ARTISTS WHO CHANGED ENTERTAINMENT

Profiles of over 50 performers, artists, and innovators who broke barriers or beat the odds to succeed.

Showing a canny sense of what young readers might really be looking for in role model material, the authors salute Oprah Winfrey and Taylor Swift, for instance, as much for the eye-watering amounts of money they make as for their spectacular onstage and on-camera brilliance. Readers may not recognize all the selected subjects, but Buckley and Labrecque offer a laudably inclusive view. They spotlight artists who have shifted the entertainment landscape, among them the first Oscar, Emmy, Grammy, and Tony Award winners or nominees identified as Muslim, Black, transgender, Asian, Asian American, Latino, deaf, gay, or Native American, as well as other performers living with disabilities such as cerebral palsy or Down syndrome. The range of endeavors is also very broad, going beyond acting and singing to encompass fields from cinematography to writing and video game design, as well as sculpture (Edmonia Lewis) and illustration (Jerry Pinkney). “The future of entertainment is bright,” the authors write. “It will only get brighter if more diverse performers are given the opportunity to shine their light.” Specific biographical information in the alphabetically arranged entries tends to be thin, but both the entries and Walthall’s portraits of sturdy, smiling figures exuding confidence offer inspiration galore.

A populous gallery, broadly diverse and brimming with talent.