A Wreath For Emmett Till

The Wreath For Emmett Till

Bibliographic Information:

Nelson, M. (2006). A Wreath For Emmett Till. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN: 9780618397525.

Excerpt:

Rosemary for remembrance, Shakespeare wrote.
If I could forget, believe me, I would.
Pierced by the screams of a shortened childhood.

Emmett Till's name still catches in my throat.
Mamie's one child, a boy thrown to bloat,
Mutilated boy martyr. If I could
Erase the memory of Emmett's victimhood,
The memory of monsters...That bleak thought
Tears through the patchwork drapery of dreams.

Let me gather spring flowers for a wreath:

Trillium, apple blossoms, Queen Anne's lace,
Indian pipe, bloodrot, white as moonbeams,
Like the full moon, which smiled calmly on his death,
Like his gouged eye, which watched boots kick his face.

Plot Summary:

A collection of interweaving sonnets to remember the death of Emmett Till and his martyrdom that sparked the Civil Rights Movement.

Critical Analysis:

A Wreath for Emmett Till is a collection of sonnets in which the last line of a sonnet becomes the first line of the following. The style and rhyme scheme is called Patrarchan, being named after the poet Petrarch who invented the style in the 14th century.

Though the style the sonnets were written in is old, the poem is very modern in his topic and references. This poem is about the death of Emmett Till, a 14-year-old boy who was brutally slained and mutilated for potentially whistling or being flirtatious towards a white woman in 1955.

The poem serves as a remembrance of Emmett Till, takes in to consideration the perspective of a scared boy, a mother's loss, how Emmett's mother used the incident to incite the Civil Rights Movement, how Emmett's death served as a martyrdom for the movement, then remembers other faceless victims that have suffered due to civic injustice, then aspires to inspire hope.

The poem makes a lot of references to Shakespeare, his characters such as Ophelia and wreath building traditions, Billie Holiday's song and Lewis Allen's poem Strange Fruit, 9-11 and the World Trade Center, folklore, and of course a lot of biblical references.

There is no way I could dislike this poem because the story resonates with me so deeply. I think that Nelson did a good job in not reliving the tragedy but, instead taking on past and present perspectives. I feel that with the mention of 9-11 and wreaths made of various flowers towards the end was a bit distracting for me personally. I think I understand what she was getting at; Hatred, fear, injustice, etc. are still as prevalent today as they were in 1955 and we need to continue to advocate for peace and civil rights. I just personally would not compare the victims of the 9-11 attacks to Emmett Tills death. That is all.

This is a good book to be enjoyed by all but, especially for juveniles with an interest in civil rights, or as a teaching tool when introducing the civil rights movement and Emmett Till to youth.

Reviews:
This memorial to the lynched teen is in the Homeric tradition of poet-as-historian. It is a heroic crown of sonnets in Petrarchan rhyme scheme and, as such, is quite formal not only in form but in language. There are 15 poems in the cycle, the last line of one being the first line of the next, and each of the first lines makes up the entirety of the 15th. This chosen formality brings distance and reflection to readers, but also calls attention to the horrifically ugly events. The language is highly figurative in one sonnet, cruelly graphic in the next. The illustrations echo the representative nature of the poetry, using images from nature and taking advantage of the emotional quality of color. There is an introduction by the author, a page about Emmett Till, and literary and poetical footnotes to the sonnets. The artist also gives detailed reasoning behind his choices. This underpinning information makes this a full experience, eminently teachable from several aspects, including historical and literary -School Library Journal

Although written for children, I had to read the book twice to "feel" the horrible images that this book so beautifully captures. References to flower, plants, and trees are symbolic and make up the "wreath" for Emmett. Please read this book and share the experience with your children. The incident is described as the motivating force of the Civil Rights Movement. It is also a wake-up call to all those who continue to live a life of apathy and denial when it comes to standing up for the legacy of the African American struggle. -Linda Jo Smith, A Reader's Review

Fire From the Rock

Fire From the Rock

Bibliographic Information:

Draper, S. (2006). Fire From the Rock. New York: Dutton Children's Books. ISBN: 9780525477204.

Excerpt:

"Dad, listen. When they make a list of Negro kids who get to go to Central High, I want to be on it," he announced. Their father almost choked on his bacon. "Why would you want to do a fool thing like that?" he asked. He looked at Gary as if he had grown a second skull. "Because I deserve to go to a big, modern school, and have new books and desks and the best education in Arkansas," Gary retorted. "It was good enough for me when I was your age,' his father said, his voice tight. "We had strong Negro teachers who taught us pride in our heritage, our history, and our culture. No white school will ever do that for you." -page 20

"Does your mother like teaching the colored children at Stephens Elementary?" the bald-headed man asked. "Yes, sir. I'm sure she does. Very much." I wonder what Mam's job has to do with this. "We hear she pretty good at teaching, at least for a Negro." "Thank you." Sylvia tensed. "Do you think your mama is willing to risk that job? Some members of our community are opposed to integration". -page 128

Plot Summary:

Sylvia Patterson is a 15-year-old black girl growing up in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1957. She is about to enter high school and just wants to be a normal teen and fit in. The problem with that is that she is going to be one of the first black students to attend an all white high school.

Critical Analysis:

Fire From the Rock is a historical fiction novel that takes place in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1957. Sharon Draper does an excellent job of interweaving the fictional life of Sylvia Patterson with the historical truth of the events surrounding the "Little Rock Nine". This book is told from Sylvia's perspective and in a loose journal entry like form of narration.

