Culture 2 – African American Literature
1. GARVEY’S CHOICE by Nikki Grimes
Bibliography
Grimes, Nikki. (2016). Garvey’s Choice. WordSong.
Plot Summary
Garvey’s Choice is about a teenage boy who feels out of place. Garvey loves school, reading, astronomy, chess, and sci-fi. His dad wishes he loved to play sports and Garvey feels the sting of his disappointment. The kids at school tease him because of his weight, so he still feels out of place there too. Then one day he discovers chorus. He is unsure about giving it a try, but his best friend Joe encourages him to. Garvey finally discovers what his missing talent is. As he shocks his family and peers, he gains confidence and a true sense of self-worth.
Critical Analysis
This novel in verse was a 2018-2019 Texas Bluebonnet Award nominee. Nikki Grimes juxtaposes Garvey’s similarities with his mother with the ways he is dissimilar to his father. His mom encourages him to stretch his brain by playing chess with her and through reading. While his father brings up football and sports, wanting Garvey to be more like himself and his big sister, Angie.
The plot of this novel takes the reader on a journey with Garvey. You feel his hurt in the beginning at his father’s words and can imagine him sitting in the kitchen listening to “Dance with My Father” by Luther Vandross. Grimes brings this moment full circle by the end when Garvey discovers that he and his father have their love of music in common. He is impressed by Garvey’s beautiful tenor voice and Garvey finally feels his pride and love.
The book never explicitly mentions that Garvey is black. His sister calls him “Chocolate Chunk” in Name Game, but there are many more mentions of his size and weight than his skin color. Because this is a novel in verse, words are sparse. The dialogue is very limited, but the word “about” is often shortened to “’bout” when Garvey and his family speak. Luther Vandross’s “Dance with My Father” is beloved by Garvey’s dad and played often. He feels a connection to Luther Vandross both because of his music and because of his issues with weight. There are no cultural foods or celebrations discussed, nor is religion mentioned.
Review excerpts
- - School Library Journal: “...Grimes expertly crafts a family life that is deeply intimate yet inviting-a story of small but powerful transformations.”
Connections
- Visit the author’s website: nikkigrimes.com for a Garvey’s Choice discussion guide.
- Have students read about Tanka in the back of the book and then research the form of poetry.
2. BROWN GIRL DREAMING by Jacqueline Woodson
Bibliography
Woodson, Jacqueline. (2014). Brown girl dreaming. Penguin Group.
Plot Summary
This memoir in verse opens with a family tree. Woodson begins with her birth at University Hospital in 1963 Columbus, OH. She is born during a tumultuous time in America’s history. Her parents’ marriage crumbles. Her mother leaves their father and moves back home to South Carolina. The three children grow up with their grandparents in a small town. One day their mom leaves to join her older sister in New York. When she finally returns home, they have a new baby brother. She struggles with the loss of family members as she longs to discover what makes her unique and special. The novel ends with her realizing that she is what she so desperately wants to be: a writer.
Critical Analysis
Woodson’s word choice explodes with feeling. Her descriptions of the people and places around her, and the tragic events unfolding in the country at the time, allow the reader to understand the enormity and weight of her circumstance. Woodson tells parallel stories in this memoir. At once she tells us about the dramatic changes in her own family relationships while giving the reader a history lesson on the everyday struggles of African Americans. Woodson expertly reflects on her life and weaves her experiences with historical events, but she never projects her adult perspective and opinion onto the childhood moments at home with her family. Woodson inhabits the moment and transports her reader to another time and place.
There are many cultural markers present in this book. The author includes descriptions of her skin color as a newborn and what the world will label her as in both Ohio and the South. Food and its creation are present throughout the novel. The author describes all of the grown women in her life preparing food and drink for their family. Due to the enormous role the setting plays in this novel, the author never lets you forget who she is or where she came from. The pride she feels in her heritage is immense and moving.
