RATING: 4 STARS
2021; Atria/One Signal Publishers/Simon & Schuster Canada

I've always heard the name Ida B. Wells in reference to black women who fought racism, but I didn't really know the particulars. I thought this book was a biography, but it is more of a coffee table book. The cover art caught my attention and when I started to read the eARC, I was not getting the full effect of the artwork. I decided to get the physical book instead, but forgot all about putting it on hold at the library. After I got my vaccine shot, I decided to stop at the library, and there it was on the shelf beckoning me. I loved the artwork in this book, and it deserves one star just for the way it is presented. Michelle Duster is the great granddaughter of Ida B. Wells, and she only got to about her life when she was in her 2os. Or rather that is when she became interested. She would go on to work on a documentary about Wells, and work on some other books. In this book, she shares how her interest in Wells came about, and briefly who Wells was to the world. This book touches on Wells's impact on black rights, and how it is still fought. I liked that this book is accessible to a wider audience and will garner people's interest in learning more. I added at least three biographies of Wells on my TBR, one is her own autobiography.

***I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.***

This non-fiction title written by her great-granddaughter shines a light on the legacy of Ida B. Wells and her impact on the history of activism within the African-American community. Having experienced the combination of racism and sexism, Ida did not let anyone or anything keep her from speaking truth to power, by letting everyone know what life was like for the majority of black folks in America.
As a teacher and journalist, she was passionate about making sure that everyone had the information they needed when it came to their rights. And stood with them front and center when the time came to make their voices heard.
Her life was not an easy one, but despite all the challenges and roadblocks thrown at her, Ida faced each one head on and did not back down from a fight.

This book is about the life civil rights activist, Ida B. Wells. The book started off strong, and I was so excited when I read the author is Ida B. Wells' great-granddaughter!

But the book sort of fell short for me. It was oddly disjointed. None of Ida B. Wells' life story was told in order and I was frequently confused. Plus, I think in an attempt to connect Ida's struggles with life today, the author interplaced Ida's life story with random tidbits of information that didn't make any sense in the context of it all. The author could be in the middle of talking about Ida's life, and then spend a few pages discusses the BLM movement or the Central Park Five out of nowhere, by the time the book got back to Ida, I'd forgotten what the author was talking about. Plus, I felt that as the direct descendant of Ida B. Wells, the author could have had some amazing information to add and I felt that she only scratched the surface.

However, I knew absolutely nothing about Ida B. Wells before reading this novel, and I'm thankful it introduced me to such an important civil rights and feminist icon. This makes me want to do more research on Ida's life. I just wish that this book, especially since it was written by Ida's great granddaughter, had a lot more to offer.