What do you think?
Rate this book
On My Own Biography
Booker T. Washington
More than anything, nine-year-old Booker T. Washington longed to go to school, but he had to get a job to earn money for his family. Though the Civil War had freed them from slavery, Booker's family had to work hard to survive. Booker didn't forget his dream. He taught himself the alphabet, studied at night after work, and was able to realize his dream.
48 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 1998
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 6, 2015
I liked this book. It doesn't tell about the accomplishments of Booker T. Washington, as much as it presents his character - how he started out an what qualities he developed that made him a success later in his life.
A 2nd or 3rd grade level reader and above could read through this himself.
A 2nd or 3rd grade level reader and above could read through this himself.
November 6, 2019
This book is terrible. It starts with Booker T. Washington as a young enslaved boy carrying books to school for the slaveowner’s daughter. It talks about how much Booker wanted to go to school and the awful jobs he had to do to earn money instead. Then the book introduces a white savior character in the form of a strict lady who teaches Booker the power of hard work be being mean to him until he does everything perfectly. Booker does more jobs to follow his dream to go to Hampton Institute to learn. At the school, another white lady judges Booker’s ability to clean a room perfectly—the end. The Afterword tells a little of Booker T. Washington’s many accomplishments, but it’s far too little, too late.
This book should not exist. Had the publisher hired a Black author to write a book, I guarantee it would have been much better than this. It reminds me of the day that my son’s Kindergarten class talked about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and he brought him a a coloring page, “Martin liked baseball.” Young children understand fairness and kindness and more complicated concepts than they are given credit for.
This book should not exist. Had the publisher hired a Black author to write a book, I guarantee it would have been much better than this. It reminds me of the day that my son’s Kindergarten class talked about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and he brought him a a coloring page, “Martin liked baseball.” Young children understand fairness and kindness and more complicated concepts than they are given credit for.
June 8, 2009
Good book!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews