Includes bibliographical references and index.

Venture Smith, prince -- James Forten, entrepreneur -- Richard Potter, magician -- James McCune Smith, physician -- Mary Bowser, spy -- Allen Allensworth, town founder -- Clara Brown, pioneer -- Sissieretta Jones, concert singer -- Maggie Lena Walker, bank founder -- Charlie Wiggins, race car driver -- Eugene Bullard, combat pilot -- Oscar Micheaux, filmmaker -- Jackie Ormes, cartoonist -- Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander, economist & attorney -- Paul R. Williams, architect -- Katherine Coleman Goble Johnson, mathematician -- Epilogue -- Glossary.

Age 10 to 14.

Untold numbers of black men and women in America have achieved great things against the odds. In this insightful book, award-winning author Tonya Bolden commemorates the lives of sixteen black individuals who dared to dream, take risks, and chart courses to success. They were pathfinders. In these pages you will meet Venture Smith, an African man who was enslaved in America but later bought his own freedom; Richard Potter, a magician whose methods paved the way for entertainers like Harry Houdini; Sissieretta Jones, an opera singer who captivated audiences all over the world with her enchanting voice; Katherine Johnson, a mathematician who was instrumental in putting U.S. astronauts on the moon; and other black Americans whose accomplishments were nothing short of extraordinary. -- from dust jacket.

Text in English.

School Library Journal's Best Books, 2017