GO TELL IT; How JAMES BALDWIN Became a Writer

 I hope you read my post a few days ago, HERE. If so, did the underlying message come through? We are at a time in our nation's history when the effort to lie about truth and deny who we are and how we got to be here is openly admitted and promoted. This practice of denial and redirection has existed throughout our history, but now it is openly touted and enforced illegally. We who are not subject to suppression (that is, NOT people of color) must do more than feel empathy and offer sympathy. Being an ally is not enough. We must openly advocate, even when that endangers us. That is what "using our privilege" means. That did not save Pretti or Good and that means we who have felt "safe" must acknowledge that we have more in common with vulnerable folks than we previously admitted. That's why my approach here is to no longer just write "about books" and those who create them. My commentary going forward will not always relate to current events, but will do so more often and more directly.

Little, Brown, and Company, 2025

GO TELL IT: How james Baldwin Became a Writer is written by Quartez Harris with art by Gordon C. James. Named a Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award Honor book by the American Library Association, this biographic approach to Baldwin merits special attention. 

Why Baldwin? He's a well-known figure today to say the least, but biographic accounts for young readers can be challenging. The ways to convey facts varies from relating cradle-to-grave, or polarizing life events, or poetic/thematic text to capture the spirit of the subject, or childhood-only events, or focusing on pivotal career events and accomplishments.

Author Harris has chosen a distinctive approach that, I imagine, Baldwin would have embraced. The focus is on Baldwin's lifelong love of words, his recognition of the magical power of words to convey not only information but emotion and imagination. Words "clung to him like glitter", Harris writes. That line is only one example of the care given to create text that Baldwin might have written about himself. The author begins with that line and at the point in life at which Baldwin's reading life began. The earliest pages reveal the many responsibilities he fulfilled within his large family with few resources. With a loving mother and a demanding stepfather. 

James immersed himself in reading but also sought and absorbed the language and color and LIFE of his Harlem neighborhood. A reference to his vulnerability as a boy of color among White authorities is portrayed in powerful words and images, with realism but not exaggeration or excess. Facts are facts. Baldwin reacted with anger, an anger that drove him to write.

His writing, his words, creativity, and imagination healed James, to a degree. It empowered him to speak out at his step-father's pulpit while still a boy. To spread a message of love and brotherhood, in contrast to the messages of condemnation and darkness that filled the church. His oratory, the reception of the congregation, and later his labor in many jobs provided the confidence and earnings to move forward. 

This biography reveals the critical years in Baldwin's life in which he found his voice through books, local life, pain, acceptance, and finding an outlet for his intelligence and heart. The telling of those years is precise and compelling. Illustrations by inoperable artist Gordon C. James pair with that text to reveal the depth and richness of life inn that time and place. Baldwin is often known for his big eyes and wide grin, for the intensity of his gaze and the mindfulness of his words. All of that is captured on the page in ways that make him no less an icon that adult readers will recognize, but as a developing boy and early adult whose identity and independence were nurtured and tempered by both love and pain. His humanity shines through from the start. The final spread features his debut novel, GO TELL IT ON THE MOUNTAIN and credits him with revealing Black urban life in untold ways. Back matter adds further content and the work as a whole is a prompt to read more of Baldwin's work. This is one of those picture books that its ideal for younger audiences but also serves teen readers before launching a study of his works. 

In the opening note I urge reader to find ways to openly support Black History Month (and beyond). One suggestion is to flood libraries with requests for BALDWIN  titles, to purchase his books, if you are able, and to read them. His voice and eloquence will naturally lead to recommending them to others and encouraging discussions of ways his issues have changed in history, as well as the current events now unfolding. Take the lead. 

TOGETHER WE MARCH: A Look Back At the Power of Peaceful Protest

 For short periods of time, young people have grown up without "marches" being in the news. This picture book is a valuable reminder that marching for a cause has always been a part of our American and global history and heritage. As the introduction says, when people combine the efforts of their feet, voices, signs, and mutual support, they become a force to be reckoned with. In the most basic sense, this is evident in sporting events, in which the cause is victory for your favored team.

On a more substantial note, though, are the many marches that seek/sought to serve the public good. Even when the specifics focus on a target need or identity group or rights, protesting and achieving progress toward equality and justice for those causes improves the broader society in which we all live.

Atheneum Books For Young Readers, 2021

TOGETHER WE MARCH: 25 Protest Movements That Marched Into History, is written by Leah Henderson and illustrated by Tyler Feder. It is yet another praiseworthy nominee  for a CYBILS AWARDS for nonfiction. I suspect that one of the challenges of compiling these twenty-five accounts involved deciding among hundreds that occurred (and MATTERED) throughout history. The author introduction ends with a note that the final cut includes "overlooked stories, revered moments, and courageous people" whose work to change the world provides lessons for all of us across time. Some will be familiar, even to young readers, and others will be   new introductions.

I respect that criteria and believe it has benefited the book and the young readers. Once those choices were made, a chronological approach was used, and that meant the first movement of this collection is the   leadership of MOTHER JONES, marching in defense of childhood and in protest of child labor.

That is a sure fire way to hook kids into reading and becoming inspired by these brief profiles. This march through time (pardon that pun) allows for some causes to recur, particularly related to race, peace, and rights. Each is a two page spread with colorful spot illustrations that anchor events in the general awareness of historic eras through clothing and other cultural details, with effective small spots to support comprehension (maps, flags, icons, etc.). The causes and their leaders are diverse, including various ethnicities, skin colors, global identities, abilities/disabilities, lgbtqia/gender identities. 

Many contemporary readers may be surprised to see concerns in current events reflected across continents and a century of marching: peace, voting, the environment/climate, immigration, labor, social justice, and more. The final entry accounts marches for social justice following the George Floyd murder, with a satisfying concluding note from the author. This is followed by a colorfully illustrated timeline, anchoring each of the twenty-five movements across the last century-plus. It's a helpful way to note patterns and similarities in causes, as well as diversity among those who choose to organize and march. The next page turn provides a selected bibliography that is also formatted with more kid-appeal than most- identifying each movement and citing the source of quotations. 

This is a powerful and very accessible approach to bringing background and meaning to the current political and other public protests, marked with visible indicators of the overall theme, reinforced through illustrated protest sign slogans. 

First and foremost is "TOGETHER WE MARCH", underscoring the power in unity and community. Also, and importantly, this theme rings true throughout each profile and as a summation of the book:

"NONE OF US IS FREE UNTIL ALL OF US ARE FREE"