1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Shange, Ntozake. 1983. ill. Kadir Nelson. ELLINGTON WAS NOT A STREET. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. ISBN 0689828845
2. BOOK REVIEW
This book consists of a single poem in which the author, Ntozake Shange, reminisces about her life as a child whose family was close friends with many now-famous African American men. Some of the men who were often at Shange's childhood home that are spoken of in this book are Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie, and Paul Robeson.
The poem in this book does not rhyme, but there is a rhythm that makes the poem flow smoothly when it is read aloud. This poem is written in an abstract way and may be difficult for younger children to understand. The tone of this poem is a mixture of pride and sadness, as Shange writes "it hasn't always been this way." The sense of pride comes from the knowledge that these men who were guests in her childhood home went on to do great things and to be recognized for their achievements. The sense of sadness comes from the fact that these men, as well as herself and all of the people of African American heritage of Shange's time, had to struggle to overcome racism to achieve their goals. Hence the lines, "it hasn't always been this way", "Ellington was not a street", and "Virgil Akins was not the only fighter."
This poem evokes a strong emotional impact in the reader as it is realized how unfairly African Americans were treated in the past and the adversity that they had to overcome. The poem evokes sensory images as the reader can "see" Dizzy Gillespie's hair before it turned gray and "hear" W.E.B. DuBois speaking to Shange's father about politics while Shange slept nearby. These images are enriched even more by Nelson's beautiful illustrations, full of detail, painted in rich dark colors. These pictures, along with the poem, tell the story of a young Ntozake Shange "growing up in the company of men." The book begins with an illustration of a crowded street with the focus on the street sign, which reads Ellington St. This illustration begins the idea of the entire poem beginning with the lines "it hasn't always been this way/ellington was not a street."
In the back of the book, there are two pages on which there is a short biography about each of the eight men and the one band that are written about in the poem. Some of the names will most likely be familiar to most readers, while some of them are less well known. Examples of this are Duke Ellington, who was a well known jazz composer and Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, who was a not very well known president of Ghana. Young readers will be exposed to the names and accomplishments of several important African American men by reading this book, and may want to explore their lives further because of this introduction.
3. SELECTED POEM
This book consists of only one short poem, so a few lines are selected below. I chose the lines that make up the first stanza of this poem. I chose them because they illustrate how times have changed for the African American people. It also shows how Shange's life as a child was warm and safe in her home in which some very important men were frequent guests. This book could be used during Black History Month as an example of several famous African Americans and their struggle to be seen as equals in society. After reading the poem aloud, students could discuss how things have changed for the better for African Americans and what things still need to be improved. This lesson and poetry book would be best used with students in sixth grade and above.
it hasn't always been this way
ellington was not a street
robeson no mere memory
du bois walked up my father's stairs
hummed some tune over me
sleeping in the company of men
who changed the world
Shange, Ntozake. 1983. ill. Kadir Nelson. ELLINGTON WAS NOT A STREET. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. ISBN 0689828845
2. BOOK REVIEW
This book consists of a single poem in which the author, Ntozake Shange, reminisces about her life as a child whose family was close friends with many now-famous African American men. Some of the men who were often at Shange's childhood home that are spoken of in this book are Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie, and Paul Robeson.
The poem in this book does not rhyme, but there is a rhythm that makes the poem flow smoothly when it is read aloud. This poem is written in an abstract way and may be difficult for younger children to understand. The tone of this poem is a mixture of pride and sadness, as Shange writes "it hasn't always been this way." The sense of pride comes from the knowledge that these men who were guests in her childhood home went on to do great things and to be recognized for their achievements. The sense of sadness comes from the fact that these men, as well as herself and all of the people of African American heritage of Shange's time, had to struggle to overcome racism to achieve their goals. Hence the lines, "it hasn't always been this way", "Ellington was not a street", and "Virgil Akins was not the only fighter."
This poem evokes a strong emotional impact in the reader as it is realized how unfairly African Americans were treated in the past and the adversity that they had to overcome. The poem evokes sensory images as the reader can "see" Dizzy Gillespie's hair before it turned gray and "hear" W.E.B. DuBois speaking to Shange's father about politics while Shange slept nearby. These images are enriched even more by Nelson's beautiful illustrations, full of detail, painted in rich dark colors. These pictures, along with the poem, tell the story of a young Ntozake Shange "growing up in the company of men." The book begins with an illustration of a crowded street with the focus on the street sign, which reads Ellington St. This illustration begins the idea of the entire poem beginning with the lines "it hasn't always been this way/ellington was not a street."
In the back of the book, there are two pages on which there is a short biography about each of the eight men and the one band that are written about in the poem. Some of the names will most likely be familiar to most readers, while some of them are less well known. Examples of this are Duke Ellington, who was a well known jazz composer and Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, who was a not very well known president of Ghana. Young readers will be exposed to the names and accomplishments of several important African American men by reading this book, and may want to explore their lives further because of this introduction.
3. SELECTED POEM
This book consists of only one short poem, so a few lines are selected below. I chose the lines that make up the first stanza of this poem. I chose them because they illustrate how times have changed for the African American people. It also shows how Shange's life as a child was warm and safe in her home in which some very important men were frequent guests. This book could be used during Black History Month as an example of several famous African Americans and their struggle to be seen as equals in society. After reading the poem aloud, students could discuss how things have changed for the better for African Americans and what things still need to be improved. This lesson and poetry book would be best used with students in sixth grade and above.
it hasn't always been this way
ellington was not a street
robeson no mere memory
du bois walked up my father's stairs
hummed some tune over me
sleeping in the company of men
who changed the world
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