#blacklivesmatter – Peaceful Reader

BLM book list #2

I started a list on this post – Books give insight– and I have more to add after another few weeks of reading plus a stack that I look forward to reading soon. While protests are still happening across the country our own community has hosted a few community events and peace walks where people are allowed to share their stories. It’s good to listen as a person and as an educator yet I feel like the real people that need to hear the message are in our city councils, police departments, and other government positions. Our Black mayor was at the last organized Peace Walk. I’m sure he has his own stories from before he took office and during as I know just from reading the paper he has a few foes that stand in his way.

We have two sister sisters close together and while I happily have my feet in both communities the one I live and teach in does not seem as pro-change and I’m personally trying to figure out how to create good trouble for our new and so far ineffective Mayor Green.

But let’s segue back to books! For people interested in BLM stories this list gives you a great place to start. Some of my book choices come from The Brown Bookcase an independent bookstore run by 9-yo Rylei and check out The Brown Bookshelf for more inspiration.

1. Dear Martin by Nic Stone (2017) : This YA novel recounts Justyce’s story as he tries to be like his hero Dr. King and finds himself in several unnecessary situations with police including one off-duty officer when the music volume is in question. “Stand your ground” is a terrible law because it gives credence to any average G.I. Joe wannabe who carries a gun. If you have this mentality that someone is infringing on your own well-being and claim you feel unsafe or just simply anger for being disrespected. Ugh. This book! Too real. Justyce is pre-judged as gangster instead of the good student that he is. We see this happen all the time when we are shown “thug” photos instead of high school grad photos. I’m a new fan of Nic Stone and look forward to reading the next book in this series.

2. Clean Getaway by Nic Stone (2020) : After reading Dear Martin I quickly put this one on hold at our local library. This story, more for elementary/middle school, shares Scoob’s journey with his grandmother as she retraces her steps through a few Southern locations using Scoob’s grandfather’s Green Book. His G-ma picks Scoob up for an impromptu road trip leaving Scoob’s dad in the dark. This would make a great read-aloud to help students understand Jim Crow laws and other not-so-subtle rules to keep Black people segregated.

3. Black Brother, Black Brother by Jewell Parker Rhodes (2020) : Donte, a mixed-race middle schooler, is getting used to a new prep school filled with mostly white students and staff. The first chapter has Donte in the principal’s office defending himself against a teacher who sees him as trouble. His sibling Trey presents as white and has a much easier time at school. This book is not my favorite JPR chapter book but I appreciated the issues raised. It’s maddening as an educator to hear how Donte is treated by people who should be supporting him. This would make a great read-aloud for 5th-7th grade to discuss the inequality of experiences.

4. Ways to make sunshine by Renee Watson (2020) : I’m in love with Renee Watson’s writing. What I love about this particular story is that while it is realistic fiction; it isn’t a “problem” story. The biggest “crisis” that happens is that the family has had to move to a new/old rental house because her dad’s postal job was eliminated. So relatable at this time. Ryan has fun with her friends, she goes to a pool party, her grandmother spends hours straightening her hair, she gets into trouble yet she loves her brother, her parents, and her extended family. This is the beginning of a series and I am so excited to read more about Ryan!

and one adult book-

5. A Good Neighborhood by Theresa Anne Fowler (2020) : Valerie Alston-Holt, a professor of forestry and ecology, lives in a beautiful older neighborhood where she raises her mixed race son. While her son, Xavier, was very young he husband died in a tragic accident. Enter in the Whitman family who’ve built a new home and pool and perhaps avoided a few property line codes along the way. Brad Whitman is new money and he’s not concerned about the environment like his neighbor. He only wants to make the three women in his life happy. His downfall is that he has a crush on his teenage stepdaughter Juniper. When Brad and Valerie collide major problems abound. I really couldn’t put this book down. I felt for Valerie as she stands up for what she believes in yet those decisions come with a price.

Books I’m looking forward to reading soon:

1. Take the mic: fictional stories of everyday resistance edited by Bethany C. Morrow (2019) : A compilation of major authors contributed stories to this book and I’m excited to see what they have to say.

2. Count me in by Marsha Bajaj (2019) : This one is about finding an unexpected friendship and how to deal with a hate crime when it happens to you and your beloved grandfather.

3. Love like Sky by Leslie C. Youngblood (2018) : Another teacher read this and offered it to me. This is a realistic fiction story set in Atlanta.

And two adult books:

4. I’m still here: Black dignity in a world made for whiteness by Austin Channing Brown (2018) : This is one I ordered early in April and it took until end of May to arrive. I heard Reese talk about it on her book club website and had to read it. Hopefully I will get to it soon.

