They Stood Alone!: 25 Men and Women Who Made a Difference

Sandra McLeod Humphrey
Prometheus Books (2011)
ISBN 9781616144852
Reviewed by Chandler Dixon (age 13) for Reader Views (1/12)

“They Stood Alone!” is a very inspiring book because it tells of many different people who led remarkable lives. This book might help a young person going out into the world to define their priorities and decide what they want to do with their own life; it tells of people who worked to do good in the world, helped other people in need, made sure to treat others as equals, helped people gain the rights that they deserve, and accomplished important things that had previously been deemed impossible.

The author, Sandra McLeod Humphrey, presents the reader with a wide array of people, from the famous inventor Leonardo da Vinci, to Neil Armstrong, the first of humankind to set foot on the moon. She writes in a manner which almost allows the reader to meet each person that she describes. She tells when they were born and gives a description of their birthplace, along with a brief description of their childhood. Then she moves on to the “working age” of the person’s life, telling of each person’s work and what they did for the greater good of the world, a discovery they made or a feat they achieved that no one else had done before. After that she tells of their older years and/or how they died. She includes a notable quote from each person she profiles.

A few of the people that the author tells about are: Christopher Columbus, the man who “found” the new world, Leonardo da Vinci, the man with a mind for engineering, science, art and so much more, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, who played a large role in getting American women the right to vote, Harriet Tubman, an escaped African-American slave who returned to the South numerous times to help other enslaved people escape, Mahatma Gandhi, who advocated for peace and nonviolent resistance to the British occupation of India but was shot to death by an extremist, Amelia Earhart, the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean, Isaac Newton, who is best known for playing the lead role in discovering the laws of gravity, Clara Barton, a school teacher and civil war nurse, best known for starting the American Red Cross, and Jackie Robinson, the first African-American to bravely confront the color barrier to play Major League baseball.

One of the people that I most enjoyed reading about was Leonardo da Vinci; in my opinion he was one of the smartest people of his time. He liked to draw, but much of what he drew was not invented until a few hundred years later, such as cars, bicycles, airplanes, automatic doors, and contact lenses.

The author says that she chose the individuals to be profiled according to the following criteria:

“They were people of vision who saw life from a different or a new perspective.
They were pioneers of a sort who were willing to question the conventional wisdom of their time.
They had the courage to step out away from the crowd and take a risk.
They believed in themselves and pursued their dreams in spite of societal opposition.
And their revolutionary breakthroughs changed their world and ours.”

Each person in this book “steps to their own beat” and the author encourages her readers to do the same.

I strongly recommend “They Stood Alone!” to readers ages 9 and up, but especially teens. Reading this book made me think of ways that I could help other people in need, right now and in the future. The book ends with the author saying, “May you always follow your heart and never give up your dream,” and Robert Frost’s poem “The Road Not Taken,” in recognition of people who follow their own way of thinking.

In “They Stood Alone!,” Sandra McLeod Humphrey has done a great job of presenting the inspiring stories of the lives of 25 remarkable people in a way that appeals to young readers…and readers of all ages – even my parents are wanting to read the book, after hearing me talk about it!

Make comment on weblogx

FTC Disclosure