by Charles R. Smith Jr.
Illustrated by Charlot Kristenson
Orchard Books
An Imprint of Scholastic
2022
40 pages
ISBN: 9781338752472
On sale date: September 20, 2022
Bessie the Motorcycle Queen is a non-fiction biography of one of the most amazing women in American history, yet little is written about her and most people have never heard of Bessie Stringfield, Her childhood years aren't well documented. Some sources say she was born in Jamaica, others sources say the American South. Her birth year is also in question. But once she got her first motorcycle, she left her mark.
Bessie crisscrossed America in the 1920s and 1930s alone on a motorcycle. Traveling as a black woman in the segregated South with Jim Crow laws was an even bigger feat. She toured the countryside, often sleeping on her bike as she could not stay in hotels or inns.
Bessie loved her bike and entered races across the country. People always wanted to know her story: how she got started, where'd she learn to ride like that, where she was going next. Bessie loved performing and traveling. In WWII, Bessie rode her motorcycle for the Army as a dispatch rider carrying documents to military bases.
Later, Bessie moved to Florida and founded the Iron Horse Motorcycle Club. Bessie died in 1993 leaving her mark in history as a spirited, independent woman way ahead of her own time.
Highly, highly recommended for any picture book collection and biography section. Bessie's story should be shared and well documented.
Book includes a bibliography, a list of sources and a page of "Bessie's Story."
Grades 1-5 and reluctant readers of any age.
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