Loretta Little Looks Back by Andrea Davis Pinkney, Brian Pinkney

Loretta Little Looks Back

by Andrea Davis Pinkney and Brian Pinkney

"Right here, I'm sharing the honest-to-goodness."

"I'm gon' reach back, and tell how it all went. I'm gon' speak on it. My way."

"Say what you want about the way I'm bringing it. Call my recollections running off at the mouth. Or bearing witness. Or speaking my mind."

Loretta, Roly, and Aggie B., members of the Little family, each present the vivid story of their young lives, spanning three generations. Their separate tales--beginning in a cotton field in 1927 and ending at the presidential election of 1968 -- come together to create one unforgettable story of a journey from hardship to hope.

Through an evocative mix of fictional first-person narratives, spoken word poems, folk myths, gospel rhythms and blues influences, Loretta Little Looks Back weaves an immersive tapestry that illuminates the dignity and strength of sharecroppers in the rural South. Inspired by storytelling's oral tradition, stirring page-to-stage vignettes are presented in a series of theatrical monologues that paint a gripping, multidimensional portrait of America's struggle for civil rights as seen through the eyes of the children who lived it. The novel's unique format invites us to walk in their shoes as they experience what it means to reach for freedom.

Reviewed by Baroness Book Trove on

4 of 5 stars

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I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from the Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.Loretta Little Looks Back by Andrea Davis Pinkney is a great book that features three different generations in one book. We meet Loretta, Rollins, and Aggie Little at different times in the African-American community in the South.

Can the Littles make a difference?


Loretta Little


Loretta Little is the last Little girl born in the early 1900s. She was the baby of the family and being raised as well as she could with what was happening to the African-Americans back in the day.  Retta had a tough time, though. She had to work in the cotton fields when she wasn't in school; really, Retta had to quit going to school to help her family get by. I really like Retta; she is a strong character who gave up her dreams to survive. Retta tells her story from 1927 to 1930.

A lot was going wrong with what had to happen back in those days to African-Americans, but it is our history as a nation. The unfairness of the time and the way these people were treated truly upset me.

Rollins "Roly" Little


Roly is a "Night-Deep" child. Meaning his own mother and father left him in a cotton field since they couldn't afford to raise him. He is the youngest child of the Little family now, and he tries his hardest to help his family. Roly has helped them with their own plot of land in Ruleville, Mississippi, where they grew everything they possibly can. He was a smart child, especially to the standards set back then.

He ended up getting married to a girl there named Tess, and they were okay. Roly tried his best with what he could do in the role that he was born into. His story is told from 1942 to 1950.

Aggie Little


Aggie Little is the only child of Roly and Tess. She is trying to change things in Mississippi in the 1960s, which were still the hardest years ever for the African-American communities, especially in the South. She has a powerful mindset, and she fights against suppression and inequality. Aggie's story takes place from 1962 to 1968.

I have to say that each of the Littles are very different from each other, partially by the different time frames and also by the way that they are each talking and telling their stories. Each of the Littles' stories are great in their own way. I learned much from each of them and what they have gone through in their lifetime. This is a unique way of telling this story.

Four Stars


Loretta Little Looks Back by Andrea Davis Pinkney is the first book I read by this author. Ms. Pinkey is a good author that can weave a tale that transports you to another time. She did a great job of weaving these stories into a way to teach young kids what the Southern African-American communities have been through in history. I am giving this book four stars, and I recommend it to anyone who wants to learn a bit more about our nation's history.



Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Loretta Little Looks Back by Andrea Davis Pinkney.

Until the next time,



Happy Reading!

This review was originally posted on Baroness' Book Trove

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  • 25 December, 2020: Reviewed