What the Children Told Us

May 30, 2022
Journalist Spofford (Lynch Street) delivers an informative deep dive into the lives of married psychologists Kenneth and Mamie Clark and their groundbreaking work on the impact of school segregation and racism. Detailing the couple’s family life, scholarship, and staunch dedication to civil rights, Spofford explains the roots of their “doll test,” first performed in 1940, in which Black children were asked whether they preferred brown or white dolls. Finding that two-thirds of their test subjects chose a white doll, the Clarks concluded that Black children suffered from an “inferiority complex” and that “prejudice marred the human personality.” Spofford details how the study helped pave the way to the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling in Brown v. Board of Education and spotlights the Clarks’ involvement in desegregation battles as well as their work at the Northside Testing and Consultation Center, where they treated bed-wetting, truancy, and other behaviors “with roots in Harlem’s social ills.” Spofford’s wide lens also takes in efforts to discredit the Clarks’ findings and the couple’s sometimes contentious relationship with the burgeoning Black Power movement. This detailed and sympathetic biography shines a well-deserved spotlight on two racial justice pioneers. Agent: Rachel Sussman, Chalberg & Sussman.

June 1, 2022

Spofford (Lynch Street) has written a compelling biography of Kenneth and Mamie Clarke, the psychologists who developed the doll test. Black children were presented with two dolls, one white and one Black and asked simple questions such as "Give me the doll that is a nice doll" or "Give me the doll you would like to play with." The children consistently selected the white doll and saw the Black doll as bad. This research was pivotal in the Brown vs. Board of Education case to eradicate segregation in schools. Spofford has delivered a detailed account of the work of these two tireless academics who not only produced exact and measured research, but they were also committed to improving the lives of Black and Hispanic children in Harlem by forming the Northside Center for Child Development. Although Spofford had access to a large amount of professional and personal correspondence, his references to the Clarkes' personal lives are constrained and do not have the nuances of a good biography. VERDICT The first book to detail the extensive work of two major contributors on the psychological effects of segregation is a worthwhile addition to collections.--Jane Keenan

Copyright 2022 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2022
Part biography, part history, and part psychological study, this emotionally charged book chronicles the lives of Kenneth and Mamie Clark as they challenged segregation by studying its effects on Black identity and self-esteem beginning as early as childhood. Visiting classrooms in schools across the country, Dr. Clark presented Black children with brown and white dolls, asking which doll each child preferred. The results were heartbreaking. Two-thirds of the children who responded preferred the white doll. Through sheer determination, hard work, and activism within their community, Kenneth and Mamie Clark became well known throughout Harlem and eventually the entire nation. They played key roles in the civil rights movement and were involved in the historic Brown v. the Board of Education decision which legally ended segregation in schools across the country. Spofford highlights the lives and works of two extraordinary individuals who fought for racial justice and equality in one of our nation's darkest hours.

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June 15, 2022
A biography of the pioneering psychologists who were "determined to use disciplined intelligence to rock the foundations of segregation so that all Americans, especially the children, could live, learn, and work together." In 1940, the racial segregation still pervasive in the U.S. made it difficult for Kenneth Clark, a Black psychologist, to find work, despite his doctorate from Columbia. Nonetheless, using grant money, Clark and his wife, Mamie, designed an experiment that showed the pernicious effects of segregation on both Black and White children. In the "doll test," the Clarks interviewed White and Black children, using White and Black dolls to elicit answers to a series of questions, including which doll looked like them and which doll was good or bad. In test after test, the Clarks discovered that children often chose the Black doll as the bad one and hesitated to pick the Black doll when choosing one that looked like them. Black children even denied their racial heritage, stating they were dark from the sun or, in the case of light-skinned children, that they were actually White. For years, the results were controversial, but they eventually helped sway the Supreme Court in Brown v. Board of Education, which changed school segregation throughout the country. Spofford delivers an educative, sometimes dense biography of the Clarks, giving lengthy background information on their relationship and the important work they conducted together--not only the doll testing, but also the youth programs they established in Harlem, where Kenneth grew up. Spofford tells more than he shows, but this is a story that deserves to be better known. For readers interested in a unique tale at the intersection of psychology, race, and activism, Spofford's in-depth portrait of the Clarks will be welcome reading. An overly detailed but well-researched account of a couple who contributed to the erosion of racial segregation in the U.S.

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