Illustrated Black History, Honouring the Iconic and the Unseen by George McCalman
If I could award a prize for the most beautifully presented book for 2022, I would give it to George McCalman for his book Illustrated Black History, Honouring the Iconic and the Unseen. It is simply gorgeous, bursting with vibrant colours inside and out.
Illustrated Black History is a presentation of African American History over the last 400 years through the lives and achievements of 145 men and women. Each entry includes a portrayal of the subject accompanied by an account of their life and achievements. The icons featured in the collection are from a wide range of fields and include activists, sports stars, musicians, artists, chefs, writers, and film stars.
It features well-known icons like Aretha Franklin, Ida B. Wells, Bell Hooks, Gill Scott-Heron, Richard Pryor, and Colin Kaepernick. Many are not household names and their achievements have up to now gone unrecognised and unacknowledged.
I was familiar with only about a quarter of the individuals featured so I enjoyed learning about pioneers such as John Stanley Ford, IBM’s first black software engineer, who later suffered from PTSD, because the pressures of being the first and always being called upon to account for his race, always needing to be on display. Also featured is tavern owner, Cato Alexander, inventor of the word cocktail, whose tavern was the hottest place to get a drink in New York in the mid – 18th century.
I found stories of women like Hannah Crafts. who penned the novel, The Bond Woman’s Narrative, and who is believed to have written the first novel by a Black American Woman in the 1850s inspiring, and that of forgotten stars like Baby Esther Jones, a Harlem Jazz singer who great effect. The five essays interspersed between the icons was a nice touch.
I like that it brings to pre-eminence unsung heroes from all walks of life who made many sacrifices, suffered hardships, often not being paid for their endeavours nor having their achievements acknowledged in their lifetimes.
Illustrated Black history is a beautifully designed, inspiring, accessible and educational read that will make a wonderful present for the young and old alike. I hope that George McCalman continues the series with more iconic and unseen heroes from other parts of the world.
Illustrated Black History is published by HarperOne and you can buy a copy from Bookshop.org or Amazon.