African American voices

One of the trends in libraries and the literary world over the past few years, is to offer readers different view points.  Traditionally, literature has been full of white people.  People of color or other religions or sexual orientations were relegated to best friend roles or were minor characters.   So to have a number of stories, where the main character is a person of color and isn't a stereotype (like  African Americans only portrayed as slaves or in stories about the Civil Rights movement, or Hispanic characters only portrayed as migrants), is to offer a wider variety of people the opportunity to see their own stories in print.  It also offers an opportunity to people like me (a middle aged white lady) to see stories that are different from my own.  Here are two brand new stories that offer voices that are fresh, charismatic, AND happen to be told by and are about people of color.

The first one is by author Renee Watson.  I read her book "Piecing Me Together" that was published in 2017 and really liked it.  I think I liked this one even better.  It's called "Some Places More Than Others".  It's about Amara, who lives in Portland, OR with her mom and dad.  Her dad works for Nike and Amara LOVES sneakers.  Her mom is a clothing designer and doesn't really seem to understand Amara.   Amara's mom is pregnant and is being very careful, because she's had several  miscarriages.  Amara is looking forward to being a big sister.  What Amara REALLY wants is to go to NY.  She wants to visit the big city and connect with her dad's family that lives there, but her mom believes it's too dangerous.  When Amara is asked to do a family history project for school, she realizes how little she knows about her dad's family.  Her dad finally agrees to take her along on a business trip to NY and suddenly, Amara is face to face with some of the family conflict between her dad and her grandfather.  She also has an opportunity to get to know her cousins better and learn about some of the famous places and history of NYC.  She also has an opportunity to help her dad and her grandfather reconnect.  There are some really lovely pieces about family and parental hopes and expectations and about finding your own voice.  I really loved Amara's voice.  I loved her passion for her family and her determination to find her path.  I think my students are going to like this one too.

The second one is by another of my favorite authors, Jacqueline Woodson.  Her book "Each Kindness" is used often in elementary schools as a mentor text to help students develop empathy.  Her book last year called "Harbor Me" was a story of a group of students who were given an opportunity to talk with one another to help them get through hard times.  This new one is called "Red at the Bone".  It's actually not meant for kids, but I think it will definitely get read by bigger kids.  It's a multi-generational story that opens with 16 year old Melody making her society debut in a beautiful dress surrounded by her loving family.  It turns out the handmade dress was not meant for Melody, but for her mother and her mother, Iris, couldn't wear it, because she was pregnant with Melody when she should have been wearing it.  Each section of the book is told from a different point of view-Aubrey, Melody's father, Sabe and Sammy Po-Boy-Iris's parents, and Iris.  There are big themes of family expectations and finding your own voice and how family trauma can make a big splash even if you don't talk about it.  It also explores the idea of teen pregnancy and much people change from their teens to adulthood.  I really liked this one too.