Grandpa Stops a War: A Paul Robeson story

Paul Robeson was an African-American singer and actor. He was successful, but he wanted to help other people. One day, he stopped a battle of the Spanish Civil War by singing at the front. He sang African-American spirituals. He turned the loudspeakers, so both sides could hear him sing. Everyone stopped fighting. The author of this book is his granddaughter. Her dad told her this story every time they went to the lake.

This is a picture book. I like the pictures because they look like paintings. My favorite is the one where Paul Robeson is standing on the balcony watching bombs dropping on the city. The Author’s Note has more information about the Spanish Civil War and the people in the book. There are some photographs of Paul Robeson in the back. I liked them. He knew a lot of famous people, like Nelson Mandela. During McCarthyism, he had his passport revoked, and they took his name out the record books, and people weren’t allowed to play his music. He didn’t change. By the time he was sixty, he got his passport and his career back. I really like him as a person.

I think libraries should have this book, because Paul Robeson changed a lot of stuff, and think that’s important for people to know. This book is good for eight and up.