Title: Remembering a Great American Hero – Marian Anderson, The Lady From Philadelphia
Author: Emile Henwood
Publisher: XlibrisUS
ISBN: 978-1-6641-4967-0
Pages: 128
Genre: Biography
Reviewed By: Susan Brown
Pacific Book Review
It’s not surprising that the title of this book refers to American contralto, Marian Anderson, as a hero. She is, indeed, someone who should be recognized for outstanding courage, as well as for her remarkable success in spite of the overwhelming obstacles she faced as one of the first African American artists to perform in mainstream concert venues.
Her incredible career, spanning 50 years from 1925 to 1965, was defined by momentous firsts, highlights which include her being: the first black recording artist under contract by RCA records, the first black artist to appear as a soloist with the Philadelphia Philharmonic Society at Philadelphia’s Academy of Music, the first Negro guest to perform for Japan’s Imperial Court in its 2,600-year history, the first recipient of the Eleanor Roosevelt Human Rights Award and the first African American to perform at the Metropolitan Opera.
This book is a chronological timeline of Ms. Anderson’s professional and personal achievements, condensed to give prominence to the incredible milestones of her distinguished life. From her inaugural appearance in her early twenties at a singing competition, to her very last performance at Carnegie Hall in 1965, Anderson proved she could sing everything from opera to spirituals and command audiences in the thousands all over the world.
Reluctant at the beginning of her career to embrace the responsibility that comes with being one of the first Black artists to break the race barrier, she grew into her role as an advocate of the civil rights movement, coming to be known as the “Jackie Robinson of the arts.” In the 1950s, her singing at the Metropolitan Opera “forever changed the face of opera for Black singers.” By the 1970s, she was so effective in her role as advocate that “the legend of Marian Anderson, already written into the social consciousness of the country, was perhaps beginning to obscure the memory of Marian Anderson the artist.”
While there are numerous other biographies written about Ms. Anderson, all listed in the appendix, the manner in which the author writes this accounting encapsulates the most memorable and significant moments of her life. It is engagingly easy to read and is replete with facts and details. The end notes include information on the National Marian Anderson Historic Society Residence Museum in Philadelphia, where she was born. There are also numerous photographs of her as a child, as well as those of her family, plus scores of her receiving awards, degrees, meeting presidents, world leaders and celebrities.
This “Lady from Philadelphia” was not just a singer of enormous talent, a trailblazing humanitarian, or a pivotal figure in the civil rights movement. She was an inspirational role model of enormous integrity and humility who walked through life with grace and dignity and who generously shared her amazing talent with the world … a world she helped changed with quiet grace and enormous courage. Author Emile Henwood provides in his book, Remembering a Great American Hero – Marian Anderson, The Lady From Philadelphia, a vehicle to discover and understand a true hero.
