Summary: A History of Me

In this Storybook review, A History of Me delves deeply into the struggles of a familial lineage of young black women who faced racism as the only people of color in their classes.

The Good Stuff

A History of Me is very direct when it comes to the racism issues that some children’s books just simply aren’t. The author, Adrea Theodore explains how racism is deeply rooted in our history and describes how cruel and insensitive some others can be. Even for children. When the author stated, “I wanted to slide out of my seat and hit the floor”, I could feel the character’s emotions because it is something that most of us African Americans have experienced in our lifetime. The creativity in utilizing the past, present, and future to portray the lasting effects of segregation and discrimination is superb. What’s even greater is how the main character triumphs despite the challenging circumstances.

The illustrations within this storybook match the authenticity of each and every word. The hand paint style drawings bring this book to life. As mentioned in another book review, Cocoa Tea and Honey, it is hard to find authentic black characters in children’s books that actually look great. In this case, the illustrator did an amazing job. As it jumps back and forth between the past and the present, this book accurately depicts every era in time,  even down to the hairstyles.

Conclusion: A History of Me