Culture 2 African American Literature

A.  Bibliography

Johnson, Angela. 2010. HEAVEN. NY, New York: Simon & Schuster Publishing.

 ISBN 9781442403420

B.  PLOT SUMMARY

HEAVEN is a novel about a fourteen-year-old girl named Marley, who lives in Heaven, Ohio with her Momma, Pops, and younger brother, Butchy. Marley’s life is turned upside down when she discovers that her family isn’t the family she thought she knew. By the end of Johnson's novel, Marley's definition of family is challenged and redefined.

C.  CRITICAL ANALYSIS (INCLUDING CULTURAL MARKERS)

HEAVEN is a novel that is rich in African American cultural markers. For example, the setting of the story is a contemporary setting. The story takes place in the summer of 1996, in Heaven, Ohio. The struggle with the effects of racism is a cultural marker in HEAVEN. During this time in history, a significant number of African American churches in the South were being burned down. Marley states, “Momma told me last week that they burnt down the church in Alabama that Pops and I went to when we were babies. She saw it burn on the news.”  The burning of the churches in the South is a sad reminder to Momma and Pops of the church burning in the 1960s. Another cultural marker Angela Johnson refers to is families, loyalties, and obligations. This is revealed in Bobby’s bond with his baby, Feather and Marley’s mother’s love for her daughter and son. Marley states, “He looks at Feather as if she is the only baby in the whole world. Sometimes I catch Momma looking at me and Butchy that way.” 

The chief example of the strength of family is Marley’s revelation that Momma, Pops, and Butchy are not her biological parents and brother, but are really her aunt, uncle, and cousin. Marley learns about loyalties and obligation when it is revealed that her Momma and Pops raised her as their own daughter, when her biological mother died and Uncle Jack (Marley’s biological father) relied on his family for support and Momma and Pops loyalties and obligation to her Uncle Jack would not allow them to tell Marley the truth about her "real" parents.

The love that Marley has for her family is another cultural marker in the story. Marley states, “My family is still just that-only the titles have been renamed. Butchy is still the boy I love, who rolled through life. Momma is still the one who digs and plants and does have hands that look like mines. And Pops is still the man who, when I close my eyes, I can see his smile. . . I watch Jack as we sit and talk in the backyard. . .I don’t feel like I could ever love any of these people more than I do in that  one moment.” The presence of strong friendships in the book is a strong cultural marker in this story. Marley and her friend Shoogy have a bond that will stand the test of time. Finally, Angela Johnson writes a poignant novel of deception and self-discovery- about finding the truth and knowing what to do when truth is at hand.

D. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

AWARDS

1999 winner of the Coretta Scott King Award

Publishers Weekly

“Johnson explores the themes of what makes a place home and which people family. The author's poetic metaphors describe a child grasping desperately for a hold on her reality. The melding of flashbacks and present-day story line may be confusing initially, but readers who follow Marley's winding path toward revelation will be well rewarded.”

School Library Journal

“In spare, often poetic prose reminiscent of Patricia MacLachlan's work, Johnson relates Marley's insightful quest into what makes a family. Johnson exhibits admirable stylistic control over Marley's struggle to understand a concept that is often impossible to understand or even to define.”

Booklist

“Johnson writes powerfully about deep family sorrow and loss. She writes about happiness despite sorrow, about a teenager whose life has always been heaven. What saves this from being generic Hallmark is Johnson's plain, lyrical writing about the people in Marley's life. Everyone has secrets. Johnson makes us see the power of loving kindness.”

E. CONNECTIONS

Allow students to write in their journal explaining their definition of a real family.

In small groups, students are to discuss the following questions: (1) what helpful advice would you give Marley to cope with her newly learned secret about her family? (2) What causes Marley’s to come to terms with her definition of family by the end of the book? (3) Why does Shoogy dislike her family? (4) Why does Shoogy cut herself?

Other books by Angela Johnson:

THE FIRST PART LAST.  ISBN 9780689849237

SWEET, HEREAFTER.  ISBN 978-0689873867

BIRD. ISBN 978-0142405444

LOOKING FOR RED. ISBN 978-0689863882

TONING THE SWEEP. ISBN 978-0590481427
DAISY AND THE DOLL.  ISBN 978-0916718237

A.  Bibliography

Lester, Julius. JOHN HENRY. 1994. Ill. by Jerry Pinkney. NY.  New York: Dial Books. ISBN 978083716063 

B.  PLOT SUMMARY

Julius Lester’s JOHN HENRY is the retelling of the legendary African American hero who raced against a steam drill and won.   

C.  CRITICAL ANALYSIS (INCLUDING CULTURAL MARKERS)
Julius Lester’s JOHN HENRY is a flawless construction of art and brilliant rhythmic text in a hazy and muted portrayal of the mystery of the legendary character known as John Henry. Jerry Pinkney’s illustrations are achieved through muted watercolors of earth tones, except for the dramatic rainbow and red bandanna John Henry wears when he battles the steam drill. The illustrations display many African American cultural markers.  First, the array of African American skin tones, hair colors, and textures are cultural markers in the story.  For example, the picture of the John Henry’s parents presenting him to the animals and John Henry’s visit to town to see Ferret-Faced Freddy is an accurate and authentic representation of the variety of physical attributes of the characters in the story. Secondly, the slight dialect conveys an African American  cultural marker in the story. Language such as, “I got things to do and I need light to do ‘em by” and “Freddy ride by on his big white horse and they were sho’ nuf moving “ are examples of  a dialect rich in cultural details. Further, the setting is a rich and vibrant cultural marker. The  setting's time period is consistent with the westward railroad expansion of the 1800s. Moreover, the garments and the building structures are consistent with the time period, as well. JOHN HENRY is an excellent well written story of an amazing legendary figure, who has captured the hearts of millions of readers.

D. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
AWARDS

Caldecott Honor Book

Winner of the Society of Illustrators' Gold Medal

ALA Notable Book
NCSS-CBC Notable Children's Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies

Winner of the Boston Globe/Horn Book Award

Horn Book Fanfare List
Parents Magazine Best Children's Book of the Year
BCCB Blue Ribbon Book

Winner of the Aesop Prize

Horn Book Guide Reviews

”Lester's retelling, with wonderful contemporary details and poetic similes that add humor, beauty, and strength. Pinkney's evocative illustrations -- especially the landscapes, splotchy and impressionistic, yet very solid and vigorous -- are little short of magnificent.”

Publishers Weekly Reviews

“A great American hero comes fully to life in this epic retelling filled with glorious, detailed watercolors. This carefully crafted updating begs to be read aloud for its rich, rhythmic storytelling flow, and the suitably oversize illustrations amplify the text.”

School Library Journal Reviews

“Lester's tale is true to the essence of the steel-driving man; yet, it allows room for touches of whimsy and even includes some contemporary references that tie the hero to our own times. Told with just a trace of dialect, the story moves along briskly toward the climax.  Pinkney's marvelous watercolors, abundantly rich in detail, convey both the superior strength and the warm sense of humanity that make John Henry perhaps a more down-to-earth character than some other tall-tale figures. The paintings' muted earth tones add a realistic touch to the text, bringing this John Henry alive. When viewed from a distance, however, figures and details sometimes blend together, making the book better suited to independent reading that group sharing. It will appeal to an older audience and is a fine addition to any folklore collection.”

E. CONNECTIONS

JOHN HENRY can be compared with other versions of the tall-tale.

Children may enjoy reading these other books about JOHN HENRY:

Keats, Ezra Jack. JOHN HENRY: AN AMERICAN LEGEND.  ISBN 9780394890524

Nelson, Scott Reynolds. AIN’T ANYTHING BUT A MAN: MY QUEST TO FIND THE REAL JOHN HENRY.  ISBN 9781426300004

Krensky, Stephen. John Henry. ISBN 9780822564775

Students may research the history of the railway construction as a part of the

Westward Movement.

A.  Bibliography

Hill, Laban Carrick. 2010. DAVE THE POTTER: ARTIST, POET, SLAVE. Ill. by Bryan Collier. NY, New York: Little Brown & Company. ISBN 9780316107

B.  PLOT SUMMARY

DAVE THE POTTER: ARTIST, POET, SLAVE is a historical story told in free verse about an American slave named Dave, who lived the majority of his life on a plantation on the outskirts of Edgerfield, South Carolina (Pottersville) in the 1800s. Laban Carrick Hill tells the story of an extraordinary potter and poet, who carved messages and poems into masterpieces of timeless art.

C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS (INCLUDING CULTURAL MARKERS)
DAVE THE POTTER: ARTIST, POET, SLAVE  is written by Laban Carrick Hill and is illustrated by Bryan Collier. The first African American cultural marker in this story book is the historical setting. Dave’s life as a slave, in Edgefield, is an authentic reflection of the distinct cultural experiences and realities of life on a South Carolina plantation. While the book is about a slave, Hill and Collier have not integrated any explicit descriptions and illustrations in relation to the abominable cruelty of slavery in this book. In its place are illustrations in watercolor and collage of chains, shackles, slaves picking cotton in the fields, and mule drawn wagons, which are all reminders to the reader that Dave was a slave. A second cultural feature of this story is the detailed information of how Dave created his colossal storage pots, some more than two feet tall and six feet around. Details were given on how Dave formulated his elegantly molded mouths and earth-tone glazes. Furthermore, DAVE THE POTTER is authentic in terms of educational standards. For example, very few slaves could read or write, and those who demonstrated their skill jeopardized punishment. Nevertheless, Dave continued writing on his pots, for decades. He composed poems such as “Put every bit all between / surely this Jar will hold 14,”  “Dearest miss: spare me a Kiss,” and “Dave belongs to Mr. Miles / wher the oven bakes & the pot biles.” The last of his surviving poems dates to 1862, in the middle of the Civil War. Dave writes: “I, made this Jar, all of cross / If, you dont repent, you will be, lost.” Next, a cultural marker in the story is Dave’s craft. Hill and Collier takes the reader through the ceramic method, from digging and mixing clay to molding it on a wheel, to glazing it with sand and ash. Finally, the last page reveals Dave using a stick to write a thought provoking verse, on his beautifully crafted museum quality pottery. 
DAVE THE POTTER: ARTIST, POET, SLAVE is an excellent resource for parents, teachers, and students as an introduction to the world of pottery and a glimpse into the life of a slave.

D. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
AWARDS

2010 winner of the Coretta Scott King Award
2010 Caldecott Honor Book


School Library Journal

“An inspiring story, perfectly presented and sure to prompt classroom discussion and projects. Outstanding in every way.”
Booklist
“A beautiful introduction to a great lost artist.”


E. CONNECTIONS

Students may use the information in the back of the book to explore Dave's life. Who was Dave?

Todd, Leonard. 2008. CAROLINA CLAY: THE LIFE AND LEDGEND OF THE SLAVE POTTER DAVE. ISBN 978-0393058567

I  MADE THIS JAR--: THE LIFE AND WORKS OF THE ENSLAVED AFRICAN-AMERICAN POTTER, DAVE. 1998. ISBN 978-0938983125

Park, Linda Sue. 2001. A Single Shard. ISBN 978-0395978276

Baldwin, Cinda K. 1993. GREAT & NOBLE JAR: TRADITIONAL STONEWARE OF SOUTH CAROLINA.  ISBN 978-0820313719