LSSL 5361 Module 2 African American Literature
Bibliography:
Lester, J., & Pinkney, J. (1994). John Henry. Dial Books.
ISBN: 978-0-8037-1606-3
Plot Summary:
The day John Henry was born, he amazed and had the attention of all. He was a big, strong, African American hero. He was able to do the unimaginable, until one day it was too much for him. John Henry is remembered as a hero and how much he did in his life.
Critical Analysis:
In this folktale, Lester includes background information at the beginning of the tale. It helps the reader understand the elements in the story. Lester depicts the hero as strong and courageous. Everyone had their eyes on him, including the animals, but they weren't looking or judging him for the color of his skin. They were looking at his amazing strength and abilities. At the end of the folktale, John Henry whispers a power and positive quote, “Dying ain’t important. Everybody does that. What matters is how well you do your living.”
Pinkney illustrates with watercolors, painting each page with such detail that capture the historical setting and the amazing facial features of animals, family, and townspeople. The look of astonishment and amazement is seen throughout the story. John Henry is painted larger than life and ready to take on whatever life comes his way. Lester and Pinkney do a great job in focusing on a positive outlook of African American culture and provide the world with a lesson for all to learn.
Review Experts:
Horn Book Guide starred (March, 1995)
The original legend of John Henry and how he beat the steam drill with his sledgehammer has been enhanced and enriched, in Lester's retelling, with wonderful contemporary details and poetic similes that add humor, beauty, and strength. Pinkney's evocative illustrations -- especially the landscapes, splotchy and impressionistic, yet very solid and vigorous -- are little short of magnificent. With source notes.
Connections:
Lester, Julius. The Girl who saved Yesterday
Lester, Julius. Black cowboy, wild horses : a true story
Bibliography:
Tate, D. (2018). Poet: The remarkable story of george moses horton. Peachtree.
ISBN#: 978-1-56145-825-7
Plot Summary:
This biography is about an African American poet, George Moses Horton. Don Tate shares Horton’s life as a child to an adult and the works he published. George Moses Horton loved singing and dreamed of being free. He sold his poetry to earn his freedom and met people throughout his life willing to help him.
Critical Analysis:
Don Tate provided an author’s note in the back of the book telling the reader how he was ashamed of his culture and background. He quickly realized after studying the history of his people that it was important to get stories like George Moses Horton written for young readers to learn about history and see representation of African American resilience. This is an inspiring picture biography that young readers will enjoy. Tate writes the biography with pride and shows the hardships and injustice slaves endured and shows perserverance.
Review Experts:
Horn Book Guide starred (Spring 2016)
George Moses Horton, who taught himself to read and compose poetry, lived as a slave in North Carolina until he was sixty-six years old. Tate omits none of Horton's story's sadness but still makes it accessible to young readers and listeners. Gouache, ink, and pencil illustrations are as straightforward as the text but pack the appropriate emotional punch. Bib.
Connections:
Cooper, Floyd. Coming Home: from the life of Langston Huges
Bibliography:
Zoboi, I. (2018). American street. Balzer + Bray.
ISBN: 978-0-06-247304-2
Plot Summary:
This story is about a young teen girl and her mother who leave their home country Haiti to come to America in search of a better life. Her mother is detained at New York airport and is forced to continue on her journey alone. She finally meets family in Detroit. Even though she is with family she feels alone and worried for her mother and will do anything to bring her mother to Detroit.
Critical Analysis:
Through the novel, the character Fabiola, shows her culture, beliefs, and traditions of Haitian people. Fabiola speaks creole, the dominant language spoken in Haiti and English. She shares her beliefs by praying and lighting a candle so her mother finds her way to her. Many people including her cousins in America think it is Voodoo. This dramatic novel is a good read for readers to connect with. Despite the foul language, the events illustrate the American dream. I could not put the book down, it makes you want to read more, learn about the characters, and understand African American culture. I like that the author added personal stories about each character in the books. It adds depth and the reader is able to see the perspective of each character. She repeatedly compares her life back in Haiti to her new one in America and is learning there are some big differences.
Review Experts:
Kirkus Reviews starred (November 15, 2016)
Fabiola Toussaint is a black immigrant girl whose life is flipped upside down when she moves to Detroit, Michigan, from her homeland of Haiti and her mother is detained by the INS, leaving her to go on alone. Though Fabiola was born in the U.S., she has lived in Haiti since she was an infant, and that has now left her unprepared for life in America. In Detroit, she lives with her aunt Marjorie and her three thoroughly Americanized cousins, Chantal, Primadonna, and Princess. It’s not easy holding on to her heritage and identity in Detroit; Matant Jo fines Fabiola for speaking Creole (though even still “a bit of Haiti is peppered in her English words”), and the gritty streets of Detroit are very different from those of Port-au-Prince. Fabiola has her faith to help keep her grounded, which grows ever more important as she navigates her new school, American society, and a surprising romance—but especially when she is faced with a dangerous proposition that brings home to her the fact that freedom comes with a price. Fabiola’s perceptive, sensitive narration gives readers a keen, well-executed look into how the American dream can be a nightmare for so many. Filling her pages with magic, humanity, tragedy, and hope, Zoboi builds up, takes apart, and then rebuilds an unforgettable story. This book will take root in readers’ hearts. (Fiction. 14 & up)
Connections: Reynolds, Jason. All American Boys
Bibliography:
Williams-Garcia, R. (2010). One crazy summer. HarperCollins.
Plot Summary:
This story is about a young girl named Delphine, who travels from New York to California. Delphine and her siblings are spending the summer with their mother, who is not so welcoming and excited about the visit. During this changing time in America, their mother arranges them to attend a Black Panther Summer Camp.
Critical Analysis:
This novel's themes range from family to prejudice and racism. The characters are girls who are genuinely curious about their mother and during the visit they also become interested in the fight for justice. By reading this book one will find themselves learning about the Civil rights movement and the Black Panthers organization. The historical setting and events in this book are surely to bring up important discussions. This one crazy summer the girls learned about themselves and their culture from their mother, who is an avid Civil Rights activist and attending a Black Panther summer camp.
Review Experts:
School Library Journal (March 1, 2010)
Gr 4-7-It is 1968, and three black sisters from Brooklyn have been put on a California-bound plane by their father to spend a month with their mother, a poet who ran off years before and is living in Oakland. It's the summer after Black Panther founder Huey Newton was jailed and member Bobby Hutton was gunned down trying to surrender to the Oakland police, and there are men in berets shouting "Black Power" on the news. Delphine, 11, remembers her mother, but after years of separation she's more apt to believe what her grandmother has said about her, that Cecile is a selfish, crazy woman who sleeps on the street. At least Cecile lives in a real house, but she reacts to her daughters' arrival without warmth or even curiosity. Instead, she sends the girls to eat breakfast at a center run by the Black Panther Party and tells them to stay out as long as they can so that she can work on her poetry. Over the course of the next four weeks, Delphine and her younger sisters, Vonetta and Fern, spend a lot of time learning about revolution and staying out of their mother's way. Emotionally challenging and beautifully written, this book immerses readers in a time and place and raises difficult questions of cultural and ethnic identity and personal responsibility. With memorable characters (all three girls have engaging, strong voices) and a powerful story, this is a book well worth reading and rereading.-Teri Markson, Los Angeles Public Library Copyright 2010 Reed Business Information.
Connections:
