Fernandez Nitsche follows the life of iconic Argentinian folk singer and social activist Mercedes Sosa (1935–2009), from her humble working-class upbringing to her enduring posthumous legacy as a "voice of the voiceless." Readers learn about Sosa's off-the-cuff first public performance at the age of fifteen; her evolution from timorous greenhorn to world-renowned, powerhouse songstress; and her musical innovation. On spreads portraying age-appropriate scenes of protest and dictatorship, Sosa's human rights advocacy is recognized, courageous work that led to her imprisonment, exile, and eventual status as a national and Latin American hero. Readers may be left wanting to know what enabled Sosa's triumphant repatriation. Back matter includes a biographical timeline, a glossary of Spanish words used in the text, and a playlist of the author's favorite Sosa songs. A fitting tribute to a cultural lodestar.

An introduction to an Argentinian singer and social activist known as "the voice of the voiceless."Beginning with the future cantora's birth in a region where "the valleys are vibrant and the high peaks of the mountains reach the sky," Fernández Nitsche writes lyrically of how Mercedes Sosa first gained attention for her voice in a radio competition and went on to sing folk songs, accompanying herself on a bombo (drum), in support of social causes, becoming "a bridge between cultures, languages, and generations." Sosa endured arrest (in the middle of a concert!) and years of exile when the military dictatorship that came to power in the late 1970s found her protest songs threatening. The author relegates mention of the subject's European and Indigenous parentage, as well as most other biographical details, to an appended timeline in order to focus on her spirit and her legacy: "Mercedes's voice still beats strongly today, just like her bombo did." And whether standing on stage, behind bars, or amid banner-wielding marchers in the illustrations, swaddled in heavy woven robes, her solid figure has a suitably iconic look. Warm swirls of color throughout make clear the power of her voice. Sosa died in 2009, but a playlist in the backmatter will help younger audiences unfamiliar with her name understand what they've been missing. (This book was reviewed digitally.)Soaring tribute to a voice less well known that it should be, at least outside Latin America. (author's note, Spanish glossary, select sources) (Picture-book biography. 6-8)