Choosing Brave: How Mamie Till-Mobley and Emmett Till Sparked the Civil Rights Movement

By Angela Joy (Author), Janelle Washington (Illustrator)

Accompanied by striking cut-paper illustrations, this moving picture book biography illuminates Mamie Till-Mobley’s life and the ways in which the murder of her son affected her activism during the civil rights era.

Nonfiction, US History, Biography, African American
Notable Children's Books 2023, Randolph Caldecott Medal 2023 (Honor Title), Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal 2023 (Honor Title)
Age: Middle
Format: Book
ISBN: 9781250220950

Notes

From the 2023 Caldecott press release:
After her 14-year-old son Emmett Till was murdered in 1955, Mamie Till-Mobley chose to share her loss with the world, catalyzing the Civil Rights Movement. Washington’s bold paper-cut illustrations and Joy’s powerful text mirror Till-Mobley’s loving strength in making difficult choices and living bravely with the consequences.

From the 2023 Sibert press release:
This powerfully told story pairs striking papercut images with poetic language to detail the life of Mamie Till-Mobley, the memory of her son Emmett Till, and the legacy of Till-Mobley's activism and how it connects to contemporary movements for racial justice.