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Saving American Beach

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Saving American Beach Synopsis

This heartfelt picture book biography illustrated by the Caldecott Honoree Ekua Holmes, tells the story of MaVynee Betsch, an African American opera singer turned environmentalist and the legacy she preserved.

MaVynee loved going to the beach. But in the days of Jim Crow, she couldn't just go to any beach--most of the beaches in Jacksonville were for whites only. Knowing something must be done, her grandfather bought a beach that African American families could enjoy without being reminded they were second class citizens; he called it American Beach. Artists like Zora Neale Hurston and Ray Charles vacationed on its sunny shores. It's here that MaVynee was first inspired to sing, propelling her to later become a widely acclaimed opera singer who routinely performed on an international stage. But her first love would always be American Beach.

After the Civil Rights Act desegregated public places, there was no longer a need for a place like American Beach and it slowly fell into disrepair. MaVynee remembered the importance of American Beach to her family and so many others, so determined to preserve this integral piece of American history, she began her second act as an activist and conservationist, ultimately saving the place that had always felt most like home.

About This Edition

ISBN: 9781101996294
Publication date: 13th April 2021
Author: Heidi Tyline King
Illustrator: Ekua Holmes
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons an imprint of Penguin Young Readers Group
Format: Hardback
Pagination: 40 pages
Genres: Children’s / Teenage general interest: Biography and autobiography
Educational: Environmental science
Ecological and Environmental Interest - Non Fiction
Children’s / Teenage: Social issues / topics
History