Culture 2: African American Literature
ISBN: 978-0544107717
Plot Summary: The Crossover is a verse novel written by Kwame Alexander about talented young basketball player named Josh. Josh is one of the stand-out stars of his school basketball team, earning the nickname "Filthy McNasty" due to his gifted basketball moves on the court. Josh is on the team with his identical twin brother, Jordan (or JB), and both boys look up to their dad, Chuck Bell, a former professional basketball player who gave up his career long ago due to a knee injury. The story follow Josh as he navigates life on the basketball court and life as a teenage boy in middle school. Josh's basketball games are described with poetic flow and rhythm, creating a vivd picture of the talent that Josh has when it comes to basketball. Josh is also dealing with the challenges that come with growing up, especially when his twin JB starts to forge his own path as he begins dating a girl from school. Josh and JB, once as close as could be, begin to find distance between each other as Josh remains entirely focused on winning the basketball championships while JB spends more time with his girlfriend. Additionally, their father, who is their biggest supporter on the court, begins to experience health issues that he brushes off.
As the distance and tension between the brothers grows, Josh throws the ball directly at JB's face during a game, landing JB and Josh in fight unlike ever before and keeping Josh from playing the following games due to poor sportsmanship. Josh navigates these changes throughout the story, struggling to find his own identity without the companionship of his twin. At the climax of the story, their father collapses during a one-on-one game with Josh. The heart problems that he had been ignoring come to a head as their father suffers multiple heart attacks, and the two brothers struggle with the idea of life without their father. Josh attends his basketball game as his father lies in the hospital and the family is devastated when their father passes away. Eventually, the two brothers reconcile, and grieve for their father together. JB gives Josh their father's championship ring that he had kept in his closet for years, letting Josh know that he is "Da Man" now, taking on his father's old nickname.
Critical Analysis: The Crossover is a poignant, fast-paced, and lyrical novel that tackles many relatable themes for young readers; the sports action in the story is detailed and full of action, while the emotional journey in the story is moving and deeply impactful for the reader. The novel starts off in the thick of the action of a basketball game, as author Kwame Alexander expertly weaves together descriptive language that form a rhythmic beat, "At the top of the key, I'm MOVING & GROOVING, POPing and ROCKING--Why you BUMPING? Why you LOCKING?" Every creative choice Alexander makes throughout the novel is purposeful and meaningful, from the capitalization and punctuation choices to the layout of the words on the page. Also in the first verse of the novel, Alexander makes the choice to write the word "slipping" diagonal down the page, further creating an image for the reader to hold on to. While the story itself is meaningful in many ways and will stick with the reader due to its personal and emotional impact, these visual choices made by the author are instrumental in creating a natural flow and adding voice Josh's character in the story.
There are also many cultural details that are important throughout the story. Josh and his dad share a love of music, and although they each like different genres, the musical style of jazz and rap/hip hop are incorporated in the rhythmic melodies seen in the text. For example, when Josh describes how he plays on the court, he describes himself as "a MYTHical MANchild Of rather dubious distinction Always AGITATING COMBINATING and ELEVATING his game...He has a SLAMMERIFIC SHOT It's Dunkalicious CLASSY Supersonic SASSY..." This verse uses alliteration and descriptive adjectives to describe his talents as a basketball player in the style of popular rap and hip hop music. Josh's hair is also important to him in the story, as it sets him apart from his identical brother and makes him "feel like a king". Personal identity is an important theme in many young adult stories, especially in this novel as Josh strives to make himself known as separate from his identical twin. It is even more apparent how important Josh's locks are to him when he loses a bet with his brother and accidentally ends up with a shaved head, leaving Josh with complicated feelings about this loss of his distinctive outward identity.
