Who Was the Voice of the People: Cesar Chavez

Blas, Terry. Who Was the Voice of the People: Cesar Chavez

December 7th 2021 by Penguin Workshop

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

The boycott of grapes in 1966, and the social activism at the time, is very interesting to see covered, and the Who Was books are something that my students ask for a lot because they've read them in elementary school. This graphic novel not only tells about Chavez's life, but about this time period. It concentrates especially on the march from Delano, California to the capitol. Chavez was injured the first day, and the group struggled along the route, sleeping outside at farms on their way. There are some explanations in straight text, which was helpful, and a good conclusion as well as a timeline at the end. A short bibliography is included. 

Strengths: I liked the illustration style, and the feel of the 1960s was captured well. The palette was tans and browns, with some dusky greens, which gave an agricultural feel to the book. I also loved the grape border on some of the text. 
Weaknesses: As with any graphic novel coverage, there's a lot of missing details. 
What I really think: I'd rather have seen a graphic novel about Dolores Huerta than Cesar Chavez, but it's good to see this topic covered.