Robert Shetterly

Rating: 5* of five

The Publisher Says: A vivid portrait collection of past and present Americans speaking truth to power

The first volume of Robert Shetterly's Americans Who Tell the Truth portrait series, Portraits of Racial Justice takes a multimedia, interdisciplinary approach, blending art and history with today’s issues concerning social, environmental, and economic fairness. Shetterly's paintings, as well as profiles of those portrayed, illuminate a community of people not only willing to recognize the shortcomings of America’s history, but most importantly, individuals who offer their visions of a better world moving forward.

Starting with Michelle Alexander and ending with Dave Zirin, the diverse array of fifty full-color portraits spans multiple generations and struggles. This volume also includes four original opening essays on racial justice in the United States by Ai-jen Poo, Dave Zirin, Sherri Mitchell, and Rev. Lennox Yearwood, Jr., which provide an intersectional response to the long-term goal of diversity and inclusion.

As Shetterly says, “without activism, hope is merely sentimental.” Portraits of Racial Justice, Shetterly’s homage to transformative game-changers and status-quo fighters, provides the inspiration necessary to spark social change.

I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.

My Review: Beautiful portraits of many people, famous and sadly underknown, who have spoken up and spoken out about issues of "racial" prejudice and its many, many consequences and victims.

I expect most US dwellers recognize civil-rights warrior and United States Representative John Lewis...I hope so anyway.

Shetterly's beautiful portraits are easy to stare at, fall in love with as artworks.

Fannie Lou Hamer looks magnificent, doesn't she? So exactly like her character. Shetterly captured an essence here.

Profile of a man whose name I am sad to say I've never heard before, and couldn't pronounce on a bet.

This beautiful object, and the people whose faces and stories fill it, deserve a place in your #Booksgiving celebration. They are all people to be celebrated for their courage and their clear-sighted opposition to the status quo.… (mais)

The book starts out introducing the reader to the 50 selected subjects with their portrait, name, year of birth (and death, if applicable), and a quote from the subject. The portraits allow a younger reader to pick up the book and understand the reader's message. The mature reader can learn more about the fifty Americans who tell the truth by reading the biographies included at the end of the book. The author exposes the reader to people from various backgrounds since the selected Americans vary in age, gender, race, and class. The short biographies on the fifty Americans let the reader learn about the subject and helping them understand why the author selected them as a subject for the book.… (mais)

From the moment I started this book I could not help but think that someone wrote it for my future high school social studies classes. This book follows no narrative, and tells no single story. Rather, it is full of beautiful portraits of various American revolutionaries, abolitionists, politicians, and other figures who have opposed oppression throughout our history. Each portrait is accompanied by an inspirational quote such as Dr. King’s “Non-violence is a powerful and just weapon which cuts without wounding and ennobles the man who wields it. It is a sword that heals.” The end of the book holds an alphabetized list with a brief bit about each figure, telling pertinent facts about their history and impact. The book is neat, concise, and well organized. A reader could pick it up, and open to any page to find something good. This book would be an excellent starting point for any number of class discussions or writing assignments in any middle or high school social studies or English class.… (mais)