Sharon Flake, You Don't Even Know Me: Stories and Poems about Boys (Jump at the Sun, 2010)
I SIT IN YOUR CLASS
I PLAY BY THE RULES
I'M YOUNG
I'M FLY
I'M BLACK
SO OF COURSE I THINK
I'M COOL
I wanted to read this title because we can never have enough good books that urban African American boys can relate to. It is a mix of free verse poetry often with a freestyle rap beat and short stories tackling big issues: teen fatherhood and marriage, relationships with father figures, HIV, seduction by an older woman, living in the suburbs and "talking white", the attraction of the gang life. One of the strongest of the nine short stories "DON"T READ THIS" is written in diary format about a teen whose twin who killed himself because of the abuse he endured from a club adviser. The diary writer is preparing to do the same thing, giving away his belongings, buying a rope, setting a date, practicing.
I liked the mix of poetry and short stories. Some of the poems had more appeal than others but I think boys (or girls who want to understand boys better) will like the book and it may inspire some to write their own poetry.
Sharon Flake's books were very popular in the middle school urban library where I worked in Dayton. They include Money Hungry, Begging for Change, The Skin I'm In, Who Am I Without Him: Short Stories About Girls and the Boys in Their Lives. Check out her website that includes a video of the first poem from You Don't Even Know Me read by teens. I would play that to introduce the book to grades 7-10.
9 comments:
Wow, I just listened to the "You Don't Know Me," video and was blown away by it. Particularly when Marcus talks about having a dream where he's flying over the city and no one is holding onto their pocketbooks or double locking their car doors. I plan to share the clip with the guidance counselor. I think it would be perfect for her assembly during mix-it-up day.
I love the clip, it's a great hook. When I read your post, I was struck by how different this book is from the one I read, and I was reminded of how diverse are the students we serve (or hope to serve, I should say). Diverse in experience and in abilities. Just sort of hit me about what a challenging job it will be to try to meet all their needs!
So glad to see another title for boys and especially one for urban African American boys. I am continually amazed by the issues our students face, Vanessa's right, we have a lot of work to do. Really enjoyed the video and website.
The video is a great hook. This book reminds me a little of the book I read this week. My book was a younger African American boy with less intense issues but it also had some rap and free verse. I love finding books that interest boys.
I loved the cover of the book and the title is so true for how young adults feel every day. I think many of them feel like no one understands them or what they are going through. Hopefully by sharing this book with some of them they would begin to feel important and like someone cares for them. Thanks for sharing the link!
This sounds like a great book to diversify the poetry collection. I like that it is modern day poetry and the students can easily relate to it.
What a powerful video clip! Like Vanessa stated, my book is also completely different from the one you read.
What a great video! I think it is exciting that this book of poetry could appeal to reluctant, male readers. They need poetry too...and the content of this collection seems like it might actually make poetry interesting and applicable to just that kind of student.
That's a great video. It's definitely nice to see books aimed at African American boys. I was at Dunbar for field experience today, and Elena Borchers was talking about how it's so hard to get her male students to read. I will have to keep this title and the others by this author in mind.
Post a Comment