What the Children Told Us: The Untold Story of the Famous “Doll Test” and the Black Psychologists Who Changed the World

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.