5. Behold the dreamers by Imbolo Mbue (2016) : A friend passed this on and the story which takes place right before and during the Lehman Brothers collapse is about a Cameroonian immigrant living in Harlem.

Ahhh, so many good books, never enough time. School schedules are starting up. Groovy Girl heads off to college on the 20th. We are all hoping Covid-19 doesn’t affect schools but really I’m just worried. WORRIED MAMA.

**None of these books are linked to a store. I cannot promote Amazon and hope that you can find any of these at a local bookstore, bookshop, or simply from your local library. Have you read any of these on my lists or have other suggestions for me? Let me know via email or a comment.

Books give much needed insight…

Between Spring Break and Covid-19 (still happening) I’ve been doing some reading which is not something new for me but my book numbers have definitely increased. Reading books by Black authors has always been important to me. It’s like traveling or meeting new people; I appreciate learning and understanding about culture, people and places.

I prefer fiction and have learned from books like Look Both Ways by Jason Reynolds. I am appreciative of Jacqueline Woodson, Renee Watson, Angie Thomas, Aisha Saeed, Sharon M. Draper, Nic Stone, and Hena Khan. Mildred D. Taylor is one of my favorite authors with her Logan family series about life in segregated Mississippi. All have enlightening me on their own race experiences through fiction. There is one scene in Black Girls Must Die Exhausted by Jayne Allen that helped me feel what it was like to be approached by an officer. I could feel her fear. Me reading that in no way gives me the real experience yet it gave me a huge sense of the negative adrenaline rush if your driving while Black.

I am reading How to be an Anti-Racist by Ibram X. Kendi and I find it interesting to learn about the history of racism and I’m waiting on White Fragility by Robin J. DiAngelo from the library. I want to read I’m judging you by Luvvie Ajayi. Non-fiction takes me forever though like I’m still working chapter by chapter through Eat to Beat Disease-fantastic book but does not call to me in the same way.

It’s the fiction stories that fly by for me and teach me about another person’s experience.

Jerry Craft’s graphic novel New Kid: demonstrates how horrifying school can be for students of color because of teachers, administrators and students. I am so glad this one won a Newberry Medal and hope that opens it up for more readership.

The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates: I liked Between the world and me and thought this beautiful fiction writing was an amazing piece of magical realism that brought new depth to the time of slavery. I look forward to whatever Coates writes next.

The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline: Native dystopian about how we continue to dehumanize and hunt Indigenous people. Well-told story and I fell in love with some of the characters and wanted to read more…

I can make this promise by Christine Day: I purchased this book for school and read it right away. There are not many realistic fiction books about BIPOC and this debut book shares the difficult times today that Edie experiences through bullying, misappropriation of Native stories and artifacts and her own curiosity about her ancestors.

Genesis begins again by Alicia D. Williams: Also ordered through school and brought it home straight out of the box. This amazing debut book talks about the hard topic of skin color through the eyes of Genesis who has dark skin tone like her father and she wishes so much she were light-skinned like her mother. The learning that went on as Genesis tries to figure out her life was mind-blowing for both of us. She gets such mixed messages from family, friends, and enemies that it’s hard for her to know what is real. She tries bleaching and whitening creams and relaxers and plays mind games with herself. So good.

All-American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brenden Kiely: Jason Reynolds has a gift. This alternating POV narrative sat on my shelf for awhile bc I ordered for school just because it was Jason but then read a review that said it was better suited for high school. It is but only due to some perfectly placed swear words. This story places three people at the scene of a crime; Rashad the victim and Quinn the bystander as a police officer over-the-top reacts to a simple misunderstanding and wrestles Rashad to the ground, pummeling him into submission over a bag of potato chips. Rashad spends time in the hospital as his family, friends, neighbors, and basketball team come to grips with what really happened.

For Black Girls Like Me by Mariama J. Lockington: I finished this book just last night; its a powerful story of adopted Makeda living with her white family in the desert as her adoptive mom struggles with mental health. It’s difficult for children to not take the burden of their parent’s anger and frustration and Makeda and her sister Eve spend too much time parenting their mother as their papa travels overseas playing for the symphony. Makeda dreams of her birth mom as she tries to deal with racism in her everyday life in New Mexico.

I encourage you to go out and find these books either at your public library or a small independent book store. Here is a list of Black-owned book stores for you to access. I’m not a fan of Amazon until they pay their fair share of taxes-I understand Bezos is willing to lose customers because he supports the Black Lives Matter movement but I ‘d like to see that in taxes back or better work support, unions, etc. Right now as our smaller stores work to recover from Covid closures its a great time to support them.

