Choosing Brave: How Mamie Till-Mobley and Emmett Till Sparked the Civil Rights Movement

by Angela Joy (Author) Janelle Washington (Illustrator)

Choosing Brave: How Mamie Till-Mobley and Emmett Till Sparked the Civil Rights Movement
Reading Level: 4th − 5th Grade

A picture book biography of the mother of Emmett Till, and how she channeled grief over her son's death into a call to action for the civil rights movement.

Mamie Till-Mobley is the mother of Emmett Till, the 14-year-old boy who was brutally murdered while visiting the South in 1955. His death became a rallying point for the civil rights movement, but few know that it was his mother who was the catalyst for bringing his name to the forefront of history.

In Choosing Brave, Angela Joy and Janelle Washington offer a testament to the power of love, the bond of motherhood, and one woman's unwavering advocacy for justice. It is a poised, moving work about a woman who refocused her unimaginable grief into action for the greater good. Mamie fearlessly refused to allow America to turn away from what happened to her only child. She turned pain into change that ensured her son's life mattered.

Timely, powerful, and beautifully told, this thorough and moving story has been masterfully crafted to be both comprehensive and suitable for younger readers.

Select format:
Hardcover
$19.99

Kirkus Reviews

Starred Review
[T]old with hauntingly lyrical language... [and] powerful expressionistic art crafted from cut paper and silhouettes. A devastating, uniquely told story that will resonate.

ALA/Booklist

 

Hornbook

Starred Review
Washington's dramatic paper-cut art, featuring bold black-and-white silhouettes and figures on brown backgrounds with blue, brown, and red tissue-paper accents, perfectly captures the courage and dignity of the subject.

Review quotes

 

Angela Joy

Angela Joy is from Minneapolis, Minnesota. Before graduating from the University of Minnesota, Angela attended NYU and Spelman College. Angela then traveled as a background vocalist, also working in television and movie soundtracks. She lives in southern California with her family. Her picture books include Choosing Brave and Black Is a Rainbow Color.

Janelle Washington is a self-taught paper cut artist from Virginia. She has permanent silhouettes housed at the Smithsonian National Museum of African-American History and Culture in Washington, DC, and Downing-Gross Community Arts Center in Newport News, Virginia. She is also a member of The Guild of American Papercutters. Choosing Brave is her first picture book.

Classification
Non-fiction
ISBN-13
9781250220950
Lexile Measure
-
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
N/A
Publication date
September 20, 2022
Series
-
BISAC categories
JNF018010 - Juvenile Nonfiction | People & Places | United States - African-American
JNF053140 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Social Topics | Prejudice & Racism
JNF007110 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Biography & Autobiography | Social Activists
JNF025210 - Juvenile Nonfiction | History | United States/20th Century
JNF053270 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Social Topics | Civil & Human Rights
Library of Congress categories
History
African Americans
African American women civil rights workers
United States
20th century
Civil rights
African American women
Mothers
Till, Emmett
African American mothers
Till-Mobley, Mamie
Mothers of murder victims
Untied States

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