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Talkin' About Bessie: the Story of Aviator Elizabeth Coleman.


by Nikki Grimes Grimes is a surname, that is believed to be of a Scandinavian decent and may refer to
  • Aoibhinn Grimes
  • Ashley Grimes
  • Barbara Grimes, a Chicago murder victim
  • Burleigh Grimes (1893–1985), US baseball player
  • Camryn Grimes
  • Charles Grimes
, illustrated by E. B. Lewis Orchard Books/Scholastic, November 2002 $16.95, ISBN ISBN
abbr.
International Standard Book Number


ISBN International Standard Book Number

ISBN n abbr (= International Standard Book Number) → ISBN m 
 0-439-35243-6

Bessie Coleman Elizabeth 'Bessie' Coleman (January 26, 1892 – April 30, 1926), popularly known as "Queen Bess," was the first African American woman to become an airplane pilot, and the first American woman to hold an international pilot license.  was the first licensed black female aviator in the nation. Despite growing up in the segregated South and battling misogynist mi·sog·y·nist  
n.
One who hates women.

adj.
Of or characterized by a hatred of women.

Noun 1. misogynist - a misanthrope who dislikes women in particular
woman hater
 attitudes at every turn, Bessie realized her dream to become a pilot. Talkin' About Bessie is set in a parlor on the South Side of Chicago, days after Bessie's death in a plane crash on April 30, 1926. Family, friends and acquaintances gather to mourn mourn  
v. mourned, mourn·ing, mourns

v.intr.
1. To feel or express grief or sorrow. See Synonyms at grieve.

2.
 the young woman's death. Each of 20 people in the fictionalized biography share a special memory that highlights Bessie's short but remarkable life.

Her adventurous spirit, courage, determination, intelligence and perseverance Perseverance
See also Determination.

Ainsworth

redid dictionary manuscript burnt in fire. [Br. Hist.: Brewer Handbook, 752]

Call of the Wild, The

dogs trail steadfastly through Alaska’s tundra. [Am. Lit.
 are portrayed by several characters. When Bessie's brother John tells her that women in France have careers as pilots, he challenges her: "You Negro women ain't never goin' to fly." With that comment, he says, "she gave up her manicurin' job that very day. That's when I knew: by whatever miracle was required, Bessie would learn to fly."

E. B. Lewis' watercolor illustrations guide readers through each stage of Bessie's life, from a young girl washing white folks' laundry, to the heady experience of being the only woman and only black person attending a flight school in France. Grimes, the author of Come Sunday and Stepping Out With Grandma, has written a rich and loving account of one young woman's desire to follow her dream, and the joy of having done that. Says Bessie: "In the end, I count myself twice blessed: first, to have experienced the joy of flight; and, second, to have shared it with others of my race. I'll say this and no more: You have never lived until you have flown!
COPYRIGHT 2003 Cox, Matthews & Associates
No portion of this article can be reproduced without the express written permission from the copyright holder.
Copyright 2003, Gale Group. All rights reserved. Gale Group is a Thomson Corporation Company.

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Article Details
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Author:Jones, Lynda
Publication:Black Issues Book Review
Article Type:Book Review
Date:Jan 1, 2003
Words:290
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