MG/YA – 100 African Americans Who Shaped History

Beckner, Chrisanne. 100 African Americans Who Shaped History. Sourcebooks Explore, 2022. 978-0-912-51718-6, 112 p. $7.99. Grades 7-12. 

This slim volume contains 100 biographies of notable African American men and women who have influenced the course of United States history. Each biography contains a simple black and white drawing of the subject of the biography, a rough placement on a United States map to show where that person lived, and the birth and death dates at the top of the page. The biographies offer a good overview of the lives of these notable people, and bold-faced text on each page identifies achievements, places, or people who connect to the life being described. The table of contents includes a timeline sorting the biographies chronologically, and the index helps organize the bold-faced terms throughout the book.

THOUGHTS: This is an excellent volume for students who want to read brief descriptions of notable African Americans and would serve as a good overview or introduction to biography projects that focus on African American historical figures. The book is well-designed and organized, and the text is easy to read for casual nonfiction browsers. 

920 Collected Biography          Erin Faulkner, Cumberland Valley SD