continued..
This work is the kind of read you take in a single fell swoop. The narrative propels you forward with such a force it feels unnatural to go against the intensity and let up. The anxiety Sam experiences is palpable. His thoughts and actions are urgent and conflicted. The narrative is fierce like a current. At times it feels as if you’re being pulled under with Sam, and you cannot let the air out until he can.
The Rock and the River is and exceptional debut by a writer who demonstrates a skill that belies the markers of a first novel. This is not gratuitous praise. Her style does not waver; it is brilliantly clear. To write well requires skill and talent. It requires a keen awareness of what taps the pulse of the reader. I have read that teen fiction is appealing because it get to the point, it is plot-driven. I believe the best of literature uses plot to support the examination of character. In literature, the appeal is the exploration of personal transformation and a social critique. It offers three dimensional characters who are changed or fail to change. An author succeeds when she can balance plot and character development with acute sensitivity to her audience’s sensibilities. Kekla Magoon accomplishes that. She provides the context for the reader to wrestle with his own concerns and the space to draw his own conclusions.
You know a work is a fine read when you feel enriched by the experience. You need downtime to let the novel settle into your consciousness. To pick up another book immediately strikes you as irreverent. I encourage you to read The Rock and The River. Afterwards, let me know if you don’t feel the urge to meditate.
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query the rock and the river. Sort by date Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query the rock and the river. Sort by date Show all posts
Friday, March 6, 2009
Saturday, February 14, 2009
In My Mailbox (9)
Kristi over at Story Siren asks readers to share what books they received in the mail each week. Most of my books are from book trading sites like paperbackswap.com and Frugal Reader. I've been away visiting my daughter. When I arrived home, this is what I found:
The Rock and The River by Kekla Magoon. This author is new to me. I won the book courtesy of Doret at The Happy Nappy Bookseller. To receive it, I had to commit to writing a review so stay tuned. Select the link to see Doret's review.
You can check out Ms. Maggon at her blog.
The rest of my stash includes
White Teeth by Zadie Smith. This will be shelved at our library.
... novelist Zadie Smith takes on race, sex, class, history, and the minefield of gender politics, and such is her wit and inventiveness that these weighty subjects seem effortlessly light. She also has an impressive geographical range, guiding the reader from Jamaica to Turkey to Bangladesh and back again.
The Dew Breaker by Edwidge Danticat. I'm a huge Danticat fan. Have wanted to read this for a while. I have read it is not an easy read. We'll see. It will be housed at our library as well.
Haitian-born Danticat's third novel (after The Farming of Bones and Breath, Eyes, Memory) focuses on the lives affected by a "dew breaker," or torturer of Haitian dissidents under Duvalier's regime. Each chapter reveals the titular man from another viewpoint, including that of his grown daughter, who, on a trip she takes with him to Florida, learns the secret of his violent past and those of the Haitian boarders renting basement rooms in his Brooklyn home...
Played by Dana Davidson. Don't normally name drop, but I'm making an exception here. I atteded school with Dana. She was an exceptional student and athlete. You knew she was going to do well at whatever path she chose. She didn't disappointed. This award winning teacher now author teacher has published two YA novels. Glad to have this one. It will be part of our Prize Bucket at Color Online.
Gorgeous Ian Striver is horrified when he receives his final challenge for entry into the FBI, an exclusive fraternity at Cross High School. Not only must he prove that he has gotten plain Kylie Winship, an obvious virgin, to "give it up," but he must also prove that she has fallen in love with him. Although Ian is prepared to fulfill the challenge, he isn't ready to fall in love himself. Neither is Kylie prepared to fall for Ian, who sometimes even humiliates her. Davidson, the author ofJason and Kyra (2004), has written a disturbing, authentic romance. The characters are African American, but the story is focused on plot and characters rather than ethnicity. Direct and affecting, this will pull at readers' heartstrings while also serving as fair warning for teenage girls everywhere.
A Raisin In the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry. If you haven't read this classic play or seen it, don't tell anyone and do get it. Got this from paperbackswap for my cousin. She's wanted a copy.
Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun written in 1959 is an intriguing, must read play. This play shows the strength of an African-American family's values and ability to stick together. They face many hard things that shock the reader and the audience including an accidental pregnancy. They battle against harsh prejudice and a system that attempts to keep them from having good opportunities to improve their life. Hansberry does a good job of intertwining family hardships with the individuality of each character.
Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson. Woodson is my favorite YA author, period. I've heard a lot about this title and with the release of the sequel, I had to have this. After I read it, it will be shelved at our community library.
