School Library Journal Review
Gr 7 Up-The author covers her subject's life, which spanned 95 years, from Reconstruction to the modern Civil Rights Movement. Bolden includes Du Bois's childhood in Massachusetts, where he faced little racial discrimination, and his years at Fisk University, Harvard, and the University of Berlin. This balanced, lively account records his many contributions as a teacher, speaker, Civil Rights activist, sociologist, writer, and cofounder of several organizations, including the NAACP, as well as his failings. His extensive travels are noted, as is his fascination with the Communist governments of China and Russia. His personal life is mentioned, but not extensively. After dedicating his life to ending racism, he finally openly embraced Communism and moved to Ghana, where he spent the last years of his life.-Ann Nored, Wilson Central High School, Lebanon, TN (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
(Middle School, High School) With punchy, colorful prose and a colloquial tone, Bolden brings readers face to face with "this titanic talent in a small body, this David challenging Goliaths, this dreamer and realist and sometimes elitist, this man of intellect and soul." W. E. B. Du Bois lived a long (ninety-five years) and productive life -- writing thousands of articles and dozens of books (including The Souls of Black Folk), teaching at a handful of universities, launching multiple magazines (Crisis), creating or co-founding several organizations (NAACP), giving speeches worldwide. It's a profusion of activity that Bolden details concisely and sets in historical context. She delves into Du Bois's views on black Americans' ever-present "double-consciousness" and the brick wall of the "color line," as well as his disputes with Booker T. Washington and Marcus Garvey. Bolden doesn't skip over his foibles, pointing out Du Bois's blind eye to the evils of European colonialism in Africa (which he ultimately acknowledged); his distaste for the Harlem Renaissance because of what he saw as negative depictions of blacks; his numerous extramarital affairs; and his condescension toward the uncultured working class. But what really sets this biography apart is Bolden's inventively intimate approach, which helps readers connect with Du Bois on a more personal level. An index, a bibliography, and source notes are included. From HORN BOOK, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
W.E.B. Du Bois, one of the leading intellectuals of the 20th century, often declared "the colour line" its defining problem, and his writing remains relevant today. This accessible biography covers the highlights of Du Bois's long life, from his early conflicts with Booker T. Washington, his definition of the "Talented Tenth," his founding of the NAACP and work with its magazine The Crisis, to the challenges of the Depression, the war years and the early civil-rights movement. Bolden ranges far and wide, her casual and folksy tone often detracting from the seriousness of her subject. Referring to Andrew Johnson's acquittal on impeachment charges, she writes that Blacks thought "Rats!" One of Du Bois's professors is described as "a real hound dog on history," Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer's house was "ka-boomed" by left-wingers and his daughter's marriage "was tanking." Though not one of the stronger entries in this series, it's still a good introduction to an important American figure. (source notes, bibliography, index) (Biography. 12 up) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
In a foreword, Bolden acknowledges mixed feelings toward Du Bois, sometimes worshipful, occasionally annoyed and perplexed, but always astonished, and this biography explains why. Starting with birth, boyhood, and early influences, and tracking his early academic life and early writings, Bolden chronicles the complexity of Du Bois' life. She places his disagreements with Booker T. Washington in context, recounts his indefatigable crusade against racism, and delineates his involvement with Communism and Pan-Africanism. An annoyed Bolden describes Du Bois' rather dismissive relationships with his wife and daughter, information not always covered in other biographies. Black-and-white reproductions of photographs and documents appear chronologically within the narrative, and back matter includes sources, bibliography, and index. Readable and informative.--Perkins, Linda Copyright 2009 Booklist