Finally, the theme of family ties and the bonds between brothers, as well as father-son bonds, is visited throughout the novel. Josh's father is a former professional basketball player who gave up the sport years ago, right before a tryout with the Los Angeles Lakers, due to an injury. Holding on to his bright past, he encourages Josh and JB to keep working on their game so they can also achieve their dreams, while he himself ignores serious health concerns throughout the story. While Josh sometimes feels pressure from his father, he ultimately wants to make him proud, and sees his father as his ultimate role model. When his father passes away at the end of the story, Josh is left reeling with grief. The author leaves many hints that Josh's father's health problems are serious and should not be ignored, however the fast pace of the novel mirrors Josh's desire and urgency to achieve greatness and therefore, the abrupt ending events of the story leave the reader as unprepared and shocked as Josh is. The bond between family members is the glue that holds them all together, even as the struggles of adolescence seem to temporarily bring them apart. At the end of the novel, Josh is seen shooting free throws, just as his dad used to insist he practice nightly, and after twenty-seven successful baskets in a row, Josh pictures that "the orange orb has wings like there's an angel taking it to the hoop...I feel closer to Dad." This poignant image at the closing of the story leaves the reader with the reminder that family never leaves you and gives Josh a hopeful outlook for the future.
Awards and Recognition:
2015 Newbery Medal Winner
2015 Coretta Scott King Honor Award Winner
Review Excerpts:
From Booklist: "An accomplished author and poet, Alexander eloquently mashes up concrete poetry, hip-hop, a love of jazz, and a thriving family bond. The effect is poetry in motion. It is a rare verse novel that is fundamentally poetic rather than using this writing trend as a device. There is also a quirky vocabulary element that adds a fun intellectual note to the narrative. This may be just the right book for those hard-to-match youth who live for sports or music or both."
From Horn Book Magazine: "Since poet Alexander has the swagger and cool confidence of a star player and the finesse of a perfectly in-control ball-handler, wordplay and alliteration roll out like hip-hop lyrics, and the use of the concrete forms and playful font changes keep things dynamic."
Connections: Readers who enjoyed The Crossover will want to check out the rest of this series; book #2 is called Booked, which follows the story of a young soccer player named Nick, and book #3, which is a prequel to Crossover that follows Josh and Jordan's dad when he was a young basketball player, is called Rebound. Additionally, The Crossover and Booked are both available as graphic novels. For an extension activity, students can try out writing free-verse poems about a hobby or interest of theirs. Readers who have enjoyed Kwame Alexander's writing style but want to read about a different experience may enjoy Kwame Alexander's adventure novel The Door of No Return and the second novel in this series, Black Star. For more books about sports, readers may enjoy Inspirational Sports Stories for Young Readers: How 12 World-Class Athletes Overcame Challenges and Rose to the Top by Kurt Taylor.
Bibliography: Harrison, V. (2023). Big. Little, Brown and Company.
ISBN: 978-0316353229
Plot Summary: Big by Vashti Harrison is a picture book about a young girl growing up and facing criticism from others around her. The story begins on a positive, happy note, as the little girl is described as having "a big laugh and a big heart and very big dreams...And it was good." She learns all of the things that small children are supposed to as they grow, learning her alphabet and numbers, and eating all her food and growing. Everything is good, until suddenly there is a shift. Now, it is no longer a good thing that she is growing big. Now, she is facing rude and judgmental comments about her size, even getting teased by her peers and reprimanded by her teacher when she gets stuck in a swing at school. She is shamed for her size, and is constantly reminded of how different she feels from others her age. She faces unhelpful and sometimes demeaning advice from others, constantly hearing the words "you're too big." The illustrations reflect her internal self-image, and she eventually becomes too big to fit on the page. As she finally cries and lets all of her sadness out, she begins to see positive words float in front of her; words like "graceful" and "creative." Curious by this new perspective, she decides to "make space for herself" and hands the negative words back to the people who threw them at her. When offered help with changing herself, she declines, stating the she likes the way she is and lists more positive words about herself.
