To Boldly Go: How Nichelle Nichols and Star Trek Helped Advance Civil Rights by Angela Dalton

Abstract

Reviewed by: To Boldly Go: How Nichelle Nichols and Star Trek Helped Advance Civil Rights by Angela Dalton Kate Quealy-Gainer, Editor Dalton, Angela To Boldly Go: How Nichelle Nichols and Star Trek Helped Advance Civil Rights; illus. by Lauren Semmer. Harper, 2023 [40p] Trade ed. ISBN 9780063073210 $18.99 E-book ed. ISBN 9780063292796 $12.99 Reviewed from digital galleys R* 6-10 yrs Star Trek is a family favorite in our narrator’s house, and while the little Black girl loves the show’s intergalactic travels, she is especially thrilled to see a face like her own in Lieutenant Uhura. With that framing, the picture book biography then launches into a thoughtful, energetic look at the life of actress Nichelle Nichols, who ultimately saw her role on Star Trek as a way to engage with the civil rights movement and eventually advocate for diversity in NASA astronauts. The book [End Page 152] touches on Nichols’ childhood and her experiences as a dancer and singer, but the focus is mostly on her time at Star Trek, relaying both her excitement at bringing Uhura to life and the racism and complacency of Hollywood that almost made her quit the show—until a conversation with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. highlighted her unique position to be a role model for young Black children. Nichols’ story makes for an engrossing biography, and Dalton’s candid, direct text and Semmer’s bold illustrations expertly capture her fierce intellect and genial nature. The framework that places a young Black girl as the narrator of Nichols’ life is especially effective, emphasizing Nichols’ place among iconic Black actors. The stylized digital art has an appropriately funky ’60s palette with thick saturation and flattened but still dynamic figures. A closing note highlights Nichols’ work with NASA and her campaign to bring in women and BIPOC scientists. Copyright © 2022 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois