Stone Mirrors

Starred review from October 1, 2016
Edmonia Lewis was a noted African-American sculptor whose career begins in this verse novel set in the late 1800s. Edmonia, who is of African-Haitian and Ojibwe descent, is attending the newly racially integrated Oberlin College in 1862. The story opens immediately with a secret romance that barely has a chance to blossom, as a startling scandal arises when Edmonia is accused of the attempted murder of two white female students she had befriended. Though she is acquitted, Edmonias character is permanently scarred by the event, and she is forced to leave Oberlin before graduating. Fate connects Edmonia to mentoring from accomplished sculptors, which leads her to travel to Rome, a place where she flourishes to become an internationally known sculptor. From sparse historical records, Atkins creates a memorable, poetic tale that offers a fictional account of what life may have been like for Edmonia, backgrounding this with solid research into the era. Stories of doomed love, in particular the biblical tale of Hagar, act as thematic touchstones, and her determination to sculpt Cleopatra forms the storys spine. Atkins compressed verse evokes both the racial realities of the time, including violence, and the artistic process: Art is made of questions and craft. / What she doesnt know shapes her work / along with the hope that someone believes / in her. Atkins describes her process in an authors note. A fascinating, tantalizing glimpse. (bibliography) (Verse historical fiction. 12-18)

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November 1, 2016

Gr 9 Up-Edmonia Lewis was a sculptor of African American and Native American descent who worked in the post-Civil War era. While at Oberlin College in Ohio, one of the first colleges to be both interracial and coed, she was accused of poisoning two girls but was found innocent. However, she was asked not to return the following semester. Also in college, Edmonia survived a violent attack, during which she was raped and beaten-an event that plagued her for the rest of her life. After leaving Oberlin, she moved to Boston, where she was able to learn to sculpt with a local artist. Eventually, she found her way to Rome, and some of her work was displayed at the World's Fair in Philadelphia in 1876. Her pieces are still part of the collections at the Art Institute of Chicago and the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, DC. Written in verse, this biographical novel imagines the events in Lewis's life with short, swift-moving chapters that flow smoothly from one episode to another. The dialogue appears in italics, which might initially confuse some readers, but once acclimated, they will be able to identify the speakers. The back matter includes a short prose biography of Lewis and explains why the author chose to write a fictionalized version of the artist's life. Also listed are Atkins's sources-mostly other people's letters and diaries about the artist. This poetic interpretation of a life may encourage readers to seek out Lewis's sculptural work. VERDICT A good purchase for collections looking for more diverse materials, especially those featuring women artists and people of color.-Kristin Anderson, Bloomingdale Public Library, IL

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