Lonnie Collins Motion, the Locomotion of the title, is a New York City fifth grader with a gifted teacher who assigns her class to write different forms of poetry. The house fire that killed Lonnie's parents and the four years of trauma and slow healing that follow are gradually revealed through his writings. In a masterful use of voice, Woodson allows Lonnie's poems to tell a complex story of loss and grief and to create a gritty, urban environment. Despite the spare text, Lonnie's foster mother and the other minor characters are three-dimensional, making the boy's world a convincingly real one. His reflections touch on poverty and on being African American when whites seem to have the material advantages, and return repeatedly to the pain of living apart from his younger sister.
The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz. Listen to the audiobook this past summer. Got the paperback for my daughter who shares my interest in self-improvement.
Full of grace and simple truth, this handsomely designed book makes a lovely gift for anyone making an elementary change in life, and it reads in a voice that you would expect from an indigenous shaman. The four agreements are these: Be impeccable with your word. Don't take anything personally. Don't make assumptions. Always do your best. It's the how and why one should do these things that make The Four Agreements worth reading and remembering
The Color of Water by James McBride. Read this when it first published. Got a copy on trade. Will be shelved at our library.
This book is, indeed, a tribute to the author's mother. In it, the author, a man whose mother was white and his father black, tells two stories: that of his mother and his own. Tautly written in spare, clear prose, it is a wonderful story of a bi-racial family who succeeded and achieved the American dream, despite the societal obstacles placed in its way.
Staying Fat for Sarah Bynes by Chris Crutcher. A librarian at Shelfari recommended the author. After reading Whale Talk, I was sold on the author and immediately checked out my second Crutcher novel. Loved this.
An obese boy and a disfigured girl suffer the emotional scars of years of mockery at the hands of their peers. They share a hard-boiled view of the world until events in their senior year hurl them in very different directions. A story about a friendship with staying power, written with pathos and pointed humor.
The Rock and The River by Kekla Magoon. This author is new to me. I won the book courtesy of Doret at The Happy Nappy Bookseller. To receive it, I had to commit to writing a review so stay tuned. Select the link to see Doret's review.You can check out Ms. Maggon at her blog.
The rest of my stash includes
White Teeth by Zadie Smith. This will be shelved at our library.
... novelist Zadie Smith takes on race, sex, class, history, and the minefield of gender politics, and such is her wit and inventiveness that these weighty subjects seem effortlessly light. She also has an impressive geographical range, guiding the reader from Jamaica to Turkey to Bangladesh and back again.
The Dew Breaker by Edwidge Danticat. I'm a huge Danticat fan. Have wanted to read this for a while. I have read it is not an easy read. We'll see. It will be housed at our library as well.
Haitian-born Danticat's third novel (after The Farming of Bones and Breath, Eyes, Memory) focuses on the lives affected by a "dew breaker," or torturer of Haitian dissidents under Duvalier's regime. Each chapter reveals the titular man from another viewpoint, including that of his grown daughter, who, on a trip she takes with him to Florida, learns the secret of his violent past and those of the Haitian boarders renting basement rooms in his Brooklyn home...
Played by Dana Davidson. Don't normally name drop, but I'm making an exception here. I atteded school with Dana. She was an exceptional student and athlete. You knew she was going to do well at whatever path she chose. She didn't disappointed. This award winning teacher now author teacher has published two YA novels. Glad to have this one. It will be part of our Prize Bucket at Color Online.
Gorgeous Ian Striver is horrified when he receives his final challenge for entry into the FBI, an exclusive fraternity at Cross High School. Not only must he prove that he has gotten plain Kylie Winship, an obvious virgin, to "give it up," but he must also prove that she has fallen in love with him. Although Ian is prepared to fulfill the challenge, he isn't ready to fall in love himself. Neither is Kylie prepared to fall for Ian, who sometimes even humiliates her. Davidson, the author ofJason and Kyra (2004), has written a disturbing, authentic romance. The characters are African American, but the story is focused on plot and characters rather than ethnicity. Direct and affecting, this will pull at readers' heartstrings while also serving as fair warning for teenage girls everywhere.
A Raisin In the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry. If you haven't read this classic play or seen it, don't tell anyone and do get it. Got this from paperbackswap for my cousin. She's wanted a copy.
Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun written in 1959 is an intriguing, must read play. This play shows the strength of an African-American family's values and ability to stick together. They face many hard things that shock the reader and the audience including an accidental pregnancy. They battle against harsh prejudice and a system that attempts to keep them from having good opportunities to improve their life. Hansberry does a good job of intertwining family hardships with the individuality of each character.
Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson. Woodson is my favorite YA author, period. I've heard a lot about this title and with the release of the sequel, I had to have this. After I read it, it will be shelved at our community library.
