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[CCBC-Net] The Books of Angela Johnson
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From: Megan Schliesman <Schliesman>
Date: Thu, 15 Sep 2005 12:12:42 -0500
Because of Hurricana Katrina and the desire for members of CCBC-Net to do what they can to help, our discussion for the first half of September on regional literature got sidetracked. WE've decided to revisit this topic at some point down the road so we can all give it its full due. Thanks to all who did offer thoughts on literature of the Gulf Coast region as one way of thinkning about the impact of what has been happening there in the real world.
In the meantime, now that the initial shock has worn off and there are many ways to find out about relief efforts, we ask that everyone return to following the CCBC-net guidelines of refraining from off-topic posts (except during open announcements at the start of each month) as we turn our attention to the discussion topic for the second half of September: the books of Angela Johnson.
My own introduction to Angela Johnson's work came back in 1993, when I read her first novel, "Toning the Sweep." I was struck by both the book's tone, and the power of the language in a story that was largely about discovering the meaning behind silences and things left unsaid among three generations of women in a family.
The languge and tone of her books has continued to strike me, from the powerful simplicity of the refrain "Mama calls me sweetheart. Daddy calls me man." in her picture book "Daddy Calls Me Man," to the stirring poems of "The Other Side." to how she captures Bobby's sense of being overwhelmed--by responsiblity, by exhaustion, by love for his baby daughter-- in her novel "The First Part Last." I find a wonderful tension in her work that comes from the interplay of restraint and energy. Her narrative voice is often quite but has an incredible emotional energy both on and beneath its surface.
Please share your own thoughts on the books of Angela Johnson. We'd also like to know what your experiences are sharing her books with children and teens.
Megan
Megan Schliesman, Librarian Cooperative Children's Book Center School of Education, UW-Madison 600 N. Park St., Room 4290 Madison, WI 53706
ph: 608-262-9503 fax: 608-262-4933 schliesman at education.wisc.edu
Received on Thu 15 Sep 2005 12:12:42 PM CDT
Date: Thu, 15 Sep 2005 12:12:42 -0500
Because of Hurricana Katrina and the desire for members of CCBC-Net to do what they can to help, our discussion for the first half of September on regional literature got sidetracked. WE've decided to revisit this topic at some point down the road so we can all give it its full due. Thanks to all who did offer thoughts on literature of the Gulf Coast region as one way of thinkning about the impact of what has been happening there in the real world.
In the meantime, now that the initial shock has worn off and there are many ways to find out about relief efforts, we ask that everyone return to following the CCBC-net guidelines of refraining from off-topic posts (except during open announcements at the start of each month) as we turn our attention to the discussion topic for the second half of September: the books of Angela Johnson.
My own introduction to Angela Johnson's work came back in 1993, when I read her first novel, "Toning the Sweep." I was struck by both the book's tone, and the power of the language in a story that was largely about discovering the meaning behind silences and things left unsaid among three generations of women in a family.
The languge and tone of her books has continued to strike me, from the powerful simplicity of the refrain "Mama calls me sweetheart. Daddy calls me man." in her picture book "Daddy Calls Me Man," to the stirring poems of "The Other Side." to how she captures Bobby's sense of being overwhelmed--by responsiblity, by exhaustion, by love for his baby daughter-- in her novel "The First Part Last." I find a wonderful tension in her work that comes from the interplay of restraint and energy. Her narrative voice is often quite but has an incredible emotional energy both on and beneath its surface.
Please share your own thoughts on the books of Angela Johnson. We'd also like to know what your experiences are sharing her books with children and teens.
Megan
Megan Schliesman, Librarian Cooperative Children's Book Center School of Education, UW-Madison 600 N. Park St., Room 4290 Madison, WI 53706
ph: 608-262-9503 fax: 608-262-4933 schliesman at education.wisc.edu
Received on Thu 15 Sep 2005 12:12:42 PM CDT
