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Ida B. the Queen  By  cover art

Ida B. the Queen

By: Michelle Duster
Narrated by: Michelle Duster
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Publisher's summary

Journalist. Suffragist. Anti-lynching crusader. In 1862, Ida B. Wells was born enslaved in Holly Springs, Mississippi. In 2020, she won a Pulitzer Prize. 

Ida B. Wells committed herself to the needs of those who did not have power. In the eyes of the FBI, this made her a “dangerous negro agitator”. In the annals of history, it makes her an icon. 

Ida B. the Queen tells the awe-inspiring story of a pioneering woman who was often overlooked and underestimated - a woman who refused to exit a train car meant for White passengers; a woman brought to light the horrors of lynching in America; a woman who cofounded the NAACP. Written by Wells’s great-granddaughter Michelle Duster, this “warm remembrance of a civil rights icon” (Kirkus Reviews) is a unique visual celebration of Wells’s life, and of the Black experience. 

A century after her death, Wells’s genius is being celebrated in popular culture by politicians, through song, public artwork, and landmarks. Like her contemporaries Frederick Douglass and Susan B. Anthony, Wells left an indelible mark on history - one that can still be felt today. As America confronts the unfinished business of systemic racism, Ida B. the Queen pays tribute to a transformational leader and reminds us of the power we all hold to smash the status quo. 

©2021 Michelle Duster. All rights reserved. (P)2021 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.

What listeners say about Ida B. the Queen

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

I was expecting something different

This is a nice intro to Ida B. Wells and her legacy but I was expecting something different. I would have liked to hear more about Ida’s life and accomplishments than the buildings and streets named after her.

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4 people found this helpful

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Excellent Storytelling and Unique Perspective!

I truly enjoyed listening to this audiobook and appreciate the realness and authenticity brought by Michelle Duster. As a descendant of such sacred history, her story today is just as much a part of Ida's story of the past and I really like how Michelle brought us from past to present within this unique perspective. Well done and thank you for sharing with your legacy with us!! Ida B Wells is my shero!!

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Great quick read

What a woman, this should be required reading in school. I think it may be better suited for print just because the timeline included would be better understood visually than audibly.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Adds Nothing New or Interesting to Ida's Life

This work strikes me as a vanity project by the author/narrator who, after a somewhat narcissistically self-descriptive opening and comparison to her great grandmother, Ida, discusses fairly well-known events in the life of Ida, flanked and filled with non-Ida fluff.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Great Tribute

This audible is a great tribute to honor the life of a remarkable women. I learned so much about how Ida B. Wells life impacted so many and left a lasting legacy. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this audible book.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Fascinating

Incredible legacy. So many new things learned! Ida B. Wells is obviously a course I hope many are teaching.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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A History I Never Knew

An inspiring biography. We need more leaders like her, much work remains in this country.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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A Digestable Summary of Ida B Wells' life

All the facts not taught about Wells in history class are neatly laid out in relation to history being made today. Duster adds a small bio of herself in the beginning, telling of her own discovery of her great great grandmother. The excerpts from Wells' personal diary give fascinating insight into this monumental, inspiring figure, and leaves me looking to her 1970 biography for more depth.

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  • Overall
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A must read

I knew about this remarkable person and her work, but not to this extent. Discovering more about her contributions to our country should be a requirement in schools. Parents, regardless of race can use this book to then have meaningful discussions with their children.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

The story of a civil rights icon.

The story of activist and journalist Ida B. Wells, as reverently related by her great-granddaughter. Wells advocated for black folk, especially black women at the height of the Jim Crow era. Compelled to speak truth to power, she was a leading voice and a founding member of several civil rights organizations. Author Michelle Duster ties Wells’ work not only to her contemporaries, but also to those who followed her.

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