The Crossover by Kwame Alexander

Last night, I finished reading The Crossover, and My People, this book is a page turner....

First of all, this book is written for young adult readers, and it is written in verse. If you are around kids, you know how much they love poetry especially when the language is accessible and the topic is relatable. So, most students, even those who are a little older than young adult, will love this book.

I just love how Kwame uses words. He uses the words’ position to give visual meaning, and you must read this novel to find out how the title, The Crossover, is cleverly used as a pun. The language is simple enough yet complex enough to catch and hold the reader’s attention right from the very beginning. Kwame also beautifully uses verse to develop each individual character’s voice, the storyline which is infused with sports and sports terminology which Kwame carefully explains, and many themes which students will appreciate such as overcoming obstacles, coming of age, the complex dynamics of relationships, love, family etc.

This is not one of those "I had it tough, but I made it kind of books.” This is a book where the mother is an assistant principal, the dad is an ex-professional basketball player, and the twins, Jordan (JB) and Josh (Filthy McNasty), are twelve year old boys who are the stars of their middle school basketball team, but they still have common middle school problems. I was completely drawn into the authenticity of this family where we are shown the image of a strong African American father figure who has close bonds with his sons and wife.

I have desperately been trying to think of ways that I can use this more of a middle school book in my 10th grade classes: as a read aloud, as an independent reading that rotates throughout the class, as a group reading assignment where the kids read to each other. Also, I’ve thought about the possibility of using some of the quotes that are meant to teach lessons as writing prompts. However, if you are a middle school teacher, you can google The Crossover, and all types of things will come up, including teaching ideas. You can take those ideas, modify them, and make them your own. I’m thinking that I can also modify some of those plans to teach this novel to high school students as well.

Regardless of age or race, I think that almost any person can enjoy and even relate to this book!

Kwame Alexander will reach so many students, even reluctant readers, with this book.

I know exactly why this book won The Newbery Medal and The Coretta Scott King Award; IT’S GREAT!

Becoming a Resonant Leader by Annie McKee, Richard Boyatzis, and Frances Johnston

Y’all know that I will read just about anything, and last month, my book club decided to read Becoming a Resonant Leader. I bought the book digitally, and I thought that I would highlight some important parts and go back and read those important parts whenever I needed them.

I started reading this book, and it was not what I thought it would be AT ALL... Becoming a Resonant Leader is a workbook, and this workbook is all about asking a person to think about his life. This book asks questions such as “Think of the people who have helped you the most in your career? What leaders have inspired you? Am I in touch with others? What am I currently doing in my life that works? What do you tend to do when you are under pressure? List twenty-seven things that you want to do before you die?"

Now, you know that I believe that the universe sends use just what we need when we need it, and this book showed up right on time.

At first I was passively reading this book, but the more I read it, the more that I wanted to do the exercises. However, reading this book digitally did not suffice; I needed to complete the exercises. So, I bought this book again in book form in order to do the life work. (It really is a workbook with space to complete the work.)

My people, if you want or need help reflecting on your life, then this is the book for you.

Wasn’t looking for it, but I am happy that it showed up!

Book Club members!

Democracy in Black: How Race Still Enslaves the American Soul by Eddie S. Glaude Jr.

Eddie S. Glaude Jr. and me!

Democracy in Black came my way several times, but to be honest, when I looked at the cover, I thought that it might read like a textbook, and I gave it second thoughts.

However, I received an email stating that Dr. Glaude would be in DC, and y’all know I can’t pass up many opportunities to hear authors talk about their books and race. So, I went to the talk.

I was instantly drawn into Dr. Glaude’s passion; I got the overwhelming feeling that he loves my folks and his folks and our folks, and I just had to read this book.

To start off with, Democracy in Black definitely does not read like a textbook at all. It actually reads like a novel, and he drew me in with his conversational approach to the events that took place in Ferguson surrounding the death of Michael Brown. I hope that there is not one person who reads this blog who has not heard of Michael Brown. (Google Michael Brown!)

‘Something happened in Ferguson that day that transformed  these young women and transfixed the nation. As one of them said, “You just felt something different in the air.” As if the fog was lifting a bit.'

And, you know what? I feel something different in the air, and it’s paining me to the core, but at the same time, I feel a deep sense of hope. Dr. Glaude states “Our choice now, as we leave behind the confidence men and their false hopes, is either to wake up and give everything to ‘achieve our country’ or to remain asleep as America burns.” Oh, this fondly reminded me of The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin, and it gave me the courage to run on.

One of the ideas that is presented in this book that I have been wrestling with is the idea that Democracy means White and to see this truth in words made me think about our school systems that seem to perpetuate this idea by a teacher having to justify teaching works by Toni Morrison, James Baldwin etc, and it is readily accepted that Shakespeare, William Faulker, and Jane Austen are the staples of any school’s curriculum. This perpetuates the idea that Democracy is White and definitely creates a value gap. Also, I thought about Coates' idea from Between the World and Me of race being a social construct that creates a huge White group collectively with all of the power and influence, and everybody else scrambling to get some of that power.

