Stone Mirrors: The Sculpture and Silence of Edmonia Lewis

Gr 9 Up—Edmonia Lewis was a sculptor of African American and Native American descent who worked in the post—Civil War era. While at Oberlin College in Ohio, one of the first colleges to be both interracial and coed, she was accused of poisoning two girls but was found innocent. However, she was asked not to return the following semester. Also in college, Edmonia survived a violent attack, during which she was raped and beaten—an event that plagued her for the rest of her life. After leaving Oberlin, she moved to Boston, where she was able to learn to sculpt with a local artist. Eventually, she found her way to Rome, and some of her work was displayed at the World's Fair in Philadelphia in 1876. Her pieces are still part of the collections at the Art Institute of Chicago and the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, DC. Written in verse, this biographical novel imagines the events in Lewis's life with short, swift-moving chapters that flow smoothly from one episode to another. The dialogue appears in italics, which might initially confuse some readers, but once acclimated, they will be able to identify the speakers. The back matter includes a short prose biography of Lewis and explains why the author chose to write a fictionalized version of the artist's life. Also listed are Atkins's sources—mostly other people's letters and diaries about the artist. This poetic interpretation of a life may encourage readers to seek out Lewis's sculptural work.