So Much in February

Tomorrow is CAUCUS day-a pretty big deal here in Iowa but for everyone as well because if we pick well it can be a positive push for the nation. For example if my choice Mayor Pete Buttigieg has great numbers at all caucus locations than suddenly people in other states will be saying his name a bit more often. It’s exciting stuff. I’m ready for it and I’m kind of ready for it to be over. If you are politically active it makes for busy days. On Friday night Groovy Girl and I walked for 2 hours knocking on doors for Pete. It was snowy, a little cold, and we had one or two really great conversations which made for a lovely Friday night.

February is Black History Month which I feel awkward about because I feel like this should be something integrated into our curriculum naturally all the time every day but I also understand the need to highlight and move beyond the quick Dr. King and Rosa Parks stories. The week surrounding Dr. King’s birthday I shared his “I have a Dream” speech with 5th and 6th grade students and we discussed then vs. now and racism today. I was a little taken aback that so few students really understood the reason for the holiday is to celebrate his birthday. Clearly this area does need constant work! My teaching plan for this month is to share stories about a variety of African Americans from history and the present.

I recently watched Ava DuVerny’s documentary When They See Us on Netflix and I highly recommend everyone watch this. It was a struggle to watch because it made me so angry! It’s helpful that it is offered as 4 parts which helped break it up for me. I literally couldn’t wait to get the last one to find the positive for these young men so wrongly accused and abused by the police and the whole system. It easily brings to mind all the more recent unjust deaths like Philando Castile. And while scrolling though Twitter I found Black History in Two Minutes narrated by Henry Louis Gates Jr. Challenge yourself to find something directed by, created by, or written by a Black/Brown American this month. I’ll be following up with more throughout the month.

Be peaceful with one another…

The Hate U Give

I read Angie Thomas’ book when it was first published. I was anxious to expand my own horizons after trying to build a more diverse book collection at work and in one of my Amazon searches her book popped up. At the same time, I picked up Renee Watson’s two books, This Side Up and Piecing me together, both excellent as well.

Thomas’ book went above and beyond in reaching a wider audience and was picked up pretty quickly to be movie bound. When the movie deal was first announced I handed the book to Groovy Girl and challenged her to read it with the prize of going to see it as a movie together later. My little GG is not quite as caught up in reading as some of the rest of us are and it took her a bit to finish it. (like the whole time it took to make the movie!)

Last week we finally found time to go see it as a family before it left our theatre here. She literally had the book in hand and finished it while we were watching previews. She was very happy to finish and still remembered so much, enough that she kept turning to me and saying “that DIDN’T happen in the BOOK” which was so reminiscent of her older siblings Harry Potter experiences.

I thought the book was such a well-told tale and once again it is very easy to say that the book is FAR superior to the movie. I had higher expectations as I’d heard Angie was very involved in the movie-making process. I don’t know why she would choose to change some of the things she did but it is what it is. I still firmly believe this is a book that should be in every middle and high school and many adults should read as well. It definitely would help some individuals understand white privilege in a real sense. If you need a copy stop by my free library out front to pick up a copy. If you’ve already watched the movie I think you will enjoy the book even more. It’s much more than just a black & white issue. Oh, and pick up one of Renee Watson’s books also. Just to keep up.

Dr. King's Legacy

It was 50 years ago; April 4th, 1968 at 6:05 tonight. It’s chilling. I think of how far we’ve come for there has been progress. Signs for “Whites Only” are gone, people of all races, colors, and genders are given their right to vote, outright segregation is no longer present. Yet we’ve not come far enough. There is still segregation hidden by poverty and neighborhood, by opportunity. We’re still waiting for a certain amount of change in this country. At least many of us are. Dr. King did bring us to the mountaintop and I think of the bodies lined along the way; not only his but Robert Kennedy, Emmett Till, Medgar Evers, and Malcolm X, but Michael Brown, Philando Castile, Alton Sterling, Stephon Clark, Eric Garner, Samuel DuBose, Freddie Gray, Natasha McKenna, and Christian Taylor, just to name a few-the list is too long.

Last night I attended a staged reading about the last night of Martin’s life as he talks with a maid at the Lorraine Motel. It was a good look at Dr. King in a very humanizing way. He wasn’t perfect but he was an amazing speaker who loved all people, who wanted to see the good in what could happen. As I talked with friends before the play my friend Rita made an interesting comparison to the weather we are all humbled by-very winter weather at the beginning of April-she said it was like we were in Narnia. Quickly we made the leap to Trump as the White Queen. So much change still to be made and a madman in the White House who considers gun violence a local issue and continues to offer his “thoughts and prayers”.

