The Voice That Challenged a Nation

Bibliography

Freedman, Russell. 2004. The Voice That Challenged a Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights. New York, NY: Clarion Books ISBN 0-618-15976-2

Plot Summary

African American singer Marian Anderson overcame many hurdles and obstacles regarding race and segregation throughout her career. The Voice That Challenged a Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights relates  the story of Marian Anderson and how, using her fame and powerful voice, she was able to break through racial barriers, specifically being able to sing at Constitution Hall, a privilege previously only given to white singers. 

Critical Analysis

Racial segregation and equal rights struggles are discussed frequently in school history classes, but Freedman's biography of Marian Anderson gives a more personal look into the issues of the time through the experiences of someone who dealt with them firsthand. The Voice That Challenged a Nation is an excellent book to incorporate into learning about equal rights struggles, because it allows students who may not fully understand what impact segregation laws had on people to experience it through the struggles of Marian Anderson. 

The frequency of photographs throughout the book effectively put "a face to the name." The reader can see what Anderson looked like as a young girl, all the way through adulthood. Pictures of Anderson with Eleanor Roosevelt and other famous figures urge continued learning by providing names of people that were also influential during the struggles for equal rights to research and read about.

Reviews Excerpts

Newbery Honor Book

The Robert F. Seibert Medal 

"A masterful biography...The prose is sharp and clean with generous use of quotations...a superb choice." -VOYA

Connections

*After reading the book, play recordings of Marian Anderson's singing and discuss.

*Locate the places in Washington DC where Marian Anderson sang, including the Lincoln Memorial and Constitution Hall, on a map and find pictures of the interior and exterior of the buildings to show how many people came to see her sing. Contrast the picture of the memorial on pp. 66-67 with a picture of the same area without people. 

*Pair with books about Eleanor Roosevelt and her contributions to the equal rights movement.