Description
Book SynopsisThis first book in a three volume series celebrates and examines the work of four African American authors of young adult literature. They are Virginia Hamilton, Julius Lester, Walter Dean Myers, and Mildred D. Taylor; they serve as the foundation of young adult literature and provide robust stories that center and illuminate African American youth. In addition, this volume also examines the role of the Coretta Scott King Award in promoting access and visibility to authors and illustrators who shine a spotlight on African American youth and society. The chapter authors--librarians and established and emerging scholars in the field of young adult literature--survey the work of Hamilton, Lester, Myers, or Taylor; their accolades; and how audiences initially responded to their work. Each chapter highlights a single work and discusses how it might be taught, providing pre, during, and post reading activities or, in some cases, individual, small group, or whole class activities. This vo
Table of ContentsForeword Acknowledgements Introduction - Steven T. Bickmore PART I: CRITICAL FOUNDATION, ESTABLISHED THEMES, AND RECEPTION OF AFRICAN AMERICAN AUTHORS Chapter 1: Looking back to move forward: A Retrospective of the Coretta Scott King Award Deborah Taylor Chapter 2: Themes and Critical Foundations of Early African American Authors of Young Adult Literature Shanetia P. Clark PART II: FOUNDING AUTHORS AND THEIR EARLY INTRODUCTION Chapter 3: Walter Dean Myers: A Lifetime of Stories Ngozi Onuora Chapter 4: Virginia Hamilton, Liberation, and Bluish: Generating Acceptance and Empathy Shanetia P. Clark and Steven T. Bickmore Chapter 5: These Tears Are Real: Historical Representations in Julius Lester’s Day of Tears Ruth McKoy Lowery and Cheryl Logan Chapter 6: The Early Reception of Mildred D. Taylor’s Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry Chris Crowe PART III: FOUNDING AUTHORS, CURRENT REPUTATIONS, AND THEIR CONTINUED PRESENCE Chapter 7: Poet of Harlem: The Truth, Text, and Legacy of Walter Dean Myers M. Cathrene Connery Chapter 8: Reading, Learning, and Telling Folklore through Virginia Hamilton’s Zeely Nancy D. Tolson Chapter 9: Julius Lester’s Nonfiction Presentation of Slavery in To Be a Slave Steven T. Bickmore Chapter 10: Racialized Constructions in the Stories by Mildred Taylor Wanda Brooks and Desiree Cueto About the Authors
