Vision of Beauty: The Story of Sarah Breedlove Walker Book

Vision of Beauty: The Story of Sarah Breedlove Walker is a junior biography book written by Kathryn Lasky with illustrations by Nneka Bennett. Sarah became the first "free-born child" in her hometown after slavery ended in 1865. Orphaned at the tender age of seven, trying to create a life in the south for herself and her two siblings proved extremely difficult for Sarah. Threatened by the immense racial tension plaguing the south, Sarah found a way to push through the criticism to find her sense of self-worth and beauty.

a.) Madam Sarah's initial vision of beauty and "dignity" for colored woman is a strength presented in Lasky's biography (p. ).

b.) Appearance and physical beauty was extremely important to Sarah during her years. Sarah spent days working in the fields which never provided much time for proper beauty etiquette. She spent her nights sitting in the kitchen trying to "strengthen and restore" her hair (p.18). During Sarah's adolescent years, the country rarely viewed colored woman as beautiful, but Sarah decided to pursue her dreams to change people's minds. After nights of simple prayers and working out of her lower-end kitchen, Sarah created three beauty products to help with hair restoration, growth and strength.

c.) When Sarah was young, she loved to have her hair look "less nappy and knotty" (p. 8). As she aged, Sarah realized what really caught her eye about strong and beautiful appearances-it was because of "their proud looks, the confident way they held their heads and carried themselves" (p.12). Resting on the peak of her successful business career, with a head covered in "her own healthy hair", Sarah completed her struggling journey with an extremely bold statement at the National Negro Business League Convention (p. 28). "I am a woman who came from the cotton fields of the South. I was promoted from the fields to the washtabs. I promoted myself into the business of manufacturing hair goods. I have built my own factory on my own ground" (p.39). The years she endured as a poor colored orphan, of working in the hot sun-filled fields, of coming home to find more hair falling out, Sarah's dream finally came true-she was free and her image gleamed with self-worth and dignity.

Classroom activities can range from historical instruction to lessons about determination and perseverance. Sarah's journey from orphan to successful business woman is great for all students to read, hear and believe in. Filled with text of self-esteem encouragement and lessons about painful pasts, this enjoyable book would be a positive feature to many classrooms.