When Marian Sang: The True Recital of Marian Anderson

Author(s) Pam Munoz Ryan
Illustrator(s) Brian Selznick
Age Group 4-8
Publisher Scholastic Press
ISBN 978-0439269674
Year 2002

Marian Anderson is best known for her historic concert at the Lincoln Memorial in 1939, which drew an integrated crowd of over 75,000 people in pre-Civil Rights America. While this momentous event showcased the uniqueness of her character, and the struggles of the times in which she lived, it is only part of her story. This portrait of Anderson takes us from her childhood, singing in church, to her rejection from a music school that barred "colored" people, to her rise to prominence despite the racial barriers of the times. The book includes evocative illustrations and lyrics from some of Anderson's songs.