In Detroit, 1945, eleven-year-old Betty’s house doesn’t quite
feel like home. She believes her mother loves her, but she can’t
shake the feeling that her mother doesn’t want her. Church helps
those worries fade, if only for a little while. The singing, the
preaching, the speeches from guest activists like Paul Robeson and
Thurgood Marshall stir African Americans in her community to stand up
for their rights. Betty quickly finds confidence and purpose in
volunteering for the Housewives League, an organization that supports
black-owned businesses. Soon, the American civil rights icon we now
know as Dr. Betty Shabazz is born.
Inspired by Betty's
real life--but expanded upon and fictionalized through collaboration
with novelist Renée Watson--Ilyasah Shabazz illuminates four
poignant years in her mother’s childhood with this book, painting
an inspiring portrait of a girl overcoming the challenges of
self-acceptance and belonging that will resonate with young readers
today.
Backmatter included.
This title has Common Core connections.