Summary:
This book talks about five famous writers; James Langston Hughes, Richard Nathaniel Wright, Gwendolyn Elizabeth Brooks, Virginia Hamilton, and Walter Dean Myers. It explains how they all struggled to become writers during the years of segregation and how they over came all the struggles that came with it. Most of them started by consistently sending in their work to magazines and news papers.

Personal Reaction:
I love how this book shows children that not everyone that succeeded in life enjoyed school. They found what they enjoyed and stuck with it. The book is lengthy so I would use it by person or as an individual reading.

Classroom Extensions:

1. Make a class book.
2. Take a class trip to a magazine or newspaper printers.

This book follows the life of five famous African-American writers. All five writers had challenges along the way and some were even inspired to continue in the pursuit of their dreams by the other writers discussed in the book.
I enjoyed these five biographies because it shows everyone of the writer’s humble beginnings as well as their struggles getting to become famous writers. The author presents their life in a simple and realistic fashion that comes across as if he was there during life’s history. I was amazed to find out that many of those writers were around during my lifetime.
These biographies can be used in an English class to discuss different styles of writing. They can also be used in a History class to discuss the history of African American writers. ( )