No Crystal Stair: A Documentary Novel of the Life and Work of Lewis Michaux, Harlem Bookseller (Carolrhoda Ya Ser.)
Historical fiction, General fiction, Multi-cultural fiction
Synthetic audio, Automated braille
Summary
"You can't walk straight on a crooked line. You do you'll break your leg. How can you walk straight in a crooked system?" Lewis Michaux was born to do things his own way. When a white banker told him to… sell fried chicken, not books, because "Negroes don't read," Lewis took five books and one hundred dollars and built the National Memorial African Bookstore. It soon became the intellectual center of Harlem, a refuge for everyone from Muhammad Ali to Malcolm X. In No Crystal Stair, Coretta Scott King Award–winning author Vaunda Micheaux Nelson combines meticulous research with a storyteller's flair to document the life and times of her great-uncle Lewis Michaux, an extraordinary literacy pioneer of the Civil Rights era. "A stirring and through-provoking account of an unsung figure in 20th-century American history." –starred, Kirkus Reviews "An extraordinary, inspiring book to put into the hands of scholars and skeptics alike." –starred, The Horn Book Magazine "An engrossing blend of history, art, and storytelling in this deeply moving tribute to a singular individual." –starred, Publisher Weekly "Bring[s] to life an unheralded individualist whose story will engage readers." –starred, School Library Journal