Ida, in Love and in Trouble
With lyrical writing, Veronica Chambers illuminates a decade of the exciting life of Ida B. Wells. In 1880s Memphis, Tennessee, Ida belongs to an elite group of educated young Black people born near or after the Emancipation Proclamation. They share a vision of elevating Black people to shape a better future. Ida does so by teaching school and writing bold editorials for nationwide Black newspapers. Although she’s been an orphan since the age of sixteen and lives from paycheck to paycheck, her distinguished school-teaching job ushers her into the middle-class society of a sophisticated Black community.
Chambers details the complexities of Ida’s life by showing how she feels responsible to help others yet enjoys society parties, opera, and numerous suitors. Ida joins the Memphis Lyceum, a literary salon where women take the stage, and everyone adores Ida’s literary recitations. Later, when offered a job as the first female correspondent of the American Baptist, Ida writes on the meaning of life for Black Americans. She is known as the Princess of the Press.
After Ida’s friend and two other innocent men are murdered in the first Memphis lynching in decades, the safety of the Black community is violated. Ida’s life turns from fanciful to focused. With the help of editors in other cities, Ida champions a new cause. Chambers crafts a captivating narrative for readers 14 and up about a bold woman with the courage to speak truth. I highly recommend.