Racial habits..."Rather, inequality comes from habits we exercise daily-habits that are not revealed in racial slurs or blatant acts of discrimination, but in the choices we make and the lives we live, even when those ideas seem to have little to do with race.” When I read this, I wanted to cry tears of pain and at the same time tears of joy.... It’s the decisions that we are making everyday that creates inequality.... If you are an educator in The United States of America, you see this every single day. Things like allowing school buses to be late every day and most of the children who ride the buses just happen to be children of color, overcrowding of classrooms that just happen to be the classroom of children who have the most needs and most often these children are children of color. Or, Detroit public schools running out of money, and the world ain’t upset. I wonder if people are not upset because of our perceptions of schools and school districts where most of the students just happen to be Black. I do believe that we can make different decisions, yet most often, we are not, because it’s part of our racial habits.

White Fear....The idea that White people’s fear of Black people causes police to beat my people. That fear causes White people and Black people to hold their purses tightly when they see suspicious looking Black people. The idea that if Black people show any form of anger, it causes White people to be afraid....However, with the art that is being created today, the books that are being written, the explosive social media, people are being forced to listen and face their fears. Yea, we know by the number of people who attend Trump’s KKK, oops, rallies, many are responding to these bold, loud, courageous Black voices with fear and the fear is manifesting itself as hate. However, Dr. Glaude mentions that the flip slide of White anger is Black distrust... And, I could go on and on about this topic!!

In this book Dr. Glaude explains that in a small town in Mississippi, Dr. King could not get out of the bed; he was depressed. The image of Dr. King being weary with depression has been on my mind every since reading about it. Dr. Glaude explains that maybe Dr. King had succumbed to "marrow weariness....He had underestimated how deeply White supremacy was in the habits of American life.” I can whole heartedly understand Dr. King weariness.... Looking at what’s going on in this country today; I totally understand his thoughts and the weariness! But, oh my heart goes out to Dr. King who eventually got out of that bed and continued to fight the ‘good fight.'

Now, Dr. Glaude touches on many other ideas in this book such as the ideas of saving our historically Black colleges, churches, magazines, newspapers etc., because we “still are institutionally at risk.” I absolutely love the quote that Dr. Glaude used by James Baldwin to explain the need: “What will happen to all that beauty?” He also touches on the idea that we do not need one leader; we can all be leaders.

What I love about this book the most is that Dr. Glaude offers solutions....”If we are aware of their presence (habits) in our lives, we can change them." After reading this book, my people, I clearly see everything that he is saying; I’m wide awake.

I am sooooo grateful to Dr. Glaude for courageously writing this book and adding to the many stories on race and racism that MUST be told.

My people, I know that there are many of you who may want to put your head under your pillow and stay there until the world is fixed, and I also want to do that at times, but we NEED you... Yes, we NEED courageous you in order to make this United States of America a better place. AND, reading Democracy in Black just may be the fuel that you need to “run on to see what the end is gonna be.”

An Island Life You: Stories of the Barrio by Judith Ortiz Cofer

I am very fortunate to work in a school that has a book room full of wonderful books, and quite a few of the books are written by authors of colors and have characters of color.

This school year a colleague and I thought it would be a great idea to start a book club with our colleagues in the English department to read some diverse novels from our book room in order to help in the efforts to diversity the curriculum.

This month we read An Island Like Me which is a collection of short stories that are set in Puerto Rico, and I must say that I enjoyed every last one of these stories. They told universal stories that are true of human nature, and I think that almost any student between the eighth and ninth grade would truly appreciate these stories. The clever element of these stories is that some of the same characters show up in different stories, and the reader is able to see the growth of the characters.

Here are a few ways that we thought that this books could be used in the classroom:

• Choice unit with House On Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
• Neighborhood project: Students can reflect/create their neighborhoods in response to the book
• Use some of the stories as part of a bigger thematic unit
• Assign each student a different story and then have some sort of jigsaw conversation

If you are looking for an awesome book to be taught to diversify your curriculum, then this is the book for you!

We can and will continue the work that needs to be done so that all students can see themselves in the curriculum...

Two blogs in one day....Yay Me!!

Ruby by Cynthia Bond

So, normally I will read a book, and I will feel an urge to write about it right away, but with this book, Ruby, I needed some time to sit with my thoughts and feelings.

One of the main characters, Ruby, has had the kind of life that I hope that no one EVER has to experience, but knowing literature like I do, I believe that there is some truth in all fiction. I do believe that there are people who have and are living in some horrible conditions, and this saddens me to the core.

However, LOVE never fails.....

Ephram, never ever forgot the girl of his childhood, Ruby, and he was determined to use his love to rescue her!

Oh, The Power of LOVE.....

Cynthia Bond CAN WRITE.. I mean... Cynthia Bond can really write. You know how I love Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison. Well, this book reminded of that same type of memorable, heartfelt writing that is in Song of Solomon. I have thought about the town where Ruby grew up and all of it’s secret over and over again. I completely admire how Cynthia was able to pull the reader into this town in a manner that felt very familiar just like Toni does in Song of Solomon.

