleanor Roosevelt, maintained their friendships through the years. This book is rich and full of useful information. The text is easy to read, and the print is clear with plenty of space around it. Every children’s library should have a copy. Nonfiction (782.1 or biography), Highly Recommended. Grades 4 and up. 2004, Clarion Books, 114p., $18.00. Ages 9 up.

Cynthia Grady (VOYA, August 2004 (Vol. 27, No. 3))
Freedman creates a masterful biography of Marian Anderson. The first chapter opens with Anderson's free outdoor concert at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., on Easter Sunday in 1939. Photographs show the dignified singer in her mink at the top of the steps, her accompanist and various dignitaries behind her, in front of a crowd of 75,000 people. After the city's Constitution Hall denied the singer the right to perform because of her race, Anderson's concert proved to be a key event in the struggle for the civil rights of America's citizens of African descent. The rest of the book follows chronologically, beginning with the singer's birth. Each chapter opens with a large photograph and a quotation that gives the essence of the chapter. Some photos have been published in previous biographies of Anderson, but Freedman includes additional photographs of historic significance in the battle for civil rights, along with facsimiles of concert programs, newspaper headlines, and articles, which emphasize Freedman's chronicle of Anderson's worldwide musical success set against the backdrop of the civil rights movement in the United States. The prose is sharp and clean with generous use of quotations. All quotes are rewritten and cited in the back as chapter notes, a choice that enhances the immediacy and clarity of the book. This book is for an older audience than recently published biographies of Anderson and is a superb choice to include in middle school and public library collections. Index was not seen. VOYA CODES: 4Q 4P M J (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; Broad general YA appeal; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9). 2004, Clarion, 128p.; Index. Illus. Photos. Biblio. Source Notes. Discography., $18. Ages 11 to 15.