Reviews of three books you should place on your 'Black Lives Matter' reading list

 

My favorite thing about reading as a Cybils judge or as a member of a reading group is when I run into books I'd be unlikely to pick up on my own and then I learn something new by reading them. This is the case with all three of these books. All three are nonfiction/biographies written in verse or illustrated (graphic memoir) about Black individuals whom we should all know about and their contributions to American society.

Augusta Savage: The Shape of a Sculptor's Life by Marilyn Nelson

Christy Ottoviano Books, 2022

Target audience: YA

"A powerful biography in poems about the most influential artist to emerge from the Harlem Renaissance" (Publisher). Augusta Savage was one of the most influential artists of the 1930s. She created a bust of W.E.B Du Bois, flourished during a time of heightened creativity known as the Harlem Renaissance where she was friends with Langston Hughes, James Baldwin, and Zora Neale Hurston, to a few people. She became a teacher to an entire generation of African American artists, including Jacob Lawrence, and created the most well-known sculpture of the 1939 World's Fair, The Harp. As a Black woman she amazingly opened her own salon after attending school in Paris. Unfortunately many of her works not survived. Even The Harp was destroyed because she did not have enough money to make it into bronze or to have it moved at the fair. In her fifties she withdrew from public life, probably in reaction to how hard she had to work for her commissions. And now she is virtually unknown if not for the work of Marilyn Nelson, who wrote this book, and others in the town where she retired, who try to keep her memory alive.

Of all the novels/biographies-in-verse I've read so far for the Cybils, this one about Augusta Savage has the best poems. They are like stand-alone poems which could be in a poetry collection, rather than a nonfiction book about a person. Several of them are concrete poems creating shapes about the action. I was completely swept up in the verses and found myself rereading several of them to get the full impact of the words.

 

By the size of the book, 114 pages, and the quality of the paper and the photographs, I'd say it was designed for middle grade readers, but I think it would work better for sophisticated readers because of the font size and depth of the poetry.  Either way, if you want to broaden your understanding of Black history, I HIGHLY recommend this book, Augusta Savage: The Shape of a Sculptor's Life by Marilyn Nelson, to you! As an adult I thoroughly enjoyed it and learned something at the same time.

Rating: 5 stars.

Maya's Song by Renee Watson, illustrated by Bryan Collier

Harper, 2022

Target Audience: Grades 2-4

"Poet, activist, and storyteller Maya Angelou's words have inspired, empowered, and uplifted generations of readers. Maya was the first Black women to recite a poem at a presidential inauguration, and her influence echoes through culture and history" (Publisher).

This children's book, beautifully illustrated by Bryan Collier, is a biography of Maya Angelou's life for young students. The poems would need to be read to these children, however, as they are much longer than those one would expect to find in a children's book. A reviewer on Goodreads mentioned that her daughter, a 3rd grader, was in a Maya Angelou phase and she was looking forward to reading this book with her. It made me smile to think of a little girl being in a "Maya Angelou phase."

Though I've read many of Angelou's poems and her first autobiography, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, I did learn quite a bit by reading this lovely book. And now I recommend it to you and hope you can find it in your school or public library. If not, request it!

Rating: 5 stars.

Victory. Stand! ; Raising My Fist for Justice by Tommie Smith and Derrick Barnes, illustrated by Dawud Anyabwile

Norton Young Readers, 2022

Target Audience: YA, high school aged students and beyond

"On October 16, 1968, during the medal ceremony at the Mexico City Olympics, Tommie Smith, the gold medal winner in the 200-meter sprint, and John Carlos, the bronze medal winner, stood on the podium in black socks and raised their black-gloved fists to protest racial injustice inflicted upon African Americans. Both men were forced to leave the Olympics, received death threats, and faced ostracism and continuing economic hardships. In his first-ever memoir for young readers, Tommie Smith looks back on his childhood growing up in rural Texas through to his stellar athletic career, culminating in his historic victory and Olympic podium protest. Cowritten with Derrick Barnes and illustrated with bold and muscular artwork by illustrator Dawud Anyabwile, Victory. Stand! paints a stirring portrait of an iconic moment in Olympic history that still resonates today." (Publisher).

I remember that Olympics. At least I remember the picture of the two Black athletes raising their fists on the podium. What I didn't know is what happened to them afterwards. Like Colin Kaepernick kneeling during the National Anthem, then being black-listed from all football teams, these men did a heroic thing and paid the price until only recently. It is time to set the record straight. Start by reading this graphic memoir. It is eye-opening and important.

 

Rating: 5 stars.

 

-Anne