 The Taking of Jake Livingston by Ryan Douglas
I finally got a chance to read this book. The cover had me intrigued for a while. Jake Livingston is one of the few Black teens at St. Claire Prep, Not only does he have to deal with that, he also sees dead people. The ghost world and Jake's world collide as an violent teen ghost named Sawyer attempts to possess Jake and commit atrocities again. Jake, a closeted gay teen, also has to deal with the social difficulties of life as a minoritized adolescent in majority spaces. The novel is descriptive and very well written. If you like scary, horror-filled stories with layered social commentary, add this to your list. Douglass is a dope writer!. Can't wait to read more.
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 I recently finished the middle-grade book ‘Take Back the Block’ by Chrystal D. Giles and the picture book ‘Alejandria Fights Back! ¡La Lucha de Alejandria!’ by by Leticia Hernández-Linares, The Rise-Home Stories Project, Robert Liu-Trujillo , and Carla España (Translator) and wanted to put some additional books to support this topic.
‘Take Back the Block’ features the protagonist, middle schooler, Wes Henderson, along with his community dealing with a real estate developer offering to buy the neighborhood where Wes grew up. Black and Latinx youth advocacy and community are involved in both books as they also use their local library to source information to advocate for their communities. Also, included are the following titles to learn and discuss this topic from elementary through high school: -Everything Naomi Loved by Kate Yamasaki and Ian Lendler (elementary) -Like Home by Louisa Onome (middle/high school) -Halsey Street by Naima Coste (middle/high school) Included in the Linktree (in bio) are additional lesson plans, video clips explaining gentrification, and a Boyz N The Hood clip for context geared towards a high school student prompt. The final books in this Black men & STEM series pair hands-on tools to model scientific activity and inquiry.
The first book is The Vast Wonder of the World: Biologist Ernest Everett Just by Mélina Mangal and Luisa Uribe. Students can mirror Ernest Everett Just, a world-renowned Biologist who discovered the fundamental role of the cell surface in the development of organisms. Student can use a digital microscope, like the one pictured in slide 3, to replicate similar activities of Dr Just. We also have The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, Young Reader's Edition, and picture book, by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer. The energy renewal kit replicates William Kamkwamba's windmill. The movie is also available on Netflix. Thematic pairing of the the movie with the book and/or manipulatives can help students access texts that may be difficult leading to deeper comprehension and more inclusive discussion. Hands-on learning is a form of education in which students learn by doing. Instead of simply listening to a teacher or instructor lecture about a given subject, the student engages with the subject matter to solve a problem or create something. Fun fact: Ernest Everett Just was the faculty advisor who worked to mediate the founding of the Black Greek-lettered Fraternity Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Incorporated. |
AuthorSWE ARE HERE will provide you book reviews, discussions, news, and programming about literature and literacy by and about Black males. This site will also feature vlog conversations on topics related to the promoting literacy and voice for Black boys and young men. Archives
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