Review excerpts
- Horn Book Guide Starred: “A memoir-in-verse so immediate, readers will feel they are experiencing Woodson's childhood along with her.”
- Booklist: “...a haunting book about memory that is itself altogether memorable.”Connections
- The Author’s Note at the back of the book.
- Thankfuls and Family photos at the end.
3. MILO IMAGINES THE WORLD by Matt de la Peña and Christian Robinson
Bibliography
de la Peña, Matt. (2021). Milo imagines the world. G.P. Putnam’s Sons.
Plot Summary
Milo is a young boy taking a subway ride with his older sister. On the ride, Milo observes all of the people around him, and he imagines who they are and where they came from. He draws pictures of all the people he sees on his journey. In the end, Milo and his sister arrive at a correctional facility, where we meet their mom.
Critical Analysis
Matt de la Peña and Christian Robinson have created characters that many children will find familiar. Their complexities are creatively hidden. At the beginning of the story, Milo seems to be a little boy with a big imagination, who is fighting his boredom by doodling in his notebook. However, the plot of this story unfolds slowly, intentionally. Milo thinks he has figured everyone around him out and the reader thinks they have Milo figured out too. When Milo sees his reflection in the window, and they exit the subway car, Milo’s perspective and awareness open. He experiences new emotions. The reader feels the story change and then is surprised to discover they have arrived at a jail to visit his mom. That’s when you understand that Milo is really a little boy who retreated to daydreams because he was feeling anxious about seeing his mom in person for the first time in a while.
Christian Robinson’s illustrations depict an urban setting. The characters are taking the subway to their destination. The people shown all have different skin tones. Milo and his sister are shown with brown skin. His sister has braids drawn up into a bun. While Milo’s hair pokes out from under a green hat, it is short and curly. The text has almost no cultural markers. The characters do not have names. The dialogue is matched with the character’s age and position, not with their cultural identity. One page in the book mentions chile colorado bubbling in Milo’s auntie’s apartment.
Review excerpts
Connections
- Visit the Penguin Random House website for a teaching guide.
- Further reading: A Last Stop at Market Street by Matt de la Peña and Christian Robinson.
4. MARTIN RISING: A REQUIEM FOR A KING by Andrea Davis Pinkney & Brian Pinkney
Bibliography
Pinkney, Andrea Davis. (2018). Martin rising: a requiem for a king. Scholastic Press.
Plot Summary
Martin Rising is a biography of Martin Luther King, Jr. told through a series of lyrical poems. It begins with his birth and goes through his death and legacy. All of the people important to him throughout his adult life are present. There is a focus on the tragic events in the last few months of his life.
Critical Analysis
Andrea Pinkney’s poetry is perfectly complimented by Brian Pinkney’s illustrations. The book begins with a Table of Contents. The author has segmented the book into three sections: Daylight, Darkness, and Dawn. Each poem talks about a significant event in King’s life. Unique details about his final moments are woven into the poems. He was preparing to go to a friend’s house for dinner that fateful evening.
Pinkney uses the folktale Henny Penny as a metaphor for Martin’s life and story. Even though readers know how the story ends, the rhythm and musicality of Pinkney’s poetry create a sense of tension and anticipation. You don't know when the crescendo will abruptly end.
The illustrations, while colorful, show the characters with darker skin tones. The historical context provides most of the cultural markers, as does the subject of the biography. Martin is looking forward to a dinner of soul food cooked with “fixin’s” like candied yams and turnip greens.
Review excerpts
- - School Library Journal: “Beautifully illustrated and begging to be read aloud, this poetry collection is an exceptional classroom tool for civil rights lessons and offers much for individual readers to linger over.”
Connections
- Pair this book with Martin’s Big Words by Doreen Rappaport and ask students what connections they see between the young Martin and the man he grew up to be.
- Further reading: Martin & Mahalia: His Words, Her Song by Andrea Davis Pinkney and Brian Pinkney
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