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Some Great Graphic Novels for Black History Month

The life of Frederick Douglass : a graphic narrative of a slave's journey from bondage to freedom / David F. Walker ; art by Damon Smyth ; colors by Marissa Louise ; letters by James Guy Recently returned to the cultural spotlight, Frederick Douglass's impact on American history is felt even in today's current events. Comic book writer and filmmaker David F. Walker joins with the art team of Damon Smyth and Marissa Louise to bring the long, exciting, and influential life of Douglass to life in comic book form. Taking you from Douglass's life as a young slave through his forbidden education to his escape and growing prominence as a speaker, abolitionist, and influential cultural figure during the Civil War and beyond, The Life of Frederick Douglass presents a complete illustrated portrait of the man who stood up and spoke out for freedom and equality. Along the way, special features provide additional background on the history of slavery in the United States, the development of photography (which would play a key role in the spread of Douglass's image and influence), and the Civil War. Told from Douglass's point of view and based on his own writings, The Life of Frederick Douglass provides an up-close-and-personal look at a history-making American who was larger than life.

March (a grphic trilogy)/ John Lewis ; co-written by Andrew Aydin ; art by Nate Powell. This trilogy tells the story of John Lewis, an important civil rights leader and congress person, who died this past year after a struggle with cancer. By the fall of 1963, the Civil Rights Movement has penetrated deep into the American consciousness, and as a chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, John Lewis is guiding the tip of the spear. Through relentless direct action, SNCC continues to force the nation to confront its own blatant injustice, but for every step forward, the danger grows more intense: Jim Crow strikes back through legal tricks, intimidation, violence, and death. The only hope for lasting change is to give voice to the millions of Americans silenced by voter suppression: "One Man, One Vote." To carry out their nonviolent revolution, Lewis and an army of young activists launch a series of innovative campaigns, including the Freedom Vote, Mississippi Freedom Summer, and an all-out battle for the soul of the Democratic Party waged live on national television. With these new struggles come new allies, new opponents, and an unpredictable new president who might be both at once. But fractures within the movement are deepening... even as 25-year-old John Lewis prepares to risk everything in a historic showdown high above the Alabama river, in a town called Selma.

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Shouldn’t Every Month Be Black History Month

The origins of Black History Month stretch back to 1915 and the man who spearheaded the movement for the celebration of African American history, Carter G. Woodson.  Check out this explanation of the origins of Black History Month from the Association for the Study of African American  Life.

https://asalh.org/about-us/origins-of-black-history-month/

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Generations of  Trauma and Protest

Angie Thomas's books "The Hate U Give" and "Concrete Rose,"" tell the stories of two members of one family and the passing down of trauma and the history of protest.  

Listen to an interview with Angie Thomas talk about the movement for social justice today.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjeX97zKi2A

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1619 to Now

"Stamped:  Racism, anti-racism and you" by Jason Reynolds

"A history of racist and antiracist ideas in America, from their roots in Europe until today, adapted from the National Book Award winner Stamped from the Beginning"--

Jason Reynolds is the author of so many great books.  Listen to this interview with the author.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lC6W88wgYDY

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Justice Then and Now

"Dear Martin: by Nic Stone "Justyce McAllister is top of his class and set for a bright future--but none of that matters to the police officer who just put him in handcuffs. Justyce looks to the teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. for answers. But do they hold up now?

Watch/Listen to Nic Stone talk about "Dear Martin" and how she became a writer. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UD0RQ4RHZ8Q

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A Long History

Such a long history of protest and struggle

"Fire in the Streets" by Kekla Magoon

In the aftermath of Dr. King's assassination in 1968, Chicago fourteen-year-old Maxie longs to join the Black Panthers, whether or not her brother Raheem, ex-boyfriend Sam, or her friends like it, and is soon caught up in the anti-war and civil rights demonstrations.

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Black History Happening Today!

