Staff Pick
Bessie Stringfield was the first black woman to cross the US by herself on a motorcycle! This story imagines Bessie as a young girl wanting to go as fast as the boys. A story for anyone who has been told they're not enough and wanted to fight back. Recommended By Matt K. , Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
Have you ever been told that you’re not enough? That you’re not strong enough, tall enough, fast enough? Bessie was told she was not enough. Bessie dreams of riding her bike with the boys after school, but they tell her she is not fast enough. When she finally gets a chance to race, she proves not only that she is fast enough, but she is faster. Fast Enough combines an imagined story of Bessie Stringfield as a young girl with historical facts about Bessie as an adult. Bessie Stringfield went on to become the first African American woman to travel solo across the United States on a motorcycle. Not only was she fast, but she was a true adventurer, daring to ride to places unsafe for African Americans in the 1930s and ’40s.Fast Enough is an inspirational story for anyone who’s been told they are not enough.
Review
"A playful introduction to Bessie’s exciting, triumphant, and unforgettable story." Kirkus
About the Author
Joel Christian Gill is an American cartoonist, educator, and author of a number of graphic novels. He has taught art Illustration and comics for a number of years serving as Chair of the Comic Arts and Foundations programs at the New Hampshire Institute of Art. In the Fall of 2019 he accepted an appointment as Associate Professor of Illustration at Massachusetts College of Art and Design.