Lonnie Collins Motion, the Locomotion of the title, is a New York City fifth grader with a gifted teacher who assigns her class to write different forms of poetry. The house fire that killed Lonnie's parents and the four years of trauma and slow healing that follow are gradually revealed through his writings. In a masterful use of voice, Woodson allows Lonnie's poems to tell a complex story of loss and grief and to create a gritty, urban environment. Despite the spare text, Lonnie's foster mother and the other minor characters are three-dimensional, making the boy's world a convincingly real one. His reflections touch on poverty and on being African American when whites seem to have the material advantages, and return repeatedly to the pain of living apart from his younger sister.
The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz. Listen to the audiobook this past summer. Got the paperback for my daughter who shares my interest in self-improvement.
Full of grace and simple truth, this handsomely designed book makes a lovely gift for anyone making an elementary change in life, and it reads in a voice that you would expect from an indigenous shaman. The four agreements are these: Be impeccable with your word. Don't take anything personally. Don't make assumptions. Always do your best. It's the how and why one should do these things that make The Four Agreements worth reading and remembering
The Color of Water by James McBride. Read this when it first published. Got a copy on trade. Will be shelved at our library.
This book is, indeed, a tribute to the author's mother. In it, the author, a man whose mother was white and his father black, tells two stories: that of his mother and his own. Tautly written in spare, clear prose, it is a wonderful story of a bi-racial family who succeeded and achieved the American dream, despite the societal obstacles placed in its way.
Staying Fat for Sarah Bynes by Chris Crutcher. A librarian at Shelfari recommended the author. After reading Whale Talk, I was sold on the author and immediately checked out my second Crutcher novel. Loved this.
An obese boy and a disfigured girl suffer the emotional scars of years of mockery at the hands of their peers. They share a hard-boiled view of the world until events in their senior year hurl them in very different directions. A story about a friendship with staying power, written with pathos and pointed humor.
Friday, March 6, 2009
Book Review
The Rock And The RiverKekla Magoon
YA
304 pages
Aladdin
The year is 1968, a time when the national landscape is rife with demands for social and political change. It is a tumultuous time not only on a national scale but within the once solid and comfortable home of Roland Childs, civil rights lawyer and confidant of Dr. King. For Sam and Stick (Steven), the sons of the prominent figure, that year marks pivotal moments in their own lives, a time of irrevocable change. This year, Stick, the oldest decides he can no longer follow his father’s nonviolence path to justice, and he joins ranks with the young, radical Black Panther movement. Sam, the obedient son, is torn between his loyalties to his brother and father.
When they were children, Stick would reread Sam’s favorite story about the rock and the river. As a boy, Sam was certain who was the rock in their relationship, but when Stick joins the Panthers, Sam is no longer sure about anything. The more Stick closes him off, the more Sam pushes back. Sam is driven to prove he is his brother’s peer, that he, too, can affect change. But Sam struggles to find his way. In fact, his growth comes at significant costs.
review continued here.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Weekly Geeks: Historical Fiction
This week's assignment is to discuss historical fiction. Find more here.
Is there a particular era that you love reading about? Tell us about it--give us a book list, if you'd like. Include pictures or some fun facts from that time period, maybe link to a website that focuses on that time. Educate us.
I prefer recent history say the last hundred years or so. I’ve mentioned before that I love multicultural literature and historical fiction provides one of the best ways to learn about another culture and its history. Favorite books of this type include:
In The Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez. This is about the Mirabel sisters in the Dominican Republic during the Trujillo dictatorship.
The Farming of Bones by Edwidge Danticat. This is the same country, but told from the point of view of Haitian migrant workers. It looks at the relationship between the ruling class and the sugar cane and other Haitian laborers.
A Wish After Midnight by Zetta Elliott. 15-year-old Genna is transported to 1863 Brooklyn during the Civil War and specifically the New York Draft riots.
Those Bones Are Not My Child by Toni Cade Bambara. This is a fictional account of a mother whose child goes missing in Atlanta during the rash of real kidnappings during the 1979-81. The book is chock full of other recent history like the Vietnam War.
The Rock and The River by Kekla Magoon. This coming-of-age story is about two brothers who make life-changing decisions during the height of Civil Rights Movement.
A member of your book group, Ashley, mentions that she almost never reads Historical Fiction because it can be so boring. It's your turn to pick the book for next month and you feel it's your duty to prove her wrong. What book do you pick?
I’d share links to all of the books above and suggest she choose.
If you're in agreement with Ashley on this one (or even if you're not): Your challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to browse through this week's WG posts, and by the end of the week, pick a book from one of the posts to read. Report on which book you picked, linking to the Weekly Geeks post where you found it.
I’ll post my choice once I get through all of the posts or one really stands out first.
