“Her song was as regal as it was rich and rare.” Weatherford’s luscious prose tells the story of how Leontyne Price rose to fame in the world of opera and musical theater. Colón’s gorgeous pastel illustrations fill this book with suitably majestic images. This story is an excellent one, showing how the working class Leontyne from Laurel, Mississippi excelled and took great joy in her life. It’s not a story of suffering and struggle as too many stories about Black
and working class folks are - it’s a story of excellence. I got shivers reading this! ( )

Leontyne Price was an opera singer from Laurel, Mississippi. She was always surrounded by instruments such as the tuba and the piano. As well as records. From a little girl she was always inspired and looked up to Marian Anderson another opera singer during that time. When it was time for her to go to college, she decided to study in Ohio where she was hoping to become a teacher. After watching her solo, her professor convinced her to study voice. At Julliard she found her calling with the help of her teacher, Florence Kimball. However, it took some time for her opera career to rise starting on broadway. When it did, it exploded. She became the first black singer at La Scala, a famous opera house in Italy. She reached millions of people throughout the world, yet in America, there was still segregation. Even though their was still segregation in America, people watched and heard Leontyne's voice through their TV's. She continued to do opera shows around the world. Later on, she got her first lead role as a noble lady in II Trovatore when she received a standing ovation.

I was surprised that she was from Mississippi because for one, it is Louisiana's neighboring state and not a lot of well known people are from Mississippi. I also connected with her being from a small town and going listening to church music. I'm not an opera fan, but the lesson that I learned from Leontyne's story is to not give up on your dream or what you enjoy just because of what you see around you. ( )

This is a short autobiography about a young black girl named Leontyne Price who grew up in Laurel Mississippi and became a famous opera singer. Leontyne grew up in the time of segregation. She didn't even imagine she could become a famous singer due to the times so she attended college in Ohio to become a teacher. It was when the president of the school heard her perform that he convinced her to change her major to music. Leontyne went on to study at Juilliard, and later went on a world tour where she became the first black opera singer to perform in many various halls. This book won the Coretta Scott King award for its larger than life pictures. ( )

I love that the title is The Voice of the Century because of how Leontyne Price changed so many lives through her voice.The book introduces kids to new vocabulary such as Aria, Opera, Blues and other terms in the music field. The book takes place in 1920's and 1930's and talks about how history and segregation in this decades. On each page, I love the ilustrations of this book and howhe swirls of colors represent the music that flows from her. ( )

A young Southern girl has dreams to become something great. The story of Leontyne Price is one of inspiration and promise. She peruses her dreams to become a famous singer despite the worlds best efforts to bring her down. The story gives us one of the most inspirational stories for young girls to have something to be influenced by. Illustrations from Raul Colon give us the perfect background into her past and enhance the story by giving colorful details and pictures. ( )