The Jazz Man

Author:  Mary Hays Weik, 1966, Atheneum

This piece of realistic fiction takes us into the home of young Zeke.  He is an African-American boy growing up in an urban era in, what I suspect to be, the 1920s.  Zeke does not go to school.  Instead, he stays at home all day by himself in the apartment he shares with his mom and dad.  The family had recently moved from the Deep South where Zeke was born.  Mom and Dad go to work each day, and Zeke stays home and looks out the window at his neighbors.  One day, a piano is moved into the apartment directly across from his, and it is something he has never seen before.  Suddenly, the tenant brings his friends to his apartment, and they have a jazz session.  It is music that Zeke has never heard before, and he is enthralled.  Day after day, Zeke listens to the music, and it is healing for his small, delicate soul.  Soon after, his mom and dad have a fight, and both of them leave.  Zeke is by himself, and cannot afford food because he is a little boy.  His neighbors look after him, but he is tormented by his parents' departure.  One night, while he is dreaming of the music from the Jazz Man, his mom and dad wake him up.  I think this was eluding to the fact that part of the story was a dream, but I am not sure about that.  It is difficult to understand.

I liked the story, but there were a lot of things I could not believe.  First, why doesn't Zeke go to school?  He has a lame foot, but that is not a reason to stay home.  Second, why on earth do his parents abandon him and leave him to fend for himself?  This is perhaps the most shocking part of the story to me.  I can't believe parents would do that to their children, especially to one so young.  It is an unsettling account of what life was like for a black family in the early part of the 20th century.  I suppose children could identify with the musical descriptions, but I think it would be a stretch of the imagination.  I admit, this was not one of my favorite books, but it is a fictitious story that parallels real events that occurred in America, so I must admire it.

Duke Ellington

Author:  Andrea Davis Pinkney, 1998, Hyperion
Illustrator:  Brian Pinkney

Duke Ellington is a famous jazz musician credited with creating a unique musical sound.  Andrea and Brian Pinkney bring him to life in their biography for children, Duke Ellington.  Duke was ahead of his time, playing at renowned venues such as the Cotton Club in Harlem and Carnegie Hall in New York City.  I enjoyed this story, but I was a bit distressed by the informal tone that the writers used.  No doubt, the book gives excellent biographical information about Ellington, but readers who are unfamiliar with musical terms will feel lost.  I liked the rich illustrations and their almost magical appearances.  This book will definitely take the reader back in time to 1920s America and the struggles that Black musicians faced.  I was pleased to see a bibliography at the end of the book, as well as other resources that the reader can look at.  Overall, this is a good biographical account of Duke Ellington, a forerunner in American jazz music.

Leon's Story

Author:  Leon Walter Tillage, 1997, Douglas and McIntyre, Ltd.

If you are looking for a heartbreaking piece of history, look no further than Leon's Story.  This book is told in first-person by a man named Leon.  Leon was born to a slave family in North Carolina.  The stories he tells about how white people treated southern blacks is disgusting.  From segregated public facilities, unequal education, and KKK (Ku Klux Klan) oppression--to death, submission, and finally, black equality, this book tells it all.  Throughout the book, the author twists the reader's heart by detailing horrifying events that happened to him or his family members.  Every part of this book is non-fiction, and that is the scary part.

I truly cannot imagine what black Americans endured in the 19th and 20th centuries in America.  Racism was born in the late-1800s as a means of creating unity, which seems terribly backwards.  By castigating people based on their skin color, religion, or ethnic background, members of a certain population became unified as the supreme race.  This certainly led to the circumstances in which African-Americans found themselves--circumstances that were absolutely despicable.

After reading this story, I am more aware of what "segregation" actually meant.  It was not only a means of making white people use one drinking fountain and while blacks used another one; it was, without a doubt, a death to people of color.  This story is not appropriate for young children, even though the book is relatively small.  I would recommend this for eighth graders and older, simply because of some gruesome details.  I will never forget old Leon, and I will never forget his courage in the face of one of America's darkest hours.     

Bad News for Outlaws: The Remarkable Life of Bass Reeves, Deputy U.S. Marshal

Author:      Vaunda Micheaux Nelson, 2009, Carolrhoda Books
Illustrator:  R. Gregory Christie
Coretta Scott King Award

If you were a settler on the western frontier in the late-1800s, you might have feared outlaws coming into your territory.  There was plenty of open space, and one could ride for miles without pause.  However, if Bass Reeves was in town, you would have nothing to fear.  This story is one about the true character of a black United States marshal who always caught the outlaws he chased.  Bass Reeves may be a man few people have heard of, but he was one of the greatest deputy marshals that ever patrolled the frontier.  This Coretta Scott King award-winning book is one to treasure, and every student will be enthralled with visions of the rough-and-tumble life of the early American west.

Not only is this an intriguing piece of non-fiction; the pictures are equally amazing.  They look almost child-like, and I assume that is what the illustrator was hoping to achieve.  The illustrations lack precise detail, and consequently, the reader must use his imagination to fill in the gaps.  Nonetheless, the entire book, including the historical timeline at the back, is a wonderful piece of American literature; one that shines a light on a black American who, during a time of racial inequality, did a fine job of bringing criminals to justice.  Bass Reeves, Deputy U.S. Marshal, is certainly a notable figure of American history.