Give Me Wings: How a Choir of Former Slaves Took on the World by Kathy Lowinger is a beautiful, informative, and inspiring book for readers ages 11 to 14.

This is the story of Ella Sheppard who was born a slave. Ella's father bought her, but her mother was considered 'indispensable' by the mistress and even though she had agreed to sell her to her husband, she backed out and took her to Mississippi. Her father struggled to provide for the family. He eventually purchased another house slave who he married and she became Ella's step-mother. It was years later that they found out that he had bought Ella and his wife but had never filed their free papers so they had to leave. They ended up in Cinncinati Ohio. Her father managed to give Ella a piano and music lessons and she was extremely gifted. By this time, the Emancipation Proclamation had been signed and they were free. When her father died, she and her step-mother went back to Nashville to try and earn a living. She yearned for an education and applied to and was accepted to the Fisk Free Colored School. Ella became one of their first black teachers when they heard her playing piano and singing. She became a music teacher. Unfortunately, the school was on the verge of bankruptcy.

They came up with the idea of concerts to raise money for the school. Ella led the school choir, consisting of mostly former slaves, in performing Esther, the Beautiful Queen. Audiences were impressed but donations were scanty. People were expecting a minstrel show! They traveled all over the US performing but were still not making a substantial amount of money. One day Ella had the choir sing Steal Away and discovered that audiences were moved by the slave songs which the freed blacks wanted to leave behind in the past. They made more money at that show than any others so far. They changed their repertoire to Spirituals and found a promoter in Henry Ward Beecher. The choir's success was ensured when they went to New York. Samuel Clements (Mark Twain) became one of their promoters. Eventually, The Jubliee Singers went to England where they met and performed for the Queen of England. In Europe they earned Frisk $20,000. The school was saved. Today Fisk University lists among its graduates W.E.B DuBois, Ida B. Wells, Nikki Giovanni and the Honorable John R. Lewis.

Several stories illustrate the prejudice the Jubilee Singers had to contend with. When they were introduced by General Fisk himself he noted the singer's values before emancipation and commented that after the audience heard their voices they would agree they were vastly undervalued. He thought he was making a joke, but the singers did not think so. In England their introduction warned the audience not to expect sophisticated artistry. Often they were kicked out of hotels and slept in train stations.

This book includes side bar stories on slavery and historical background to the story. Some of the descriptions of slavery may be upsetting to early elementary readers, which is why this book is recommended to older students. A timeline is included and further reading suggestions as well as letting us know what happened to the Jubilee Singers and others in their lives. Full color as well as black and white illustrations and photographs appear on nearly every page.

I was very impressed with this book. It gives a different look to this period in history while still imparting the information about slavery, prejudice and some of the civil rights issues of the time. Definitely a book for school and public libraries.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. ( )

I am not sure how the Jubilee singers persevered given insult after injury after injustice after another, over and over again, and all that on top of the suffering they endured as former slaves. Yet they did persevere, and miraculously they succeeded. If any book can show young readers that hard work and determination will stay the path to success, this one will and should. ( )

I enjoyed this fascinating story about Ella, the Jubilees, and the time in which they lived. Combining sidebars with specific historical content and lyrics from songs performed by the Jubilees, helped the reader get a more complete feel of life in the 1850s. The book almost begs to have a CD of their performance(s) and/or music to accompany reading. There were times, however, when the extra information distracted from the story.

Pros: Middle school readers will find this an enlightening, interesting book that rounds out classroom learning. This slim book offers biography, slave and post-Civil War history, and musical history. Overall, it is a well-balanced presentation of horrible events but not so gruesome as to scare readers.

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