“Pathfinders”

Most school children are well-informed about the life and importance of Martin Luther King to the Civil Rights Movement in the United States.  However, in a new book by Tonya Bolden, the reader’s understanding of the contributions of other black Americans will be broadened by an introduction to 16 black Americans who made their mark in varied and interesting ways.

In “Pathfinders: The Journeys of 16 Extraordinary Black Souls,” the author describes the life and achievements of 16 individuals who most of us have no knowledge of.  From Venture Smith in the 1700s to Katherine Coleman Goble Johnson in this century, Bolden gives us short, but informative biographies.  Photographs, maps, posters, and drawings fill this book.  A glossary, an index, and selected sources round out a scholarly yet very readable collection of these gifted but unfamous people.

Readers from grade four to high school will find “Pathfinders” an interesting read.