Mahalia

By Roxane Orgill

Born poor in New Orleans in 1911, young Mahalia Jackson loved singing the gospel at the Mount Moriah Baptist Church each Sunday. Swaying and clapping her hands, Mahalia made each word a mediation and could bring a congregation to its feet, astonishing all who heard her powerful voice. At the age of sixteen, she moved to Chicago and began her long road to fame. Through it all-hit records and concerts, protest marches with Martin Luther King Jr., and personal pain and loneliness - Mahalia's faith in God and justice never wavered. Roxanne Orgill's dramatic narrative reveals how Mahalia's soulful voice and message of hope helped introduce gospel music to the world, and inspired thousands of civil rights activists who marched for equality in the 1960's.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0763610119
• ISBN13: 9780763610111
• Release Date: December 2001
• Publisher: Candlewick
• Length: 144 Pages
• Weight: 1.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.8" x 0.7" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

A book for everyone

This is not the first book Ms. Orgill has written about musicians. In this, as in the others, her passion for, and knowlege about music shines through her words.MAHALIA is not only a meticulously researched biography, but also an excellent portrayal of the times in which Mahalia lived. It is definately not just a book to be pulled out during Black History Month. It's a well told, important story for everyone, and should be in every library and school library in the country.

Gospel and Civil Rights bound together in a marvelous book

This is a wonderful look at the determination of the great gospel singer Mahalia Jackson. She not only brought Gospel singing to the world, she was a force in the civil rights movement as well. Ms. Orgill has written a compelling biography and writes in a style that practically "sings" like Mahalia herself. This beautifully written book with its wealth of photographs bring Mahalia and that time in history vividly back to life.

Mahalia

I couldn't wait for this book to hit the bookstores! It was refreshing to read a "new" book on this incredible woman. Mrs. Orgill included many photos to help the reader sense what the times were like for Mahalia during her growing up years right on through to the high point in her career. The book showed photos of the home Mahalia grew up in and also the first home she owned. Mahalia lived a very hard life but her faith in God saw her through. She devoted herself to a life in Gospel music and never let anything or anyone tempt her to change her mission in life. Mahalia was one of Gospel music's pioneers and no one since has been able to fill her shoes. This book was a job well done. Excellent reading...