Fact Friday and Arc Review: The Black Friend: on being a better white person by Frederick Joseph

Image: Candlewick Press

The Black Friend: on being a better white person by Frederick Joseph. 272 p. Candlewick Press, December, 2020. 9781536217018. (Review of arc courtesy of publisher.)

Happy Friday and Merry Christmas if you celebrate. Wow! That was some storm last night! There are trees down and power out all over my town. We have an American Beech tree on our property line that is over a hundred years old. Over the thirty-five years we've lived here, three different families have lived in the house behind ours. Each has hired trees services to heavily prune their side, which is within their right. The poor tree is terribly lopsided now, with beautiful foliage on our side of the fence. It's a beautiful tree and we enjoy its shade. With each storm, such as last night's, I watch its mighty branches twist in the wind with anxiety and hope that it will weather another storm. 

Fact Friday features The Black Friend: on being a better white person by Frederick Joseph. Mr. Joseph, a marketing expert, activist, writer and humanitarian has a sit-down with the reader in this engaging book. The tone is purposely conversational and informal, so very personal and relevant. 

The author reflects on his experience as a Black person in America. He transferred to a predominantly white school where the racism and micro-aggressions he encountered daily increased exponentially. He would let it go just to get by but slowly realized that by not addressing these, he was missing the opportunity to educate his white friends and acquaintances. In chapters with headings like, "We want you to see race," "You could at least pronounce my name correctly," "This isn't a fad it's my culture." readers learn about cultural appropriation, stereotype, affirmative action and how institutional racism could be dismantled. Each chapter also includes an interview with a prominent Black activist. Back matter includes an encyclopedia of racism, a list of people to learn more about and a playlist of the many songs he refers to during the course of his illuminating book.

In a year that has seen the publication of many fine books about anti-racism, The Black Friend holds its own and is a terrific addition to the thankfully growing anti-racist canon. 

Middle Grade Monday: Class Act by Jerry Craft

Image: HarperCollins Publishers

Class Act by Jerry Craft. 256 p. Quill Tree Books/ HarperCollins Publishers, October, 2020. 9780062885510. (Review of finished purchased copy.)

Happy Monday! I hope you enjoyed the amazing weekend! After five days of rain, Saturday was brilliantly sunny and I spent the day raking and blowing all the leaves that came down with the rain while listening to an audiobook. I finished on Sunday before the wind and rain combined forces to bring more leaves (and some neighborhood trees) down, obliterating the work I did. Such is autumn.

Middle Grade Monday features Class Act by Jerry Craft. This is the sequel to his Newbery-winning, and I believe MG debut, New Kid. Jordan returns to ritzy RAD for his second year. He's now an eighth grader. He notes all the changes among his classmates, Drew got taller and sports a new haircut that attracts unwanted attention and touching. Liam remains oblivious to his own white privilege, though we do learn thanks to the triple POV of this graphic novel, that life at home is not great. He's closer to his driver than his own dad. We also learn more about Drew and his home life. The school administration has launched a diversity initiative that is laughably inept. 

Mr. Craft seamlessly weaves serious issues, such as racism, microagressions and classism into an engaging text that never feels burdened by the messages. The full-color art just pops. The chapter breaks contain amusing parodies of popular graphic novels that most gn fans will recognize and an an Easter egg that is metaphorical genius and absolutely tickles.

Class Act is an absolute must-purchase. You'd do well to buy more than one copy.

November is Picture Book Month! Review of Not My Idea: a book about whiteness by Anastasia Higginbotham

Image: Dottir Press

Not My Idea: a book about whiteness written and illustrated by Anastasia Higginbotham. 64p. Ordinary Terrible Things series. Dottir Press, September, 2018. 9781948340007. (Review of purchased finished copy.)

I have been struggling with how to be an ally for most of my life. I have good intentions but often fail. Attending SLJ's Diversity Bootcamp a couple of summers ago helped. It was just the tip of the iceberg and would've registered for the bootcamp again this past summer were it not my husband's 70th birthday and all the celebration I needed to plan. 

I do believe that whites need to confront their own white privilege and acknowledge their implicit bias. It also needs to be discussed openly in schools. This book would go a long way in helping parents and teachers grapple first with their own biases and then help them help students understand white privilege. 

I will be honest. I needed to read this a few times before truly understanding its message. The collages are quite arresting. The dialogue requires a bit of attention. Get comfortable with this before sharing it with your children. It is an important conversation starter and one that will most likely trigger a bit of resistance and denial. 

If you are looking for a resource to open conversations about race, look no further than this extraordinary book.

Middle Grade Monday and Arc Review: New Kid by Jerry Craft

New Kid by Jerry Craft. 226 p. HarperCollins Publisher, February 5, 2019. 9780062691194. (Review from arc courtesy of publisher.)

Middle Grade Monday features New Kid by Jerry Craft. This graphic novel follows Jordan Banks, a kid from Washington Heights (Manhattan), who would rather be getting ready to apply to an art high school than attending a snooty prep school in Riverdale (Bronx), but does so to please his parents. He's a scholarship student who travels via public transportation while his classmates arrive in all sorts of high end vehicles, some actually driven by chauffeurs. He's one of the few kids of color and is chagrined when teachers often call him by the wrong name. While he does make a few friends, he deals with assumptions and micro-aggressions all day and they are exhausting; as is the code-switching he does traveling to and from school. He pours his observations into his sketchbook.

The art is energetic and vibrant. The dialogue rings true. Jordan is likable, bright and an astute social observer. There are moments of humor but also head-desk moments of bias. Readers will root for him as he navigates two worlds. New Kid is a must-purchase addition to any public, school or classroom library collection. 

Middle Grade Monday and Arc Review: You Don't Know Everything, Jilly P! by Alex Gino

You Don't Know Everything, Jilly P! by Alex Gino. 247 p. Scholastic Press/ Scholastic Inc. September 25, 2018. 9780545956269. (Review from arc courtesy of publisher.)

Jilly is a seventh grader with a bff, involved parents and a baby sister on the way. She's also a huge fantasy fan and belongs to a fan site for her favorite fantasy series. She has some online friends there but is particularly drawn to Derek, aka "profoundinoaktown," who is black and deaf. She's bright and fairly opinionated. Derek challenges her assumptions as does her aunt Alicia, a black woman who is married to her mother's sister. When it appears her baby sister, Emma is deaf, Jilly turns to Derek with questions. Both Derek and Alicia enlighten Jilly about microagressions they each experience. 

This book, Alex Gino's sophomore effort, has a lesson or two to teach and it feels like it, especially at the beginning. That said, they are very important lessons - about white privilege, microaggressions, racism, ableism and assumptions. Jilly P. owns her mistakes and bravely confronts the racism that exists in her extended family. She also eventually chides her not-racist parents for not talking about racism. There's warmth and humor to soften the tougher parts of the book. This is a brave, important book that would help adults start conversations with the young people they care about. Thoughtful adults and young people will identify their own privilege and hopefully work to change minds and raise consciousnesses.

Though You Don't Know Everything, Jilly P! and George are stand-alone novels, their covers share certain design similarities. I love both covers.