The Voice that Challenged a Nation
Freedman, Russell. 2004.
The
voice that challenged a nation: Marian Anderson and the struggle for
equal rights.
New York: Clarion Books. ISBN: 0618159762.
With a narrative that flows as beautifully as one of the arias mastered
by Anderson, Freedman tells the story of an unlikely player in the
struggle for civil rights in America. Marian Anderson began as a
singer in her church choir as a little girl. Through her dogged
focus on developing her talent despite the obstacles placed before her
because of the color of her skin, she was able to become one of the
world's most famous and accomplished contraltos. Because of her
talent and the time in which she was born, she also became a symbol of
the African Americans' struggle for civil rights when she was treated
differently because of the color of her skin, such as being unable to
get a hotel room in a city where she was to perform or being denied
venues that the size of her audience demanded. Through it all,
Marian simply continued to elevate her singing, and that was enough to
be a catalyst for change, although she did not see herself as an
activist. "I would be fooling myself to think that I was meant to
be a fearless fighter," she said in her autobiography. "I
was not, just as I was not meant to be a soprano instead of a
contralto." (Freedman, p.91)
Freedman's concise and fast-paced biography gives equal time to
Marian's struggles and triumphs. By telling of the scathing
reviews Anderson received after her first concert in New York City
(Freedman, p.25) and her disappointing first tour of Europe (Freedman,
pp.33-34), Freedman
lets readers know that Anderson's voice was supported by hard work as
well as talent. It also allows readers to celebrate all the more
when she returns triumphantly to New York (Freedman, p.27) and when she
is told
by Arturo Toscanini on her second European tour, "A voice like yours is
heard once in a hundred years." (Freedman, p.41) In his
review in
Horn Book Magazine, Sutton
comments on Freedman's style by noting,
"Because his account of Anderson's burgeoning career is so
comprehensive, Freedman gives the familiar events surrounding the
Lincoln Memorial concert fresh resonance and drama, and here moves into
his forte, showing the accomplishments of an individual as both an
actor in and an emblem of her times." Freedman's extensive
research is shown in the depth of detail, but it is also clear that
every extraneous bit of information has been cut so that the text reads
quickly and smoothly.
The design of the book further lends it to a quick read. The
typeface and spacing of the text is pleasing to the eye. Many
photographs, newspaper clippings, and musical programs give further
insight into the life of Anderson. Readers are shown aspects of
both her public and private life through family photos and concert
pictures. Pictures of events relative to the civil rights
movement also show scenes from the times. Detailed chapter notes
(Freedman, p.97) give sources for quotes throughout the book.
Also included
are a selected bibliography, selected discography, acknowledgments and
picture credits, and an index.
Sutton, Roger. 2004. The voice that challenged a nation:
Marian Anderson and the struggle for equal rights (book).
Horn Book Magazine 80 (3). In
EBSCOHost (database online). Available
from http://search.epnet.com/login.asp. Accessed 13 February
2005.
