Posted by This National Jewish Book Award finalist, The Singer And The Scientist, by Lisa Rose, is a wonderful book highlighting the true story of the friendship between trailblazing Black singer Marian Anderson and world-famous scientist Albert Einstein.
The year was 1937, and Marian Anderson had finished a stunning performance for an all-white crowd. In that moment, she got praise and applause from the everyone in the audience, but after the curtains closed, Marian felt invisible. None of the white people congratulated her or even stopped to say hello. When she tried to stay at a nearby hotel, she was turned away because of her skin color. That’s when, Albert Einstein offered to let her stay at his house for the night. That was the start of a long-lasting friendship.
The two of them bonded over coffee and cake, and discussed serious topics like racism and antisemitism, shared funny stories and their love of music.
I liked this book because it showed how one act of kindness can really impact a person’s life. Secondly, this book is really important for people of all backgrounds to read.
The author, Lisa Rose, has also written Shmulik Paints The Town, a story about a procrastinating painter and his dog Ezra. If you want to learn more about Rose, I interviewed her on my blog a few years ago.
Four out of four roses!
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