We need stricter gun laws (and we don’t mean your hunting or handguns appropriately used and registered. We are talking about guns that should not be covered by the 2nd Amendment. This president ~ not going to do it.

We need better immigration policies, DACA to continue, and this president is going in the opposite direction.

This list is long but I see hope in the students of Stoneman Douglas as they lead the march, I see hope in the #MeToo movement as women insist on calling out those who use power as a weapon. I see hope in the Black Lives Matter Movement as they fight back against police brutality and twisted realities. I see hope in my 15-yr-old daughter as she rants to the radio over Trump’s immigration plans and quotas that rush people through an already dismal situation.

Keeping Dr. King’s dream alive should be every person’s mantra out there every day as you fight for civil rights in your neck of the world and beyond. Hold your own candlelight vigil tonight as 6:05 ticks by…

YA books related to social justice

Recently I’ve had the opportunity to read a few young adults books with social justice themes. The Hate U Give would be a perfect example of a book for teens about a shooting of a black teenager. This is work we are doing to find appropriate texts for 6th grade students and while I may allow my daughter to read a wide variety many parents are not happy about younger students reading about real-life (sometimes scary) situations. We had a large pool of books to choose from and unfortunately we had to cross many off the list right away. My job was to read a few of the questionable titles and see if any would be appropriate.

1. Ball Don’t Lie by Matt de la Pena (2005); Matt’s debut and it’s excellent. This book tells the story of Sticky, a teenager who has fallen through the cracks his whole life. First with his single mom while she suffers from mental health issues and ultimately commits suicide in the apartment with him in the next room. After her death, he is shuffled from foster home to group home never able to find a good match. While this is an excellent book there is just too much in here for 6th grade students to process. Death, suicide, teen pregnancy, petty crime, and drugs all play a role in who Sticky is-luckily for him, his passion and skills at basketball help him to escape some of his situations. I loved Matt’s dystopian series The Living and all of his picture books including his brand new Love collaboration with Loren Long.

2. If you come softly by Jacqueline Woodson (2006); Woodson, one of my favorite authors, writes eloquently about first love in this story. Ellie and Jeremiah are from two different worlds and meet accidentally at school. In their first meeting when they bump into each other spilling Ellie’s books across the hall they both feel sparks and spend the first weeks of school looking for each other again. Jeremiah is transferred into Ellie’s English class and once they start spending time together they find a solid connection. Jeremiah’s father is a famous filmmaker and his mother is an author but they no longer live together. Ellie is the youngest in her family and all her siblings are off in their adult worlds. Twice her mother has left her family and even though she’s been reliable for the last few years Ellie has a hard time trusting she will always be there. Everything I’ve read of Woodson’s is filled with truth and this one hits home on love, consequences, family, and what it still means to be black in America today.

3. House Arrest by K.A. Holt (2015); A novel in verse, this story tells the tragic story of Timothy who steals a man’s wallet so he can pay for medicine that his baby brother needs to survive. Levi has been very sick his whole little life and lives at home with constant care from Tim, his mom, and a cycle of babysitter/home health care providers. The father has been absent for the past few months and Tim’s mom tries to keep it together. Tim tells us his story through journal entries he writes to his probation officer and counselor as he tries to do penance for what he’s done and to stay out of the juvenile detention center. This is my first K.A. Holt book and I like her style. Another title of hers was a hot seller at our recent Scholastic book fair-From you to me which is about a sister’s grief.
House Arrest is the only book on our list that is “appropriate” for our 6th grade audience. It has a strong social justice theme w/out sex/kissing/swears.

4. Pinned by Sharon G. Flake (2012); This one I’ve not read yet but I will. Autumn and Adonis are both differently abled young adults who work to overcome what is stacked against them. Autumn is on her school’s wrestling team which is a cool twist. And Adonis is in a wheelchair and has a crush on Autumn. I’m interested to see how this story plays out; I’ve enjoyed other books by this author such as The Skin I’m in.

I also recently finished Well, that was awkward by Rachel Vail and now I have Groovy Girl reading it. It was a great retelling of the Cyrano story. Not so much a social justice them except it is about accepting yourself in all your own glory; a lesson for many teens (and adults).

