Posted by Andrea Davis Pinkney is known for breathtaking historical fiction stories. One of them happens to be Loretta Little Looks Back: Three Voices Go Tell It, a story about the Little family’s life, from picking cotton in 1927 to demonstrating for Black votes in 1968. They all deal with racism in one way or another, yet they overcome the struggles of being a Black person in their time period.
The story comes from the perspective of three people – Loretta, Roly, and Aggie B.
Loretta is a girl with a forward nature and a disease called Multiple Schelrosis. Roly, Loretta’s adopted brother, is very empathetic and kind, and puts other people before himself. Aggie B. is Roly’s daughter and is the spunky, passionate one.
The three members from the Little family tell their story in monologues, and at the beginning of each chapter the author sets the scene in which they are telling it.
The beginning of each chapter also has a sketch! The illustrations by Brian Pinkney, the author’s husband, were stunning!
There is also prose, poetry, and songs sprinkled through this amazing book. The variety of writing styles was really cool and made the book even more interesting.
I loved how this book was so elaborate and expressive. In Roly’s part, when he met someone he loved, the author really scraped out all of the details of it in a raw, unique way. The characters were all so dynamic, they each had a unique personality. There are some big surprises in the plot, especially towards the end. My favorite character would definitely be Aggie B., I enjoyed reading her part the most! The sharecropper who the Littles worked for was my least favorite because he was dishonest and mean to the Little family.
Four out of four roses!
Elena Reads and Reviews 