Talkin’ About Bessie begins in a most unusual manner for a book intended for young readers of fourth through seventh grade.  It opens at a wake or gathering to mourn the passing of aviator Elizabeth “Bessie” Coleman, where “Bessie eyes the gathering of family, friends, and acquaintances from her place in the photo on the mantel.”  Those gathered begin to respond with memories of Bessie, and in this quite unique way the fictionalized biography of Bessie Coleman is presented.  Through these stories, we meet her father, a “man of African and Choctaw blood” who had left the family in east Texas when Bessie was a baby to find prosperity in Oklahoma.  We also meet her mother who remembers Bessie’s love for reading at a young age and her sister who remembers Bessie’s sense of responsibility as the oldest child left at home.  Her elementary teacher remembers Bessie’s thirst for knowledge and her fortitude in walking the four miles to school no matter how hot or cold the weather.  She seemed “greedy . . . hoarding facts and figures like gold coins she was saving up to spend on something special.”  We also learn about Bessie’s hard work in the cotton fields as well as doing laundry for the whites in the mansions across town.  And there is also a reflection by one of her white “laundry customers” who recognized the quality of her work but found disturbing the fact that Bessie did not look down when she came to the back door “like they were supposed to in those days” but instead looked this woman “straight in the eye, like we were equals.”

Eventually Bessie leaves east Texas behind and moves to Chicago where she studies French for a year in preparation to travel to France to become a pilot—a dream not available in the segregated world of the U.S.  Her love of math as a child in school pays dividends as she studies the intricacies of airplane engines and maneuvering a plane.  When she does return home she gives daring air shows for as many as 10,000 at a time—crowds that she demanded be integrated rather than white-only.  Toward the book’s conclusion, Bessie speaks to the reader, describing the two great blessings of her life—to have “experienced the joy of flight” and to have “shared it with others of my race.” 

Nikki Grimes explains her use of “source material” about Bessie Coleman and about aviation for the young readers in her afterward.  She explains that this “oral history” contains “voices, styles of speech, and characterizations” that are part of the “imaginary devices used to bring Bessie’s true story to life.”  Some characters are actual historic persons, while others are composites such as teachers or friends.  She also credits those who have provided significant information about early aviation.  This is a wonderful model for young readers to use in putting together their own stories through the use of first hand historical study and use of the “imaginary devices” they possess.