Ida B. the Queen: The Extraordinary Life and Legacy of Ida B. Wells

This book surprised me -- first because the cover somehow led me to believe that this might be adapted for young readers. It wasn't. I think many teen readers would really enjoy it, but it's probably too dense for middle grade. Next, I thought it would be a pretty straightforward biography of Ida B. Wells. It's not really that, either -- I mean, there is a solid biographical piece to it, but it reads like a series of interconnected essays that draw parallels between Ida's life and the way her legacy is interconnected through history until now. I learned a lot about points of history I did not know, both in Ida's time and since. I enjoyed the narration by the author, who is also one of Ida's descendants. Altogether, I found it to be a show more powerful book, with a lot of insightful commentary on American racism. I sometimes found it a bit repetitive about the major events of Ida's life, but I also found it very enjoyable.

Advanced Reader's Copy provided by Libro.fm. show less

A brief and heartfelt biography of a true legend in activism, Ida B. Wells. This book is written by the great granddaughter of Ms. Wells who shares how having such an ancestor inspired her and her entire family to believe in themselves, justice, and helping others.

This book is very enlightening, but not terribly engaging. The prose is very dry and tends overly towards lists of accomplishments and events without enough narrative to keep the reader paying attention.

I liked the design of the book, it reminds me a little of Notorious RBG in that respect. I learned a lot and the history is all very enlightening but the writing could be better. She was an impressive woman and I appreciate her perseverance and determination to create change.

This isn't a biography of Ida B. Wells, although there is a lot about her life springled throughout. It was written by her great granddaughter. There are lots of essays throughout about how others followed her legacy, both during her lifetime, and through the present day.
It also seems to be written for a younger audience.

If you struggle with nonfictions around historical figures like I do…give this one a try. My attention deficit did not hinder me as much b/c it breaks up her history with modern moments and also included a lot of historical document scans and art to break up the timeline.

Winner of a 2020 Pulitzer Prize Special Citation, Ida B. Wells was born enslaved in Holly Springs, Mississippi, in 1862

Overlooked and underestimated, Wells would single-handedly change the course of American history and come to inspire millions. Ida B. the Queen shines a bright light on one of the most extraordinary women in history

Thank you, Goodreads and Atria Books for a chance to read Ida B. the Queen The extraordinary life and legacy of Ida B. Wells!

“I could no longer hold my peace, and I feel, yes, I am sure, that if it had to be done over again {provided no one else was the loser save myself} I would do and say the very same again.

This book was ok. I thought that it would go into a little more depth than it did. The book show more basically just lists the dates of events that anyone can find on the internet. I was hoping that it would be a little more personal with her granddaughter writing the book. Ida was an amazing woman. She put down a lot of stepping stones for us past and present. Happy reading everyone! show less

Not rating this, just a note to let fellow readers know that it’s not actually a full biography. Maybe 50 pages are directly about Wells, the rest being about her contemporaries, events that led up to and followed her life and work, and the generations of Black activists who followed on the trail she blazed. Many pages are devoted to individual profiles of others including Sista Souljah, Bree Newsome, W.E.B. Du Bois and more.
I had been looking for a more in depth biography and should have read more reviews before buying this, which was my bad. I’ll gladly take recommendations!