Is there a particular era that you love reading about? Tell us about it--give us a book list, if you'd like. Include pictures or some fun facts from that time period, maybe link to a website that focuses on that time. Educate us.
I prefer recent history say the last hundred years or so. I’ve mentioned before that I love multicultural literature and historical fiction provides one of the best ways to learn about another culture and its history. Favorite books of this type include:
In The Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez. This is about the Mirabel sisters in the Dominican Republic during the Trujillo dictatorship.The Farming of Bones by Edwidge Danticat. This is the same country, but told from the point of view of Haitian migrant workers. It looks at the relationship between the ruling class and the sugar cane and other Haitian laborers.
A Wish After Midnight by Zetta Elliott. 15-year-old Genna is transported to 1863 Brooklyn during the Civil War and specifically the New York Draft riots.
Those Bones Are Not My Child by Toni Cade Bambara. This is a fictional account of a mother whose child goes missing in Atlanta during the rash of real kidnappings during the 1979-81. The book is chock full of other recent history like the Vietnam War.
The Rock and The River by Kekla Magoon. This coming-of-age story is about two brothers who make life-changing decisions during the height of Civil Rights Movement.
A member of your book group, Ashley, mentions that she almost never reads Historical Fiction because it can be so boring. It's your turn to pick the book for next month and you feel it's your duty to prove her wrong. What book do you pick?
I’d share links to all of the books above and suggest she choose.
If you're in agreement with Ashley on this one (or even if you're not): Your challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to browse through this week's WG posts, and by the end of the week, pick a book from one of the posts to read. Report on which book you picked, linking to the Weekly Geeks post where you found it.
I’ll post my choice once I get through all of the posts or one really stands out first.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Susan's Unofficial List of Great YA by or About Women of Color
*some things are deserve cross-posting. Originally posted at Color OnlineNot too long ago, I completed a fun exercise about YA literature. I think it said something about being well-read. Well, the list was light on writers of color so I’m offering a list of my own. Put an ‘X’ by what you’ve read, “#” by what books are on your tbr and “!” by books you loved. This list in very short and focused on women writers of color. Feel free to add titles in your comments. The list sorely needs works by Native Americans and Latinas for example.
Susan’s Unofficial List of Great YA by or About Women of Color:
1. When Kambia Elaine Flew In From Neptune by Lori A. Williams
2. Every Time A Rainbow Dies by Rita Williams-Garcia
3. No Laughter Here by Rita Williams-Garcia
4. Jumped by Rita Williams-Garcia
5. If You Come Softly by Jacqueline Woodson
6. The House You Pass On The Way by Jacqueline Woodson
7. Flygirl by Sherri L. Smith
8. From The Notebooks of Melanin Sun by Jacqueline Woodson
9. Sold by Patricia McCormick
10. Heaven by An Na
11. The Parable of The Sower by Octavia E. Butler
12. Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
13. Persepolis by Majane Satrapi
14. The Rock and The River by Kekla Magoon
15. Secret Keeper by Mitali Perkins
16. Mare’s War by Tanita S. Davis
17. A Wish After Midnight by Zetta Elliott
18. Down To The Bone by Mayra Lazara Dole
19. Don’t Get It Twisted by Paula Chase
20. Jason & Kyra by Dana Davidson
21. Forged by Fire by Sharon Draper
22. Kendra by Coe Booth
23. Shine, Coconut Moon by Neesha Meminger
24. Does My Head Look Big In This? By Randa Abdel-Fattah
25. Born Confused by Tanuja Desai Hidier
26. Skunk Girl by Sheba Karim
27. The Meaning of Conseulo by Judith Ortiz Cofer
28. In The Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez
29. Kindred by Octavia E. Butler
30. First Part Last by Angela Johnson
31. Pemba’s Song by Marilyn Nelson
32. Wanting Mor by Rukhsana Khan
33. M + O 4EVR by Tonya Hegamin
34. Lucy The Giant by Sherri L. Smith
35. The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
36. Throwaway Piece by Jo Ann Hernandez
37. White Bread Competition by Jo Ann Hernandez
38. Across A Hundred Mountains by Reyna Grande
39. Silver Phoenix by Cindy Pon
40. Ash by Malinda Lo
41. The Skin I’m In by Sharon G. Flake
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Little Lov'n Monday
Between now and Monday, post a link to work you've read or written you think deserves a little lov'n. Works can be short stories, poetry, reviews, articles or art.On Monday, come by BES and check out the links to works published by your peers.
Let's have a posting marathon. Show some love for your fellow bloggers. Comment to a new piece as well as the shared link.
Check here for a growing list of posts to support.
Potpourri Quiz at Color Online
Book Review: The Rock and The River by Kekla Magoon
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)