First published 2020
Young Shirley asks questions that make adults squirm. She spends her childhood on her grandparents' farm in Barbados before returning to Brooklyn, where she immediately stands out. Shirley dominates her classes and breaks her mother's rules. She chooses jazz piano over classical music. As she grows up, Shirley witnesses unfair treatment of women and black people around her. She decides to fight back. Shirley campaigns for state assembly and wins by huge margins. Three years pass before she runs again, this time for Congress as the first black woman candidate. Her campaign slogan declares her independence: Fighting Shirley Chisholm, Unbought and Unbossed. Shirley faces obstacles at every turn but refuses to back down. She makes history by winning her congressional race. The story follows Shirley's journey from a curious child asking difficult questions to a trailblazing politician who dared to challenge the system and succeeded.
Genres: biography, historical-fiction, 20th-century, african-american, politics, 21st-century, american-history
Vibes: inspiring, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: trailblazer, underdog
Setting: Barbados, Brooklyn
Period: 20th Century, 21st Century
48 pages · Hardcover · Anne Schwartz Books