Review Detail

‘How Do You Spell Unfair? MacNolia Cox and the National Spelling Bee’ by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Frank Morrison, tells the story of MacNolia Cox, who rose, against all odds, to attend the National Spelling Bee in 1936. Though she did not win in the end, she learned more than she could have ever imagined, not only in the form of words she could spell, but how determination is a mighty force against racism, segregation, and a lack of equality.

Her story was preceded by that of Marie Bolden, a fourteen-year-old Black girl from Ohio, who led her team to defeat competitors from other cities across the country back in 1908. And it didn’t end with her either, as Black children who followed in her footsteps struggled to achieve their own sense of purpose in spelling bees for years after. It wasn’t until 1998 when a person of African descent, Jody-Anne Maxwell of Jamaica, won the National Spelling Bee. Then again in 2021, a fourteen-year-old named Zaila Avant-garde became the first African American to win the same bee.

The information in the foreword and epilogue are just as engaging as the pages in between that tell MacNolia’s story of hard work, struggle, and personal success. Weatherford and Morrison have crafted a beautiful, telling tale of the life and times of MacNolia and others who love to spell.