"When they call you a terrorist" Patrisse Khan-Cullors and Asha Bandele ; adapted with Benee Knauer. "This is the story of how the movement that started with a hashtag--#BlackLivesMatter--spread across the nation and then across the world and the journey that led one of its co-founders, Patrisse Khan-Cullors, to this moment. Patrisse Khan-Cullors grew up in an over-policed United States where incarceration of Black people runs rampant. Surrounded by police brutality, she gathered the tools and lessons that would lead her on to found one of the most powerful movements in the world. This is her story. Necessary and timely, 'When They Call You a Terrorist' reminds us that protest in the interest of the most vulnerable comes from love: that love is the push to search for justice for those victimized by the powerful.

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Never Again

International Holocaust Remembrance Day 2021 On this annual day of commemoration, the UN urges every member state to honor the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust and millions of other victims of this genocide. ...

Below are books that help us understand this tragedy.  Also, go to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum to learn more. www.ushmm.org

What the night sings : a novel / Vesper Stamper. Liberated from Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp in 1945, sixteen-year-old Gerta tries to make a new life for herself, aided by Lev, a fellow survivor, and Michah, who helps Jews reach Palestine.

Hidden like Anne Frank : fourteen true stories of survival / Marcel Prins & Peter Henk Steenhuis ; translated by Laura Watkinson.

The war within these walls / written by Aline Sax ; illustrated by Caryl Strzelecki ; translated by Laura Watkinson. Misha and his family do their best to survive in the appalling conditions of the Warsaw ghetto during World War II, and ultimately make a final, desperate stand against the Nazis.

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Did you hear her?

Amanda Gorman, only 22, read her inaugural poem yesterday.  Amazing!  Did you know? a song from the musical Hamilton helped her overcome a speech challenge.     Check these links out.    

watch Amanda Gorman read her inaugural poem https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZ055ilIiN4

Great Interview. https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/21/us/amanda-gorman-hamilton-speech-impediment-trnd/index.html

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MLK

Martin Luther King Jr. January 15, 1929 This weekend we celebrate theh birthday of Martin Luther King Jr., a monumental person and taken so soon.  If you are looking for a great book try Nic Stone's DearMartin.  This amazing novel tells the story of how important MLK was and still is today.

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New Arrivals

Check out a few new arrivals ...

Shuri : a Black Panther novel / by Nic Stone. For centuries, the Chieftain of Wakanda (the Black Panther) has gained his powers through the juices of the Heart-Shaped Herb. Much like Vibranium, the Heart-Shaped Herb is essential to the survival and prosperity of Wakanda. But something is wrong. The plants are dying. No matter what the people of Wakanda do, they can't save them. And their supply is running short. It's up to Shuri to travel from Wakanda in order to discover what is killing the Herb, and how she can save it.

Superman smashes the Klan : the graphic novel / written by Gene Luen Yang ; art by Gurihiru ; lettering by Janice Chiang. When Dr. Lee moves his family to Metropolis, his son Tommy adjusts to the new neighborhood while daugher Roberta feels out of place, so when the evil Klan of the Fiery Cross begins a of terrorist attacks on the city, Superman fights them, and Roberta and Superman soon learn to embrace their own unique features that set them apart.

Elatsoe / Darcie Little Badger ; illustrations by Rovina Cai. Imagine an America very similar to our own. It's got homework, best friends, and pistachio ice cream. There are some differences. This America has been shaped dramatically by the magic, monsters, knowledge, and legends of its peoples, those Indigenous and those not. Some of these forces are charmingly everyday, like the ability to make an orb of light appear or travel across the world through rings of fungi. But other forces are less charming and should never see the light of day. Seventeen-year-old Elatsoe ("Ellie" for short) lives in this slightly stranger America. She can raise the ghosts of dead animals, a skill passed down through generations of her Lipan Apache family. Her beloved cousin has just been murdered, in a town that wants no prying eyes. But she is going to do more than pry. The picture-perfect façade of Willowbee masks gruesome secrets, and she will rely on her wits, skills, and friends to tear off the mask and protect her family.

The fountains of silence : a novel / Ruta Sepetys. At the Castellana Hilton in 1957 Madrid, eighteen-year-old Daniel Matheson connects with Ana Moreno through photography and fate as Daniel discovers the incredibly dark side of the city under Generalissimo Franco's rule.

