Children's Biographies of African American Women

"This well-written and compelling book breaks new ground in rhetorical studies, childhood studies, and children's literature criticism. Sara C. VanderHaagen draws intelligently on rhetorical theory and studies of public memory to elucidate children's biographies of three pivotal African American women: Phillis Wheatley, Sojourner Truth, and Shirley Chisholm"—Beverly Lyon Clark, Wheaton College

"Sara C. VanderHaagen offers a compelling and original study of public memory. Her skillful textual analyses demonstrate that children's biographies of historical figures—of African-American women especially—are rich but underappreciated sources of public memory. This book will undoubtedly appeal to readers in rhetorical studies and in cognate disciplines alike."—Bradford James Vivian, Pennsylvania State University

"VanderHaagen offers a history of rhetorical education that challenges the racialized myth of Black indifference to education. . . . . [She] demonstrates how the Black community operated as an agent of memory and social change in its production of biographies for Black children. Their efforts, which sought to nurture and fortify Black children's self-esteem and racial pride, likewise offered a rhetorical education that equipped Black children with means to navigate the contradiction between America's professed principles and their lived reality."—Ersula J. Ore, Rhetoric Society Quarterly

"Children's Biographies of African American Women demonstrates the value of juvenile biographies as rich sources of public memory and expands our understanding of children's literature for, by, and/or about African Americans. The strongest contribution of this book, though, is in its exploration of the relationship between public memory and agency. [. . .] VanderHaagen writes clearly and builds her case carefully, making her work smart and accessible to a broad audience."—Quarterly Journal of Speech

"[A] beautifully theorized rejoinder to the pedagogical conundrum that suggests children need adults to measure their history out for them in carefully regulated doses. [. . .] By focusing on the agency exerted by biographical subjects, biography authors, and the child readers of these texts, this ambitious and interdisciplinary book offers much to scholars of children's literature and childhood studies."—Children's Literature