Book Summary:
This is the story of a young girl who is determined to escape the typical life of an African-American in the early 20th century. It tells of her experience as a child through the eyes of her brothers, sisters, and comrades. It also tells of her sheer will and determination to find what she should do with her life. After moving several times, she finds her passion: flying. The book tells of how she becomes famous for her flying skills and how she passes that on to others like her.
APA Reference of Book:
Grimes, N. (2002). Talkin' about Bessie: The story of aviator Elizabeth Coleman. New York, NY: Scholastic Inc.
Impressions:
My major impression of this book is that it is rich in both historical context as well as language. The author uses a strange format to tell the story of Bessie in that she allows people closely tied to Bessie to tell her story for her. She provides small excerpts from a wide range of outside perspectives. This allows the reader to feel as though they truly see the main character for who she was. They are able to see her growing up, making hard decisions, being stubborn and persistent, and fighting for what she loved. They are also able to see her struggle and failures. This is huge for the story in that it provides reality to it. Readers are able to see that she was a real person and that life what not easy for her.
The author does an incredibly job of developing her as the main character and teaching the reader lessons about life without directly saying them in the text.
She also does an extraordinary job of using language and dialect within the text. There are many portions where interesting and deeper language is used to both challenge the reader as well as provide them with context of the times. This resource could easily be used with older students to demonstrate how the formats of stories can range and be effective.
Professional Review:
"Brave Bessie Coleman," the first black woman in the world to earn a pilot's license, has been the subject of several recent picture book biographies: (Fly, Bessie, Fly, by Lynn Joseph, 1998; Fly High!, by Louise Borden and Mary Kay Kroeger, 2001; Nobody Owns the Sky, by Reeve Lindbergh, 1996). Grimes takes an unusual, fictionalized approach to portraying this determined, undaunted woman who made aviation history. She recreates the voices of 20 people who supposedly knew Bessie, expressing their point of view in a free-verse format. Each double spread has the person's monologue with his or her name or role running down the edge of the page with a cameo drawing like a photo at the top; opposite is a full-page illustration in Lewis's typical style that strikingly adds dimension and context to the times and the woman. From her father, who left the large family in Texas, to sisters to flight instructor to news reporter to young fan, the monologue device succeeds somewhat in piecing together a portrait of this woman who braved hardships of both poverty and prejudice. Her dream was to open an aviation school for African-Americans, but a plane crash in 1926 ended her life at age 34. The handsome design, large format, and beautiful artwork make this very attractive, but the lack of source notes or clarification of what's fictionalized-especially quotes-and the strange opening scene set at Bessie's wake as she speaks to her mother from her photo on the mantel, will leave many readers confused. (Picture book. 8-10)
Reference:
Review of Talkin' About Bessie: The Story of Aviator Elizabeth Coleman, by N. Grimes. (2002). Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved from www.titlewave.com
Library Uses:
This text could be used during Black History month to expose library patrons to how difficult it has been for African-American citizens to make a life for themselves at times such as the one in the story. This text could be displayed in a Black History month display and offered as a part of a research opportunity to further patrons' knowledge of major contributions of African-Americans in America.
No comments:
Post a Comment