Critical Analysis: Big is an expressive and masterful story the blends pictures and words to create a moving tale about a girl that many people can relate to. Harrison writes the story in a way that anyone who has faced any kind of criticism from others, whether it is about their size or any other personal quality, can empathize with and feel seen by. This story has the power of being healing for anyone who has struggled with self-acceptance, as the young girl in the story changes from loving herself to feeling literally boxed in by others' perceptions of her, to finally accepting herself as she is and seeing the beauty in herself. The story does not have many words in it, with simple sentences throughout and speech bubbles from side characters. While the sentences are simple and short, they pack a powerful punch. Many sentences in the text are spread out through multiple pages, accompanied by powerful, expressive illustrations that tell the unspoken parts of the story. When the young girl begins to feel the power of people's negative words more acutely, two pages of text are filled with one spread out sentence" She began to feel not herself, out of place, exposed, judged, yet invisible." This is a far cry from the way she was described at the beginning of the story, and the way the author chose to lay out the words on the pages adds to the overall emotional toll that the girl feels due to the judgement from others.
The pictures show the girl's size greatly exaggerated compared to her peers and other adults, lending to the idea that hurtful words and a negative self-image can significantly impact one's ability to view themselves objectively. At first, the colors make the girl stand out in a glowing and ethereal way, yet as her perception of herself changes throughout the story, the other characters are mere featureless shadows compared to her, adding on to the feeling that she is different and altogether "other" than everyone else. Her soft pink and purple color palette is changed to a drab gray, symbolizing her loss of her own personal spark and love for herself. Even when she finally has enough and lets her emotions out, she is seen across multiple pages running away, leaving footstep craters in the pages. Every detail in the story and illustrations build together to allow the reader to see a glimpse into how it feels to be ostracized from society. The author doesn't need to add the character's internal dialogue for the reader to understand how she feels, as the illustrations and careful word placement create a dynamic image for the reader to interpret. As the girl begins to accept herself as she is, her pink and purple colors come back to her, along with positive words such as "imaginative, compassionate" and "smart" fill the page in beautiful, flowing script. Importantly, the girl ends the story looking the exact same as she did throughout the book, not growing any smaller in order to fit in. Harrison made an specific choice here, showing readers an important lesson about self-acceptance; it does not mean changing yourself to fit other's approval, but rather embracing all that makes you who you are.
Awards and Recognition:
2024 Caldecott Medal Winner
2024 Coretta Scott King Award for Illustrator and Author
2024 National Book Award for Young People's Literature Finalist
Review Excerpts:
From Kirkus Reviews: "Bestselling creator Harrison has produced another classic that belongs on every child’s shelf—this is one that will nurture little ones and help them to see the beauty in themselves.... A healing balm with the power to make the world a bit kinder."
From Horn Book: "The text is spare but pointed; Harrison’s emotionally powerful, pink-hued illustrations focus on her protagonist’s inner experience... This book offers readers an opportunity to remember that we all deserve love and respect—no matter what size we are."
Connections: One connection activity that readers can do after reading Big is to draw a self-portrait that celebrates all that they love about themselves, including words and phrases that they and others would use to describe them. Other books that can connect with the themes from Big include Hair Love by Matthew A. Cherry, The Year We Learned to Fly by Jacqueline Woodson, The Smallest Girl in the Smallest Grade by Justin Roberts, The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi, and Just Like Me by Vanessa Brantley-Newton.
Bibliography: McKissack, P., & Pinkney, J. (2001). Goin’ someplace special. Aladdin Paperbacks.
