Every social justice hero was once a child. Some became activists as children; others did so as adults because of things they experienced when they were young. This middle-grade book from the prolific Robin Stevenson explores the childhoods of activists in the LGBTQ, racial, disability, labor, immigrant, and women’s civil rights’ movements, among other areas, offering young readers both information and inspiration. LGBTQ people mentioned are Harvey Milk, Janet Mock, Phyllis Lyon, and Del Martin.
The book includes biographical sketches of 16 diverse activists, focusing on how their early years influenced their commitment to social justice. Stevenson is smart to blend heroes of the past (Frederick Douglass, Alexander Hamilton) with more contemporary figures (Malala Yousafzai, Janet Mock), giving readers both a sense of the long, rich history of activism and a way to find current resonance. In accessible but never patronizing prose, she sketches the stories of her subjects’ childhoods, deftly setting the scene for each one and providing informative details, engaging quotes, and sometimes humorous anecdotes. (Did you know that Martin Luther King, Jr., once played a practical joke on his piano teacher? Or that when water protector Autumn Peltier was invited by e-mail to speak at the U.N., her mother thought it was a scam and almost deleted the message?) At the same time, Stevenson does not shy away from mentioning the challenges they encountered. In fact, her exploration of their many early failures is one of the great strengths of the book, and should give young readers confidence that they, too, can fail and then succeed. She also notes when some of her subjects were victims of violence or assassination, but avoids graphic detail.
At the end of each of the 16 main profiles is a page noting one or more additional people connected to the primary figures in some way, or who were active in the same social justice movements. After Harvey Milk’s profile, for example, we read briefly about lesbian activists Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin, who had helped pave the way for Milk and the later LGBTQ rights movement. After reading about Dolores Huerta’s childhood, we learn a bit about Cesar Chavez, her partner in starting the United Farm Workers. Much as I would have loved to read full profiles of all these figures, I understand that the economics of publishing (and attention spans of younger readers) necessitate some picking and choosing. Nevertheless, Stevenson has done a wonderful job of making her main profiles engaging and informative while also whetting readers’ appetites to know more. Cartoon illustrations by Allison Steinfeld enliven the pages, but this is not a picture book. The biographies are thoughtful and feel substantial for their length. That’s not an easy trick, but Stevenson pulls it off. Even adults will likely find themselves learning something.