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New Arrivals

Shine / Jessica Jung. Seventeen-year-old Rachel Kim confronts the dark underbelly of the K-pop world as she strives to become a K-pop star.

Jackpot / Nic Stone. "When Rico sells a jackpot-winning lotto ticket, she thinks maybe her luck will finally change, but only if she and her popular and wildly rich classmate, Zan can find the ticket holder who hasn't claimed the prize.

Parachutes / Kelly Yang. Claire Wang never thought she'd be one of them, until her parents pluck her from her privileged life in Shanghai and enroll her at a high school in California. Suddenly she finds herself living in a stranger's house, with no one to tell her what to do for the first time in her life.

Girl, unframed / Deb Caletti. While spending a summer with her famous mother and her criminal boyfriend, Sydney Reilly, age fifteen, finds love with Nicco but her premonition of something bad coming proves dreadfully accurate.

The magic in changing your stars / Leah Henderson. After bungling his audition to play the Scarecrow in The Wiz, fifth-grader Ailey is magically transported to 1930s Harlem where he meets his own grandfather and legendary tap dancer Bill "Bojangles" Robinson.

Dear Justyce / Nic Stone. Quan is awaiting trial after entering a not-guilty plea for the shooting of a police officer. His story is told through a series of letters to Justyce, the protagonist of Nic Stone's Dear Martin. Quan takes a look at his troubled past and the systems that got him where he currently waits, and just how flawed the American system is.

Black enough : stories of being young & black in America / edited by Ibi Zoboi. A collection of short stories explore what it is like to be young and black, centering on the experiences of black teenagers and emphasizing that one person's experiences, reality, and personal identity are different than someone else.

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Top Ten

We are getting close to that time of year when we see “Top Ten” (why 10?) posted everywhere.  Here is a list of top ten young adult books voted for by ....young adults  

2020 Teens' Top Ten Announced! 1. Wayward Son (Simon Snow, #2) by Rainbow Rowell. 2. Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell. Illustrated by Faith Erin Hicks. 3. With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo. 4. Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff. 5. Broken Throne: A Red Queen Collection by Victoria Aveyard. 6. #MurderFunding (#MurderTrending #2) by Gretchen McNeil. 7. We Hunt the Flame (Sands of Arawiya) by Hafsah Faizal. 8. Lovely War by Julie Berry 9. Wilder Girls by Rory Power. 10. The Memory Thief by Lauren Mansy.  

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Transgender Day of Remembrance

Friday November 20 was  Transgender Day of Remembrance Sadly, transgender people are often the target of vilence and discrimmination.  

Below are the titles of some great  books with transgender characters both real and fictional Short Stories All out / edited by Saundra Mitchell ; Anna-Marie McLemore [and fifteen others].

Novels Beautiful Music for Ugly Children by  Kirstin Cronn-Mills Felix ever after by Kacen Callender. Gracefully Grayson by Ami Polonsky. If I Was Your Girlby  Russo, Meredith I wish you all the best by Mason Deaver.

A little bit fantastical... Dreadnought by April Daniels. Lizard radio by Pat Schmatz.

Non Fiction Being Jazz : my life as a (transgender) teen / Jazz Jennings. (Biography) Some assembly required : the not-so-secret life of a transgender teen / Arin Andrews with Joshua Lyon (Biography) Trans mission : my quest to a beard / Alex Bertie. (Biography) Beyond magenta : transgender teens speak out / Susan Kuklin.

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Awesome Opportunity!

I just finished reading "Five Midnights" byAnn Dávila, Cardinal .  Awesome mix of mystery and horror.  If you are in 6th -  12th grade, the author is hosting a horror writing workshop this Saturday, Oct 24.  Follow the link below to register.

https://salempl.assabetinteractive.com/calendar/online-event-virtual-horror-writing-workshop/

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If you are in grades 5 - 12, you can take the Read Woke Lowell Challenge

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Have Something to Say!

Here is a great chance to learn how  to create a podcast.  This is a free series for young people between  14 - 21 .  Here is the link

https://www.youthonrecord.org/programs/podcasting