The Horn Book Guide

OLDER FICTION

Nelson, Vaunda Micheaux

No Crystal Stair: A Documentary Novel of the Life and Work of Lewis Michaux, Harlem Bookseller

188 pp. | Carolrhoda Lab | February, 2012 | Trade ISBN 978-0-7613-6169-5 $17.95

(1) YA Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie. Opened at the end of the Great Depression, Michaux's National Memorial African Bookstore became a central gathering place for African American writers, artists, intellectuals, and political figures. In this extraordinary, inspiring book, short chapters are written in thirty-six different voices--mostly of Michaux himself and other historical people. Reading list. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Kathleen T. Horning | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2012