ISBN: 978-1416927358
Plot Summary: Goin' Someplace Special is a picture book by Patricia C. McKissack and illustrated by Jerry Pinkney about a young girl named 'Tricia Ann who wants to go to Someplace Special, the public library, for the first time by herself. The story begins with 'Tricia Ann eagerly asking her grandmother, Mama Frances, if she can please go Someplace Special by herself, assuring her that she can handle going there by herself. Mama Frances is initially hesitant to allow this, but eventually lets 'Tricia Ann go as long as she remembers all that Mama Frances has told her. 'Tricia Ann gets on a city bus and heads to the back of the bus that says "Colored Section". As the bus fills up and she gives her seat to a friend of her grandmother's, 'Tricia Ann voices her frustration about the unfairness of having to sit in a separate section of the bus. As she gets off the bus at her stop, Mrs. Grannell reminds 'Tricia Ann to carry herself with pride. Once off the bus, 'Tricia Ann joyfully spins around the Peace Fountain, enjoying the feeling of the sprays from the fountain and the dizziness from spinning around. After spinning, she finds a nearby bench to sit on but quickly jumps up when she sees the sign on it that says it is for whites only. Wishing she had Mama Frances' hand to hold, 'Tricia Ann walks away in disappointment. She soon comes across a street vendor named Jimmy Lee and explains her frustration and hurt that due to Jim Crow laws she can't even sit at a fountain that her own grandfather helped build. Jimmy Lee understands her and reminds her as she leaves to not let the signs steal her happiness.
Reminding herself that she is heading to a place that has none of these signs, 'Tricia Ann continues on her journey to her special place, although she is feeling considerably more defeated now than ever. Suddenly, she accidentally gets swept up in a large crowd and ends up in the lobby of the Southland hotel, where she gets angrily yelled at by the manager, who tells her that no colored people are allowed in the hotel. 'Tricia Ann tries to explain that she didn't mean to be in the hotel and tries not to cry, then runs out of the hotel and to the garden of the Mission Church ruins. Breaking down in tears, 'Tricia Ann declares that Someplace Special isn't worth all the obstacles she's been through today and she is going home. Blooming Mary, a kind woman who takes care of the garden, comes up to 'Tricia Ann and comforts her. When 'Tricia Ann tells her that she just wants her Mama Frances, Blooming Mary reminds her that Mama Frances is always with her--'Tricia Ann needs to listen and remember the words that Mama Frances always says to her, that she is a somebody, that "gettin' someplace special is not an easy route...just keep walkin' straight ahead..." Encouraged by these words, 'Tricia Ann continues on her journey to the public library, where all are welcome.
Critical Analysis: Goin' Someplace Special takes the reader back to the time of segregation and the Jim Crow laws of the south in the 1950's, seen through the perspective of an innocent young girl who longs to go to her favorite place in the world all by herself for the first time. While many readers are most likely familiar with the history of this time period, seeing the injustice of the segregation and discrimination of this time is even more heartbreaking when viewed through the perspective of 'Tricia Ann. McKissack carefully avoids naming what "Someplace Special" is until the end of the story, leaving the reader wondering what 'Tricia Ann is so determined to visit up until the very last page. The withholding of this detail becomes clear when the reader learns that 'Tricia Ann's favorite place is the public library, which proudly and resolutely proclaims on its sign that "All Are Welcome." It becomes apparent why this would hold such a special place in 'Tricia Ann's heart; not only is the library a magical place that can take people on faraway journeys and hold such a special place in people's hearts, but it is also a place where she is accepted as she is. Ending the story with these powerful worlds on the public library sign open the reader's eyes to how deeply hurtful and wrong it is to treat others' unfairly and discriminate in any way; all 'Tricia Ann wanted was to enjoy the public library, yet she had to go through so much hate a long the way. What starts off as a sweet story of a young girl who gets her grandmother's permission to travel to her favorite place on her own turns into a reminder of the historical injustices of segregation and discrimination. The author eases the reader into the story and uses the setting as a backdrop for 'Tricia Ann's first obstacle in getting to her destination--she can't sit wherever she would like on the city bus. Despite these hardships, the unity and camaraderie that those around her share with'Tricia Ann creates a sense of empowerment on its own. As the reader sees 'Tricia Ann's joy and excitement begin to falter with every heartbreaking obstacle, 'Tricia Ann is given encouragement from others and reminders to stand up tall and be proud of herself. This cycle repeats throughout the story, establishing a sense of support and solidarity within the community.
