This is the third book in a three volume series celebrating and examining about the work of 11 of the most prominent African American authors since 2000. The eleven identified authors are Andrea Davis Pinkney, Coe Booth, Sheila P. Moses, Kwame Alexander, Kekla Magoon, Jason Reynolds, Varian Johnson, Renee Watson, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nnedi Okorafor, and Lamar Giles. These authors build on the work of the authors in books two and three. The chapter authors-librarians and established and emerging scholars in the field of young adult literature--survey the work of each author, their accolades, and how audiences responded to their work. Each chapter highlights a single work and discusses how it might be taught in a classroom with a focus on introductory, during, and concluding activities for individuals, small groups and the whole class. This volume is a resource for classroom teachers, teacher educators, reading specialists, librarians, and other educators who study, research, and read young adult literature. Even more importantly it can be resource for students who read and study these authors at the secondary and collegiate level. This is especially true when the current moment in the U. S. shows facing anew concerns of voting rights and discussion of how and when Critical Race Theory or any discussion of Race might take place in a classroom.
Steven T. Bickmore, PhD, is a professor of English Education at UNLV and maintains a weekly academic blog on YA literature (http://www.yawednesday.com/). He is a past editor of The ALAN Review (2009-2014) and a founding editor of Study and Scrutiny: Research in Young Adult Literature. Shanetia P. Clark, PhD, is an associate professor of literacy in the Department of Early and Elementary Education at Salisbury University. She has published in journals such as The Journal of Language and Literacy, International Journal of Learning, The ALAN Review, and The SIGNAL Journal.
Foreword: Jewell Davis Acknowledgements Introduction: Steven T. Bickmore and Shanetia P. Clark Chapter 1: Andrea Davis Pinkney: Taking a Rhythm Ride through Motown Dawan Coombs Chapter 2: Coe Booth: Reclaiming Humanity in Stories about Urban Life Desiree Cueto and Wanda Brooks Chapter 3: Sheila P. Moses: The Legend of Buddy Bush and Beyond Narrative Shimikqua E. Ellis Chapter 4: "As In" An Award Winning Writer: Kwame Alexander Bryan Ripley Crandall Chapter 5: From Ordinary to Extraordinary: Kekla Magoon Kimberly N. Parker Chapter 6: Jason Reynolds: The Boy in the Black Suit and the Struggle with Grief Dani Rimbach-Jones and Steven T. Bickmore Chapter 7: Varian Johnson: Discovering the Mysteries of Our Past through The Parker Inheritance Alex Corbitt Chapter 8: Renee Watston: Love Above All-Unpacking Piecing Me Together Shanetia P. Clark Chapter 9: Tiffany D. Jackson: Shining a Light on Missing Black Girls through Creative Narratives in Monday's Not Coming Steven T. Bickmore and Gretchen Rumohr Chapter 10: Nnedi Okorafor: An Origin Story Oluwaseun Animashaun Chapter 11: Lamar Giles: Exploring the Ins and Outs of Community in Not so Pure and Simple Morgan Jackson
