Gr 6 Up Taylor introduces eight African Americans who were influential in helping slaves escape bondage or free blacks who improved their situations during the time of the American Revolution and continuing into the 19th century. Most of them are well known and are included in numerous books: Sojourner Truth, Nat Turner, Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, and Booker T. Washington. The others may be less familiar to students: Richard Allen, Henry Garnet, and Mary Terrell. All are treated in chapters of 14-20 pages that describe their early lives, the events that influenced them, and their accomplishments. The inclusiveness of the information helps set this book apart from other collected biographies on the subject, such as William Jay Jacobs's Great Lives: Human Rights (Scribners, 1990) and Susan Altman's Extraordinary Black Americans, from Colonial to Contemporary Times (Childrens, 1989). The final chapter consists of short biographical sketches of nine lesser known black activists of the 19th century. The format is pleasing with an easily read type size and plenty of white space. The black-and-white photos and reproductions (including a full-page portrait of each of the eight subjects) are of mixed quality both in their reproduction and in their value to the text. Some of the older photographs are so dark and unfocused that their value is nil. Most of the other illustrations are not identified as to artist, in the case of paintings, and are simply used to illustrate situations similar to those described in the text. The book's primary use will be by students researching these leaders. Nancy P. Reeder, Heathwood Hall Episcopal School, Columbia, SC Copyright 1998 School Library Journal Reviews
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