Pinkney's illustrations are detailed throughout the story; carefully attention is paid to the color choices at different parts of 'Tricia Ann's journey. Often, her bright blue and yellow patterned dress is the most colorful object on the page, suggesting the symbolism of 'Tricia Ann's careful optimism and unbridled joy despite hardship. Even the attention to 'Tricia Ann's body language is significant in the story, as she goes from care freely swinging around the fountain with her arms splayed high, then meekly clasping her hands when being yelled at by the hotel manager, to standing with her hand on one hip when standing up for herself in front of the kids tell her she has to go in the colored section at the Grand Music Palace. All of these choices that Pinkney made when illustrating 'Tricia Ann show her character development and newfound confidence by the end of the story. One of the most compelling moments in the story is when 'Tricia Ann finally arrives at Someplace Special; the words on the page are enough to make the reader well up with emotion, but adding to that is Pinkney's depiction of the hopeful look on 'Tricia Ann's face on the final page.
Awards and Recognition:
2002 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award Winner
2002 ALA Notable Children's Book
Review Excerpts:
From Kirkus Reviews: "Every plot element contributes to the theme, leaving McKissack’s autobiographical work open to charges of didacticism. But no one can argue with its main themes: segregation is bad, learning and libraries are good. Pinkney’s trademark watercolors teem with realistically drawn people, lush city scenes, and a spunky main character whose turquoise dress, enlivened with yellow flowers and trim, jumps out of every picture. A lengthy author’s endnote fills in the background for adults on McKissack’s childhood experiences with the Nashville Public Library...A natural for group sharing; leave plenty of time for the questions and discussion that are sure to follow."
From Publisher's Weekly: McKissack draws from her childhood in Nashville for this instructive picture book... An afterword explains McKissack's connection to the tale, and by putting such a personal face on segregation she makes its injustices painfully real for her audience. Pinkney's (previously paired with McKissack for
Connections: Author Patricia C. McKissack has many more picture books that students can enjoy after reading Goin' Someplace Special, including What is Given from the Heart, Ma Dear's Aprons, The Honest-to-Goodness Truth, and Never Forgotten. Students may also enjoy an author/illustrator study over Jerry Pinkney, exploring some of his many books including The Lion and the Mouse, John Henry, Mirandy and Brother Wind, and Little Red Riding Hood. Jerry Pinkney has also illustrated nonfiction books that students may want to read to learn more about his craft and to learn about the history that is connected to the book Goin' Someplace Special. One book that young students can read to learn more about the Civil Rights movement is A Place to Land: Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Speech that Inspired a Nation by Barry Wittenstein and illustrated by Jerry Pinkney. Other picture books about libraries include Waiting for the Biblioburro by Monica Brown, Schomburg: The Man Who Built a Library by Carole Boston Weatherford, and Ron's Big Mission by Rose J. Blue.
Bibliography: Woodson, J. (2016). Brown girl dreaming. Nancy Paulsen Books.
ISBN: 978-0147515827
Plot Summary: Brown Girl Dreaming is a memoir by Jacqueline Woodson, written in verse, that details her childhood during the sixties and seventies. The story is told in multiple parts, with a section about her childhood in Ohio, then Greenville, South Carolina, and New York City. Multiple aspects of her family life are told in various verses taking place in multiple locations. Originally born in Ohio, she recounts how she comes from a long line of Woodsons in Ohio, going back to doctors, lawyers, and scholars. Woodson also includes tips about how to listen throughout the novel, as she notes that her desire to be a writer started at a young age. Woodson was adept at storytelling as a child, often being able to spin a tale off the top of her head even if she struggled with writing it down.
