A recurring theme in my nonfiction books is persistence, and perhaps my favorite example of that comes in What Do You Do with a Voice Like That? The Story of Extraordinary Congresswoman Barbara Jordan, illustrated by Ekua Holmes and published by Beach Lane Books/Simon & Schuster.

In the original, English-language version, here’s one way that my text answers the question posed by the book’s title:

She put it to public use.
Barbara wanted more justice and more equality. She knew that these things began with more citizens sharing their own voices with their representatives in government.
To make sure they got heard, Barbara decided to run for political office herself.
So she ran.
And she lost.
And she ran.
And she lost.
“I have no intention of being a three-time loser,” she said.
She ran a third time.

That next time, she won.

It’s a valuable lesson and a source of much-needed inspiration, and I’m so glad that this story is available in Spanish as well. My friend and fellow Texan Carmen Tafolla did the translation for ¿Qué haces con una voz así?, and you can see an example of her marvelous work below.

This month, in hopes that this inspiration will reach a few readers who could use the boost, I’m giving away four signed copies of ¿Qué haces con una voz así? La historia de la extraordinaria congresista Barbara Jordan.

Subscribers to my monthly Bartography Express newsletter (folks can sign up here) are eligible for one of those personalized copies.

If you’d like the winner to be you, by the end of July either say so in the comments below or email me directly, and you’ll be in the running. (U.S. mailing addresses only.)