George Washington Carver: The Story of a Great American

Anne Terry White

1963
Scholastic Book Services
Target Age: Upper Elementary
Genre: Biography

Short Summary: George Washington Carver was born as a slave but given his freedom shortly
thereafter. Without a mother, he worked his way through many entrepreneurial experiences and
schooling opportunities. He patiently pursued studies that were interesting to him such as
becoming an artist when a black man artist was unheard of. And he felt the call of mission to
serve his people to get out of the rut they were in after slavery. He studied botany for years and
when the opportunity came to head the agricultural department at the all-black Tuskegee institute
led by Booker T. Washington, he willingly took it. Through his efforts to build the laboratory
and reputation, he slowly began teaching the students, then the community, then the industries,
and finally the government – all that can be learned by bringing science into agriculture. His
research and efforts led to southern crop rotation at a time when cotton farms had depleted the
soil and were experiencing the devastating effects the boll weevil.
Although fiction teaches some mighty powerful lessons, I love biographies simply for the fact
that the greatness of the personality is real. The impact of a real individual communicates the
lessons differently than the insights from a fictional story. It bring forth an inward desire to have
my story equally impressive and influential and has more sway on encouraging my choices than
a fictitious representative. As I reflect upon the significance this person has had on my life, I will
also consider the criteria for good biographies.
1. Good Literature: The first chapter begins with the search for the kidnapping of infant
George and his mother. Right away, we can not only see elements of a great story, but
also the illustration of the hardships George has had to endure since the beginning of his
life. As we see him leave the proffered shelter from the Carver family in search of
independence and opportunity at a very young age, it is hard to not be impressed with his
strength of character and vision in spite of all the opposition and disadvantages he faced.
I don’t know that the author made a well-rounded character so much as the facts of
George’s life that gives him such a three dimensional nature. The biography doesn’t
sugar coat the problems that black individuals faced at this time in history. Even so, and
complementary to the audience, she doesn’t create too much of a vivid picture, either.
George may not have thought of his life as anything extraordinary, and he may not have
been when considering the potential which everyone has, but when an individual is
successful at rising above the challenges and attaining close to their true potential, it is
difficult to consider him as the average Joe.
2. Subject: George Carver actually did impact millions of lives through the research and
education he offered to blacks, and as the societal and world focus changed to synthetics
because of his research, he impacted more than can be numbered. I find it interesting that
his intent of helping the average black individual to better utilize his land and resources
turned into big business as well as a governmental issue. I love the power-of-one message
his life brings to children across the world. And since I gained a deeper understanding of
all the multiple uses of peanuts (shampoo, mayonnaise, coffee, soap, plastics, dyes, etc.)
and sweet potatoes (vinegar, starch, molasses, ink, etc.), I’m sure it will broaden the
understanding of a child as well. The author does portray George as a saint at times when
he is discriminated against due to his skin color, and I would think the real experience
rather weighed on him a great deal more than was indicated in the story. Though it would
have to be a balancing act for the author to consider the age and understanding of
children, as well as the sensitive nature of the subject, to deal with the subject delicately.
Another point was when George traded one passion (art) for another passion (mission).
That kind of choice has a positive influence on a child to desire to find and fulfill their
own mission, whatever that may be, as the more fulfilling and worthy ambitions. George
also did not receive compensation for all of his contributions. He made sure he had
enough to live on and refused any extra funds. Again, that dedication to a cause is
extremely rare and ennobling to the hearer.
3. Accurate: Unfortunately, this was my first exposure to the life of this historical figure
and if there were any misleading or inaccurate information, I would not know about it.
When my husband found I was reading about George Washington Carver, he stated that
he was one of his childhood hero’s and then started telling me all the great things he had
done. Most of the facts he told me were consistent with the book. I did note that although
the book was including names, places, and events, it wasn’t too heavy on the dates, or
documenting side. Again, I feel that is in good taste considering the audience.
4. Distinguish between Fact and Fiction: Again, due to the newness of my discovering
this personality, it is difficult to distinguish between fact and fiction. I just quickly did an
online search for highlights on George Washington Carver and even the highlighted
points were impressive in nature, without the potential embellishment that would come
from creating the fill in details from an author. Although the story was written for
children, it was mostly narrative in nature with not much description or dialogue. Those
particular elements seem to lend themselves more to artistic license rather than simply
telling an account of events.
5. Primary Sources: I love seeing this criteria for a biography and if I were using this
resource as a reference for a research paper, I would want to have it verified by primary
sources. Being children’s non-fiction does not excuse it from the necessity of being
properly sourced but it is not something I would consider contributes to a good story or of
interest to a child. Sadly, in the copy I have, the author does not include a list of research
sources or bibliography and so I am left to assume that the sources can be verifiable as
the main points are consistent with other online summary type accounts.
6. Photos and Illustrations: The copy of the book which I own is one of the older type
books and was published at a time when photos and illustrations for children were not as
 important as they seem to be today. There is a simple sketch drawing of Carver in a
laboratory on the front cover and the rest of the book is without the graphic element. In
my online research, I have seen the reprinted versions and the cover is more interesting,
full color, and more inviting. I cannot see if there are illustrations within the text, but
whereas this original does not have them, and the updated cover does not add an
illustrator, I can only assume there are no further pictures inside. However, there are a
great number of other biographies on George Washington Carver that have ample visual
appeal, even a picture biography is available.
7. Reader Appeal: The chapters are not too lengthy and the author did a good job of
keeping the details to a minimum in order to not lose the interest of a child. At the same
time, the less than interesting, though pivotal of the storytelling, components in his life
were there with enough connective and build-up details to keep the reader engaged in the
storyline. Although most children cannot relate to being a slave… or a scientist, they can
connect to the idea of being the underdog or the beginning stages of life and see the
journey that his story outlined as coming to his own. Children would be able to see and
appreciate that aspect of relatability.
It is apparent from analyzing these criteria, that this particular book could use some work on a
few factors in this genre, though it doesn’t detract from the influence of the greatness of his
character. I found the story to be very enjoyable and inspiring. That criteria does not seem to be
on the list by Donna E. Norton characteristics for evaluating biographies. If I were to compose
my own list, Inspiring would be the number one criteria because if a life is not inspiring me (or a
child) to become better or more, even if it illustrates what not to become, than all other factors
are pretty much insignificant.