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

I read many positive reviews about this brand new (2017) book I started following the author, Angie Thomas, on twitter. I try hard NOT to buy books but this time I felt it was a great cause. #weneeddiversebooks

16-year-old Starr Carter lives in two different worlds as she maneuvers between her home and neighborhood and the private prep school she attends where she works hard to be “less ghetto”. It’s difficult separating herself out like that and, after one of her childhood friends is shot in front of her by a police officer, her balancing act starts to crumble.

Through Starr’s eyes we are able to experience what many young people are frustrated with today; police brutality and rampant racism. Starr has a family that supports her, parents that are involved in her education and teaching her what’s right. We can see through her father and his friends how hard it is to make good decisions when you have people inviting you to do bad everyday. Her family has been witness to a lot of tragedy and just like other families they keep moving forward even though the journey is trying.

I loved the language, the cadence of listening to Starr speak in both voices.

“I swallow. I wish I could say yes, but I don’t know. On the one hand, it’s the cops. It’s not like I’ll be telling just anybody.
On the other hand, it’s the cops. One of them killed Khalil.
But Uncle Carlos is a cop, and he wouldn’t ask me to do something that would hurt me.
‘Will it get Khalil justice?’ I ask.
Uncle Carlos nods. ‘It will.”(55)

and

“The drug dealer. That’s how they see him. It doesn’t matter that he’s suspected of doing it. ‘Drug Dealer’ is louder than ‘suspected’ ever will be.
If it’s revealed that I was in the car, what will that make me? The thug ghetto girl with the drug dealer? What will my teachers think about me? My friends? The whole fucking world, possibly?” (113)

and as life gets back to something like normal her family celebrates:

“Salt-N-Pepa’s “Push It” blasts from the speakers. That’s one song Daddy shouldn’t play. The only thing worse would be that old song “Back that Thang Up.” Momma loses her damn mind when it comes on. Really, just say, “Cash Money Records takin’ over for the ’99 and the 2000,” and she suddenly becomes ratchet as hell.
She and Aunt Pam both go, “Heeey!” to Salt-N-Pepa and do all these old dance moves. I like nineties shows and movies but I do not wanna see my mom and auntie reenact that decade in dance…” (356)

This is an important YA story that adults should read as well. I am excited to read what ever Angie Thomas writes next.

#24in48 Readathon

Over the weekend I had fun participating a mini-readathon that I found on @Litsy. I read more than usual on both Saturday and Sunday and still didn’t make it to 24 hours. I did have two lunch dates and a 2 year-old birthday party to attend but still…

I finished two books in this time period and that was my true main goal. On our Asheville trip I’d started A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara and I was anxious to finish it. The book brought out a lot of emotions and mixed feelings for me.

Her writing is brilliant and I can see why it’s the talk of the town. I loved how deeply she explored the idea of friendship. The entire book revolves around four roommates, Jude, Willem, JB, and Malcolm, that form a bond so tight that it lasts throughout their lives. Hanya gives us different perspectives through a few alternating chapters but Jude takes center stage. If you haven’t already read this I want to leave Jude’s character unexplained and even though I had a few criticisms of the Hanya’s story I would encourage everyone to read this book to the end. Don’t be frightened of the 700+ pages- you will turn the pages quickly and you’ll be halfway through before you look up. When I finished on Sunday morning I cried a little and then danced a little.

I picked a much easier book for my second read for the weekend readathon. Stella by Starlight by Sharon Draper. I love the cover; oddly the cover on my library copy is very different-it shows a more modern-looking Stella-which doesn’t fit the era. In Bumblebee, NC Stella and her brother witness a cross burning across the pond very near their black community. FDR is about to be elected and a few members, including her father, want to register and vote for the first time. Stella is asked to make the journey into town to go with them. Of course they are treated unfairly, have to pay the poll tax and take a test while several white men wander in and only sign their name to a piece of paper to register.

The KKK strikes out and burns a house right down the street from Stella’s house. The community bands together to help and are surprised when several of their white neighbors come out to help. I thought the civil unrest brought out in this book are not properly finished. The book ends with a Christmas pageant but no finish to the voting unrest or the KKK.

I did enjoy Stella’s quest to be a better writer and thought it probably reflected a bit of Sharon Draper’s own story. This is still a worthwhile story and can serve as an introduction to young readers (3rd-6th grade) of how difficult the civil rights journey has been and continues on today.

I really enjoyed participating in the #24in48 readathon sponsored by @Litsy. I’m happy I had the weekend free and even though I didn’t get in 24 hours I did complete two books. And now I’m reading New Kid by Tim Green. I have to balance in books from school with other books I’m interested in reading.