Tyrell is a book by Coe Booth that has gained much positive recognition. With very little promotion on my part, boys find it, read it and enjoy it. And then, they want another book. What else is there?? I don’t like Tyrell because they’ve finally found something they relate to and they want more? Then what? What else is there? What other books are written that relate to high school age African American males?? Some I can give Cry Me a River or Kenji Jasper. Most have read the Blufords and Walter Dean Myers, but this becomes quite a dilemma beyond those few titles.
My middle school readers aren’t lured in by Tyrell. For them, the temptress is the Blufords, Monster or Tears of a Tiger. I can then give them Chess Rumble or 12 Brown Boys, but then?? I think finding appropriate books for middle school African American males is the most difficult thing I do. And please, don’t let them ask for a mystery!! Maybe boys don’t read simply because so little is written for them to read.
I do find that it can be a bit easier to move boys into adventure and sports related fiction, but when they tell me they want a book with someone like me or ‘just a regular book’ I know my search will be a difficult one. Saint Iggy, Letters from a Mountain work on the readers with more books under their belt, but my students are hinging on my expertise to find them just the right book and most are not ready to trust me even that far.
So, that’s why I don’t like Tyrell: because it’s a gateway book that leads boys to want more of what is impossible to fine. Any suggestions on what I can give them in a school library??
Cotton Quilts Edi 
I read the headline on my rss reader and came in to yell at you about how fabulous Tyrell is, but now that I’ve read your post, I feel the same way.
I helped put together a high school reading list for the first time last summer, and while we were trying to put together a diverse list, most of the African-American books we came up with were already on the middle school list. We put on Tyrell (amazing cover attracts readers) and The First Part Last (super short, but wonderful), but most of the others we added were duds with our modern teens (Toni Morrison, Richard Wright, etc.) .
For girls, I could have found a few more titles, but for boys, forget it.
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Your right there is not much out there. It took me a long time to think of these titles
1Upstate by Kalisha Buckhanon Love Upstate like I love Tyrell
2Mexican Whiteboy by Matt De La Pena – This is very good. One of the main character Uno is Black, and the story is almost as much his.
3The Door Of No Return by Sarah Mussi- This was very good. Mystery, adventure, and history.
4Angel Boy by Bernard Ashley – I haven’t read this but it looks very good.
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I think it is important to have characters who look like the readers, but when I can’t offer that I look for other factors that the reader can relate to. I focus so much on girls I had to make a concerted effort to look for books that would interested boys. Part of the problem race aside is that according to what I’ve read, boys aren’t relationship-oriented but more issue/topic-oriented. Boys focus on how to resolve problems, make something happen, understand how something works, improve their skillset or knowledge. They read far more nonfiction than girls. When they read fiction it tends to be goal-oriented.
That being said for older middle schoolers/young high school try Jacqueline Woodson’s From the Notebooks of Melanin Sun, Miracle Boys, Locomotion and Peace, Locomotion. Boys might like E.R. Frank’s Life Is Funny. I just started The Rock and The River by Kekla Ragoon, it is historical fiction good for middle/early high school. The main character is conflicted about his father’s non-violence activism and his brother’s involvement with the Black Panthers. Smartly, authentically written. Try Christopher Paul Curtis, historical fiction but without being heavy-handed with the history. Zack by William Bell. Forged by Fire by Sharon Draper.
Good secondary AA characters and biracial characters are found in the works of Chris Crutcher who has a very fresh and engaging take on sport themed books. Whale Talk rocks. Neil Shusterman has action, social dilemmas and politics in Unwind. And The Absolute Diary of A Part-time Indian by Sherman Alexie is hilarious. There is a work by Gordon Parks, too, but the title eludes me at the moment. I’ll look for it.
If you can avoid the censor folks, I recommend Burn by Black Artemis. It is urban, hip hop, intelligent, well-written novel about a grafiti writer.
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Cora,
You’ve given me several titles here I’m not familiar with, I’ll have to look them up. Thanks!
The boys who like sports, magazines and comics are easy. I got a list of current NBA and NFL stars from them, added a few yucky books in the non-fics then, I get these boys who want fiction! Some are good with the sports fiction (Volpini, Myers, Crackback… still easy) but then I get the ones who want something like Tyrell, or who want ‘shooting and lots of action’.
I do have to say that I think it can be easier to get boys to expand their repetoire than it is girls. To me, the young ladies who want “drama” sometimes won’t even want to try Upstate, Imani All Mine, Janet McDonald or Kambia Elaine (which you asked me about and…I have an autographed copy!!! I really enjoyed that book!) because the covers don’t fit the “urban” model for them. OK, we can argue what’s urban and most (none?) of what I mentioned are, yet these books could very easily appeal to students who read urban fic.
Last week, I was able to get a boy to try Hugo Cabret (that thick ol’ book!) by using the drawings to pull him in.
Honestly, I don’t think it’s hopeless. I wish there were more books for our children. I wish I had more time to read to them and with them to introduce them to different books. Yeah, the Internet makes it easier because there’s a larger community I can reach out to for all kinds of great information!
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Definitely try Chris Crutcher for your sports guys.
It’s up to us to help our readers expand their idea of what is urban. I have wanted to read Upstate. Thanks for the reminder.
I just got Autobiography of My Dead Brother by Walter Dean Myers and illustrated by his son, Christopher Myers.
A friend of mine wrote a book and I’m ashamed to say I haven’t read it yet, Echoes by Jamilah Kolocotronis. It’s about a young muslim boy. Would you like me to send it to you? We could talk about a swap if you’d like to keep it. I’d love to know what you think.
Review:
Joshua Adams has always been a wild child. He graduated from reckless childhood accidents to girls and alcohol. By the time he is twenty-three he has three children and a failing marriage. He leaves his wife, after yet another argument, and moves in with some Muslim guys he knows. With the patient encouragement of his friends, Joshua begins to study Islam. Six months later he becomes a Muslim and looks forward to starting a new life. But his fresh start is overshadowed by echoes from his past. First Joshua must conquer the old habits which haunt him after the initial excitement of his conversion has worn off. He must continue his new life as a practicing Muslim while facing difficulties from his past life: a bitter ex-wife, three children whom he abandoned, and strained relationships with his mother and two older brothers. Joshua makes the greatest jihad-the jihad of the self-as he struggles to overcome his past and become a true Muslim. Echoes, the first book in the Echoes Series, is a story of determination and love.
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Sounds very interesting, and I’ve quite an interest in Islamic literature. Hmm… perhaps you’d like to exchange for a book by our dear friend, Zetta Elliot? 🙂
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Yes, I would. She has graciously sent me copies but these will go to our library after I’ve read them all. I’d love to have one of my own.
Your book will go out Monday.
Thank you,
c
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Great post. I think you could lean on Walter Dean Myers and a newer writer, Matt de la Pena. Mexican WhiteBoy is great.
Such a difficult question, though.
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Thanks, Missy. As mentioned in the original posting, Walter Dean Myers is a standard author. I’m trying to get my students to realize that he and Sharon Draper aren’t the only authors they may find enjoyable.
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