I appreciate this book sooooo much, and this is one of those books that I will put aside for awhile, but I will definitely go back to it over and over again.

Read. This. Book. and marvel.....

Cynthia Bond

Happy Valentine’s Day!

No Wasted Time For Me!

I haven’t been to work since last Thursday because of the snow storm, and I ain’t complaining at all.....

Now, if you know me at all, I don’t believe in wasted time. No. Not at All!

I believe in cherishing every moment, because moments are gifts, and that is one of the reason why I gave up TV. Yep, I gave up TV... There were no shows that I watched religiously, but if I had downtime, I would watch whatever was on TV. If someone asked me what I had watched maybe an hour later, I wouldn’t remember.... So, to me, that must have been wasted time. Now, I spend that TV time listening to music and inspirational talks, reading, cleaning my house, or sitting quietly with my thoughts.

So, on this God given break, I decided to cherish every single moment....

After the storm, I decided to survey my neighborhood by foot, and it felt so good to be out and about on an incredibly, sunny day. I just happened to run into one of my neighbors who was also feeling the need to move around, and so we happily walked to THE CVS. I bought a few things and left her at CVS while I continued to walk in my neighborhood. I just loved seeing so many people out and about walking and some people were digging their cars out. I finally made it back home happy and content.

I’ve done my workouts just about everyday except Monday; my body needed a break.

I read In Darkness by Nick Lake and wrote a blog about that incredible book. I started reading Ruby by Cynthia Bond, and this book is stirring so many emotions. I am only over one hundred pages in, and I don’t want to judge this book too quickly, but right now, Cynthia Bond is a master storyteller. This book reminds me so much of Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison; one of my all time favorite books in the entire World.

I have done things that I have been putting off like cleaning my bicycle and the inside of my refrigerator. I helped a friend work on some of his goals, I finished and submitted some work for presentations that I will be doing this summer, and I have been diligently working on my career by sending out tons of emails and reading, reading, and reading, and reaching out to people for help. I have even planned, in my mind, how I am going to end this semester with my students, and I sent emails to the students to let them know what to expect. 

My cousin, Demarus, sent me a recording of Toni Morrison’s interview on NPR, and I thought that I could not love Toni Morrison more, BUT I DO! Toni talked about the fact that she did not start writing until she was forty, and this was confirmation that it’s never too late to actualize our dreams.

http://www.npr.org/2015/04/20/400394947/i-regret-everything-toni-morrison-looks-back-on-her-personal-life

However, one of the highlights of this break was visiting a fellow Skegee friend to take her some of that Skegee love that always helps with healing:

Now, I do believe in downtime and downtime probably looks differently for every single person. Downtime to me is feeding my mind with lots of reading and thinking. So, although I have been quite busy during my God given break, I have also had quite a bit of downtime. 

There was no way that I could have all of this time off and not make the most of it. When I finally do go back to work, which will not be until Monday, which will be a teacher workday, I will go back rejuvenated, happy, and feeling accomplished. I hope the kids are ready, because the teacher will be on 100!

No Wasted Time For Me!

Happy, Happy, Happy Thursday

In Darkness by Nick Lake

So, during this blizzard, I needed something to read, and I checked my nook, and In Darkness had been downloaded. Not sure when I downloaded it, but I am happy that I did.

This fictional novel is set in Haiti, and it goes back and forth between, Shorty, a boy of fifteen who is trapped in a building after the Haitian earthquake of 2010 and Toussaint l’Ouverture, the eighteenth-century slave who led Haiti to freedom from the French. The spirit of Toussaint will not die, and it comes back as Dread Wilme, a popular community leader in Haiti who was killed by the UN, and then it comes back as Shorty.

Shorty’s life story is told from the 1st person point-of-view, and he relays his story as if he is talking to the reader. I felt like I was being let in on a secret, and this drew me in to Shorty’s story right away: “I am the voice in the dark, calling out for your help.” From Shorty, we hear a lot about his life and the life of many of the other people in his town of Site Soley.

Then, the reader is taken to the life of Toussaint, and he is shown as just a common man who acted through his fears to successfully lead ‘his people’ to freedom. I left this book wanting to know more about Toussaint, and you know I did some reading about him. And, according to my readings, Lake was quite accurate in portraying the history of Toussaint and Haiti.

Lake wrote this book for Young Adult Readers, and I think that this is a perfect book to be taught in schools to diversify the curriculum. This novel infuses lots of hip-hop that I think that children will appreciate; this book is relevant. Also, a teacher can use this text to go into the history of Haiti and what makes a hero. This book could also be a perfect springboard to talk about the Haitian earthquake of 2010, and of course, this book is full of passages that would be great for close readings. I became quite excited thinking about the writings that this book could inspire. 

If you love history and a great story, then this is the book for you....

A few more snow days off, and I will tackle Ruby by Cynthia Bond!