When her parents eventually separate, Woodson moves to Greenville, South Carolina to live with her brother Hope, sister Odella, and her grandparents, eventually learning to love life out in the country and living with her grandparents. Woodson's mother eventually leaves for New York City for a time, and Woodson and her siblings grow closer to their grandparents, while also beginning to notice the events of the Civil Rights movement and the discrimination people are facing at that time. When her mother decides they are moving to New York City, Woodson and her siblings are dismayed, as they cannot imagine life without their grandparents. They spend one more summer in Greenville while Mama gets a job in New York City. By the time Mama comes back to get them, she has given birth to a baby boy named Roman. While they initially have trouble settling in a place in the city, as it is starkly different from the country life with their grandparents, they eventually settle in with Woodson's Aunt Kay in an apartment, until Aunt Kay passes away after a fall down the stairs. Woodson's Uncle Robert occasionally visits, and Mama is often worried that Uncle Robert will end up in trouble. Soon, Roman is hospitalized due to eating lead paint from the walls in his room, and the Woodson children are sent back to their grandparents in Greenville for the summer. They enjoy their time together, although they are dismayed to discover that their grandfather's cough has worsened and he is visibly ill. Throughout this time, Woodson's writing dreams continue, as she develops her craft and continues her storytelling. Woodson's grandfather eventually passes away, and the family is reunited again when they gather for his funeral. The story ends with a powerful verse about "this brown girl dreaming" as she looks out the window of her classroom and imagines all the possibilities of a future writer.
Critical Analysis: Brown Girl Dreaming is a well-written memoir about Jacqueline Woodson's childhood and development into a gifted writer. Themes of family, home, culture, and friendship are all explored throughout the memoir, and Woodson does so in a lyrical and descriptive way that makes the reader feel connected to the important people that made up Woodson's life. Her close bond with her grandparents leaps off the page, and Woodson carefully gives attention and detail into developing the relationship between each family member.
Additionally, the details about the historical time period are immersed throughout the text. At the height of the Civil Rights movement, the events in Woodson's memoir are surrounded with reminders about the cultural events taking place. In one verse, Woodson's grandmother recounts how people marching for equality didn't just start recently, but she can remember even when she was a young girl. When Woodson asks what would make people want to live together, her grandmother answers "People have to want it, that's all...We all have the same dream...to live in an equal country that's supposed to be the land of the free." This moving anecdote from her grandmother provides an important look at what it was like living through this time period, both from Woodson's point of view as a young child and her grandmother's point of view as an older adult. Woodson's anecdotes about growing up with her extended family, from the greatly different settings of Ohio, South Carolina, and New York City, all come together to piece together what at first seem like very different experiences into the diverse mosaic of her life.
Awards and Recognition:
2014 National Book Award Winner for Young People's Literature
2015 Coretta Scott King Award Winner
2015 Newbery Medal
2015 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work
Review Excerpts:
From Publisher's Weekly: “The writer’s passion for stories and storytelling permeates the memoir, explicitly addressed in her early attempts to write books and implicitly conveyed through her sharp images and poignant observations seen through the eyes of a child. Woodson’s ability to listen and glean meaning from what she hears lead to an astute understanding of her surroundings, friends, and family.”
From School Library Journal: “Mesmerizing journey through [Woodson’s] early years. . . . Her perspective on the volatile era in which she grew up is thoughtfully expressed in powerfully effective verse. . . . With exquisite metaphorical verse Woodson weaves a patchwork of her life experience . . . that covers readers with a warmth and sensitivity no child should miss. This should be on every library shelf.”
Connections: Readers who enjoyed Jacqueline Woodson's descriptive writing style will want to dive deep into an author study; some recommended books by Woodson include Each Kindness, Before the Ever After, and Locomotion. Additionally, some recommended books by other authors that are similar to the writing style and themes from Brown Girl Dreaming include Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo, and One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia. Another connection activity for readers includes making a personal timeline and then making poems out of important moments from their life.
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