Review by Booklist Review
Not many folks can claim to impact world history, but the 50 individuals in this collection not only made history but became revolutionaries. Arranged chronologically and accompanied by period photos and reproductions, the profiles highlight the source of strife (e.g., government, dictatorships, religion, foreign invasion, slavery, gender inequality, racism, and unfair labor practices); how each individual fought for change; and whether the fight was successful. They feature both well-known revolutionaries (e.g., Guy Fawkes, Mohandas Gandhi, and César Chávez) and lesser-known counterparts (e.g., Vercingetorix, who united the Gauls in a revolt against Julius Caesar's Roman forces, and Hone Heke, a native New Zealander who led a fight against British settlers). A wide range of diversity can also be found in the profiles, from Toussaint Louverture, Sitting Bull, and Emma Goldman to Vladimir Lenin, Pancho Villa, and Ho Chi Minh. Readers expecting all the revolutionaries to be virtuous do-gooders will be in for a surprise. Whether they read cover to cover or dip in, they will find many treats to further explore.--Leeper, Angela Copyright 2015 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
From ancient civilizations to the 20th century, 50 movers and shakers get their due in this informative and sometimes tongue-in-cheek guide, which examines Cleopatra, Judah Maccabee, Nat Turner, Michael Collins, and Che Guevara, among others. Fleischer capably places the individuals in their history milieu, zeroing in on the circumstances behind their notoriety, as well as the ways their influence has endured, while sidebars provide additional context and modern parallels (Fleischer compares Roman politicians and brothers Gaius and Tiberius Gracchus to John and Robert Kennedy). A lively narrative, an accessible length (while the profiles are dense, they are kept to roughly four pages each), and deadpan humor-particularly in captions (George Washington is "tight in tights" and Sitting Bull "sits bullishly")-allow for irreverent, edifying reading. Ages 14-up. (Mar.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
Gr 9 Up-This collection of 50 revolutionaries spans continents and centuries. The profiles start with Carthaginian general Hannibal Barca and end with civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. Others include George Washington, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Geronimo, Malcolm X, and Cesar Chavez. As Fleischer mentions in his introduction, some figures are clearly heroes while others are obvious villains, but "most fall somewhere in between." The entries are a few pages long, detailing major accomplishments and lasting influence, with photos and text boxes that add context or highlight interesting facts. Arranged chronologically, the book is heavy on male revolutionaries, particularly at the beginning, with only nine women featured. Though brief, the chapters are still dense and somewhat tedious. The pictures are accompanied by lively captions, such as "Boudica, mid-harangue" or "Emma Goldman is not interested in your nonsense." Unfortunately, this same energetic spirit wasn't injected into the text. VERDICT The concept is better than the content, but readers looking to research a specific person or movement will find this compilation suitable for their needs.-Amanda MacGregor, formerly at Apollo High School Library, St. Cloud, MN © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 9 Up-This collection of 50 revolutionaries spans continents and centuries. The profiles start with Carthaginian general Hannibal Barca and end with civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. Others include George Washington, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Geronimo, Malcolm X, and Cesar Chavez. As Fleischer mentions in his introduction, some figures are clearly heroes while others are obvious villains, but "most fall somewhere in between." The entries are a few pages long, detailing major accomplishments and lasting influence, with photos and text boxes that add context or highlight interesting facts. Arranged chronologically, the book is heavy on male revolutionaries, particularly at the beginning, with only nine women featured. Though brief, the chapters are still dense and somewhat tedious. The pictures are accompanied by lively captions, such as "Boudica, mid-harangue" or "Emma Goldman is not interested in your nonsense." Unfortunately, this same energetic spirit wasn't injected into the text. VERDICT The concept is better than the content, but readers looking to research a specific person or movement will find this compilation suitable for their needs.-Amanda MacGregor, formerly at Apollo High School Library, St. Cloud, MN (c) Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A gallery of historical troublemakers starting with Hannibal and ending with Martin Luther King, Jr. Fleischer chooses figures who worked, with high visibility but varying levels of success, to overthrow governments, liberate countries from foreign rule or fight for the rights of the oppressed. He arranges his entries by birth date, opens each with an old or period image and spins out career portraits in an occasionally breezy idiom: Julius Caesar's heir Octavian was "ticked off," Guy Fawkes was a man "jonesing to fight" Protestantism, and Elizabeth Cady and Henry Stanton were "an activist power couple." Snarky picture captions ("Emma Goldman is not interested in your nonsense") and sidebar references to pop culture further lighten the overall tone. Still, the author does not soft-pedal the brutality to which some of his subjects turned, however idealistic they may have started out, or the violent ends to which many of them came. Though the cast is largely European and/or male, it includes such less-well-known male freedom fighters as Metacom (aka King Philip), Maori leader Hone Heke and Daniel Shays and such women as Boudica and New Zealand feminist Kate Sheppard. Suggestions for further reading, a discussion guide and relevant updates will be available online; alas, there are no bibliography or source notes as such, nor is there an index. Salutary portraits in radicalism. (Collective biography. 11-14) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
