HEART AND SOUL The Story of America and African Americans- A book review for Children's Literature 5360

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Nelson, Kadir. 2011. HEART AND SOUL The Story of America and African Americans. New York, NY:  Harper Collins. ISBN 0061730764

PLOT SUMMARY

In this moving tale of American history, an elder everywoman tells the story of her family’s history.  The story of her family meshes inextricably with the history of America.  She starts with her ancestors being captured in Africa, sold as slaves, and moves through emancipation, reconstruction, and the civil rights movement.  The narrative culminates with the narrator voting in the election with the first African American candidate in a presidential election.  This historical account tells the story of America from an often ignored perspective, the perspective of the African American.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Nelson has brought the African American story of America to life in this beautiful work of nonfiction.  I have read many books and articles about the events and people in American history.  I have read about every era that Nelson writes about.  I have never before cried when I read about Africans being captured.  I have never before cried when I read about an old lady voting.  But I cried as I read this.  I cried tears for the suffering of Americans.  I cried tears at the beauty and strength of the African American people.  With that in mind...

The narrator, Pappy’s granddaughter, tells the story of her family in the oral tradition with phrases such as, “so it’s important that you pay attention, honey.”  The style with which Nelson writes turns facts and details into a story that the reader can easily follow.  As our narrator tells the story of how her brothers “signed up for the war… I couldn’t go.. But my two younger brothers went off to war.  Not that I wanted them to go, mind you,” the reader actually cares about what happened.  When their divisions succeed, we shout out with excitement!  A history that has been told countless times is made fresh and exciting through Nelson’s unique style.

The epilogue pulls together all the different historical eras that the narrator’s family have lived through into a culminating chapter.  (And if you have a heart like mine, you will cry too.)  Nelson also has an author’s note, a timeline, an index, and a bibliography to back up his facts and give sources for further reading.

Nelson’s illustrations are captivating.  They are powerful paintings that look almost like photographs with their depth and attention to detail.  Nelson also uses interesting angles, like looking up at a sharecropper holding a basket of cotton at such an angle as to magnify his strength.  These images show African Americans to be strong and determined people.

The audiobook, published 9/227/11 and read by Debbie Allen is fantastic.  She has an empathetic, crackly voice that fits the narrator and adds a depth of emotion to the telling of the story.  Listening only to the audiobook would be a disservice because the pictures are so amazing, but listening to Debbie Allen tell the tale is also amazing.

AWARDS AND REVIEWS

• Coretta Scott King Award Author
• Coretta Scott King Award Illustrator
• Horn Book Fanfare
• Kirkus Reviews Best Children’s Book
• Publishers Weekly Best Book
• School Library Journal Best Book
• STARRED REVIEW, Publishers Weekly:  “Nelson knits together the nation’s proudest moments with its most shameful, taking on the whole of African-American history.  He handles this vast subject with easy grace… jaw-dropping portraits radiate determination and strength.  A tremendous achievement.”
• STARRED REVIEW, Kirkus:  “This intimate narrative makes the stories accessible to young readers and powerfully conveys how personal this history feels for many African-Americans.”
• STARRED REVIEW, School Library Journal:  “Provocative and powerful, this book offers a much-needed perspective for individuals of all ages seeking to understand America’s past and present.”

CONNECTIONS

• U.S. History connections are too numerous to list.  The book is well organized and a chapter could be read with the study of any era of American history.  It would be interesting to compare a section here with a section in a history book and have students note how the point of view changes the facts that are shared.
• Art- The angles and style of the art is very purposeful in sending a message.  Analyze the art for author’s purpose.
• Writing- Students can talk to a family member about a story of their family that connects to a historical era.  Students can write about that time period from their family’s unique perspective.

P.S. This is where I cried.

Pictures taken from: https://www.scholastic.com/content5/media/products/03/9780545722803_mres.jpg