Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Lydia Maria Child presents the life of the dynamic nineteenth-century writer who, through her pen and at great personal cost to her literary career, spoke out for those silenced in society -- slaves, Native Americans, women, and the poor. At the dawn of the 1830s, Lydia Maria Child was a celebrated author, known for her popular domestic handbook, The Frugal Housewife, and Hobomok, a novel of American Indian life. In 1833, with the publication of her controversial Appeal in Favor of that Class of Americans Called Africans, Child's life changed dramatically from literary figure to antislavery activist. Her AppealR helped ignite the abolitionist movement, and several antislavery leaders -- including Wendell Phillips and Charles Sumner -- credited it with converting them to the cause. An inspirational look at an extraordinary woman, Lydia Maria Child is the story of how one person fought for the basic human right of freedom -- for all.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

School Library Journal Review

Gr 7 Up-A profile of the remarkable 19th-century author and abolitionist. Child overcame both societal and family expectations to become a successful and influential writer, and was the first woman to edit a children's magazine, pen a "domestic manual" for women with limited incomes, and write a regular newspaper column about urban life. Kenschaft explains how Child became increasingly aware of the evils of slavery and discrimination, and sacrificed her commercial success to publish treatises calling for abolition of slavery in the South and better treatment of the free blacks in the North. After the Civil War, she supported women's and Native American rights. Although the author points out her subject's weaknesses, she is admiring of Child's efforts to overcome a difficult marriage and poverty to fight for her beliefs. Plenty of background material is given about slavery, the Civil War, and the societal strictures under which women of the day labored. Excerpts from Child's work are provided in sidebars. Average-quality, black-and-white illustrations and photos supplement the text. This well-done book will give young people an opportunity to learn more about one woman and the ideals for which she stood.-Mary Mueller, Rolla Junior High School, MO (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Booklist Review

Gr. 6^-10. This addition to the Oxford Portraits series introduces a woman who is little known but immensely interesting for several reasons. Child, who was encouraged by her brother to become a reader, grew up to be an author, writing everything from domestic handbooks to novels. She laid her success on the line in 1833 when she published Appeal in Favor of That Class of Americans Called Africans. Despite the fact that her call against slavery galvanized the nascent abolition movement, her literary career was all but destroyed. In addition to working against slavery and as a proponent of women's rights, Child turned her attention to a neglected cause, the rights of Native Americans. Saying that she had "the heart of a man imprisoned within a woman's destiny," Child, who died in 1880, lived to see the end of slavery; she also gained success as a writer, an unusual achievement for the time. Though this will probably be used mostly for reports, Kenschaft's well-written text, helped by black-and-white photographs and pictures and cartoons of the period, may entice students to read on; it captures both a woman and her times. --Ilene Cooper

Horn Book Review

Abolitionist and crusader for racial justice, as well as a writer for children and adults, Lydia Marie Child's life and accomplishments are outlined in this dense text. Although the chronology of historical events is hard to follow, her literary achievements, rocky marriage, and bouts with depression are portrayed honestly. Readers might balk at the detailed narrative, but excerpts from Child's work and black-and-white reproductions will engage those who persevere. Bib., ind. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.