Something I really liked about this book is the black perspective that is provided. In this book it is not only whites that are against integration, but also blacks. Sylvia and her family know what is "right", and they know integration is an injustice. But, that doesn't mean they necessarily want to put themselves, their community, or their children in direct harms way.

Sylvia, the main protagonist of this narrative is chosen as one of the first few to integrate the high school. A lot of the book is her deciding what she wants, and if that decision is right for her family and community as well. On the other side of Sylvia deciding if she wants to participate in integration is her brother Gary, who wants to be one of the first and has aligned himself with the NAACP and has been labeled a troublemaker throughout the white community that opposes black and white integration.

Besides for having a black and white perspective, Sylvia's has a friend that is Jewish and considered "unworthy" of mingling with white students. She has to deal with her own kind of racist intolerance.

The actions and perspectives in this book can be shocking and uncomfortable. But, it is the reality of the Civil Rights Movement, the progress made, and the progress to come. Sharon Draper does not shy away from including disturbing truths and stories of violence that happened fictionally, and non fictionally during the Civil Rights movement. For example, Draper included vivid detail of the Emmett Till tragedy, and Sylvia's brother Gary is a victim of a race crime and dropped off badly beaten on their doorstep as a warning.

Something else that proves insightful and helpful is Sharon Draper's inclusion of a list of websites on the subject found in the back of the book for further research.

I think this is an educational and eye opening book for anyone, though I would especially recommend it for older juvenile readers and young adults.

Reviews:
An honor student, Sylvia Patterson is thrilled when she is chosen as one of the first black students to integrate all-white Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1957. But the racism in her town is terrifying, and she is not sure she can go through with it. Unlike her older brother, she does not want to be a hero and change the world. Besides, many in her black community are against integration; why not stay with her friends, concentrate on academics, and get to college? With stirring complexity, Draper personalizes the civil rights struggle beyond slogans and politics. There is sometimes too much historical background purposively woven into Sylvia's narrative, including her diary entries. But the surprising turnaround in the plot, as well as the shocking facts, will grab readers and raise the elemental issue: what would I have done? A final note fills in history and provides a list of Web sites.
-Booklist

Sharon Draper marvelously weaves fiction and history with so many twists and catches the only thing you can easily predict is that something will happen you didn't expect. This is a perfect book to help teenagers and tweens to understand not only the social climate that surrounded school integration, but the importance of the struggle for integration. This book should be on the required reading lists of every middle school and junior high across the country.
-Hugh Fletcher, A Reader's Review

Copper Sun

Bibliographic Information:

Draper, H. M. (2008). Copper sun. New York: Atheneum. ISBN: 0689821816.

Excerpt:

"Cato say go south, "Amari insisted. "And he also said the streets were paved with gold. Cato's story is just an old slave's tale about a place that doesn't even exist!" "This place he called Fort Mose is just a pretend place he's heard of--like the Promised Land--a place you go when you die. And I don't want to die--not yet!" -page 208

Plot Summary:

Amari, a 15-year-old girl is captured from her tribe in Africa and sold in to slavery to become the birthday present of a 16-year-old plantation owner's son. This is a story of hope and survival as Amari tries to escape slavery by running away to a potentially mythical place in Florida where "slavery does not exist and the streets are paved with gold".

Critical Analysis:

Copper Sun is a historical fiction novel that tells the story of Amari, a captured African that is sold in to slavery. The character descriptions are rich and well developed, and the story is riveting as Amari goes from one horrific landscape customary of the American slave trade to another. Draper paints a gritty and realistic portrait of what would be customary of a captured slave girl from Africa. The atrocities which take place are shocking, but very much a reality of our American history.

Draper's biggest strength in this novel is her integrity of character and reference to historically accurate places and practices of the time; The only weakness would be the predictable ending and some contrived characters and scenario's found throughout the novel. Copper Sun would be a good starter book for young adults and teens that are just becoming familiar with the history of America and the African Slave Trade.

Reviews:

Gillian Engberg (Booklist, Feb. 1, 2006 (Vol. 102, No. 11))
Best known for her contemporary African American characters, Draper's latest novel is a searing work of historical fiction that imagines a 15-year-old African girl's journey through American slavery. In brutal specifics, Draper shows the inhumanity: Amari is systematically raped on the slave ship and on the plantation and a slave child is used as alligator bait by white teenagers. And she adds to the complex history in alternating chapters that flip between Amari and Polly, an indentured white servant on Amari's plantation. A few plot elements, such as Amari's chance meeting with Besa, are contrived. But Draper builds the explosive tension to the last chapter, and the sheer power of the story, balanced between the overwhelmingly brutal facts of slavery and Amari's ferocious survivor's spirit, will leave readers breathless, even as they consider the story's larger questions about the infinite costs of slavery and how to reconcile history. A moving author's note discusses the real places and events on which the story is based. Give this to teens who have read Julius Lester's Day of Tears (2005). Category: Books for Older Readers--Fiction. 2006, Simon & Schuster/Atheneum, $16.95. Gr. 9-12. Starred Review

Teens Read Too Review--2007
This is not just another book about slavery. This is a book about something real and tangible. Ms. Draper's writing is so vivid that you can smell the rank odors beneath ship. You can feel the pain of being lashed with a whip. Your throat will constrict at the heart-wrenching pain of a mother and child being forced apart. You will also celebrate the strength and spirit of Amari and those she inspires.


School Library Journal and Booklist both starred reviewed this novel.