Let Your Voice Be Heard

May 30, 2016
In her admiring portrait of Pete Seeger (1919–2014), Silvey (Untamed: The Wild Life of Jane Goodall) presents clearly the folk singer and activist’s passionate commitment to music and social justice. After a privileged upbringing and two years at Harvard, Seeger “acquired an encyclopedic repertoire of folk songs” while working at the Archive of American Folk Song. He began playing banjo with Woody Guthrie in 1940 and devoted his life to singing for causes he considered just: organized labor, civil rights, and environmental and antiwar campaigns. After establishing Seeger’s success as a singer, Silvey devotes a chapter to his commitment to the environment (specifically, cleaning up the Hudson River), then jumps from the early 1970s to the 2009 inauguration of President Obama. Silvey provides well-supported, well-rounded context for Seeger’s moral stances, personal life (including his wife’s supportive role as his manager), and enduring claim to folk-song fame with such influential contributions as “Abiyoyo,” “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?” “Guantanamera,” “Michael, Row Your Boat Ashore,” and “We Shall Overcome.” Archival photographs, source notes, and a bibliography are included. Ages 10–12. (Aug.)■

June 1, 2016
Silvey examines the life of Pete Seeger, whose folk music and social activism brought both worldwide acclaim and a decade of government persecution.Born into a privileged family in 1919, Pete attended boarding schools from third grade, isolated from his divorced parents and family. He read voraciously and incubated his interests in the outdoors, journalism, art, and music; a high school teacher introduced him to the banjo. After dropping out of Harvard, Seeger pursued a winding path that included performing children's concerts and cataloging folk music at the Library of Congress. The straightforward narrative chronicles Pete's musical arc--from hardscrabble touring with Woody Guthrie and the Almanac Singers to the phenomenal success of the Weavers, who introduced Americans to folk and world music. Silvey links Seeger's music with his commitment to social causes, from workers' rights and civil rights to the antiwar and environmental movements. She skillfully illuminates Seeger's 10-year ordeal during the tenure of the House Un-American Activities Committee. Surveilled, blacklisted, subpoenaed, arrested, tried, and convicted, the former Communist Party member was vindicated on appeal in 1962. Silvey's afterword frankly acknowledges Seeger as a personal hero, avowing that her biographer's neutrality was trumped by her research into Seeger's unjust treatment by the FBI and HUAC. A fine introduction to a musical icon. (photographs, quotation source notes, bibliography, index) (Nonfiction. 10-12)

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July 1, 2016

Gr 5-7-Silvey traces the influences and happenings that would take Pete Seeger, born to classical musician parents, from a place of wealth down to the union halls, small towns, and never-ending crusade against injustice. Seeger is shown learning from the likes of Alan Lomax and Woody Guthrie and coming to understand economic inequality, workers' rights, and civil rights. To bring the message of folk music and peace to a greater audience became Seeger's-and by extension this book's-quest. Through personal interviews, as well as primary source materials, Silvey creates a flowing biography for the middle school audience. She succeeds in portraying the strength of the singer's convictions, even in the face of adversity, which included a 10-year persecution by the House Un-American Activities Committee. Each chapter begins with a verse from Seeger's repertoire of music-some original and others renditions of traditional songs. VERDICT The subject is presented in such a way that readers will feel close to Seeger and be inspired to pursue more information on him and the causes he fought for.-Sharon M. Lawler, formerly at Randolph Elementary, Randolph AFB, TX

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from June 1, 2016
Grades 5-8 *Starred Review* This informative biography introduces folksinger and activist Pete Seeger, whose privileged family gave him a love of music, an awareness of social inequities, and a determination to challenge injustices. Mentored by Alan Lomax and Woody Guthrie, he played banjo while singing traditional and original songs. After serving in WWII, he performed with the Weavers, who were targeted by the House Un-American Activities Committee in the 1950s. Seeger's principled response to the committee is legendary, but more important in the long run was his day-to-day life during those years. Blacklisted, he crisscrossed the country playing at schools and colleges, building a fan base of young idealists who loved folk songs. And the rest is history, recorded here in succinct accounts of Seeger's activism in Vietnam War protests, the civil rights movement, and the environmental cleanup of the Hudson River. Illustrated with photos, this well-researched account of Seeger's life makes excellent use of primary source materials. Silvey may not be the first to call Seeger the Johnny Appleseed of folk music, but she makes a strong case for the title and, along the way, explains some facets of American history that may be new to children. A lively, unique contribution to the biography shelves.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)