Congratulations to Megan Hoyt and Becky Scharnhorst who won copies of Viviane Elbee's book, Teach Your Giraffe to Ski. It's hard to review a book that covers the entire Civil Rights period in as much detail as Eyes On the Prize by Juan Williams does. The book, suitable for adults and young adults, is simultaneously comprehensive, academic,… Continue reading Eyes on the Prize – Audio Book review and Giveaway
Congratulations to Linda Phillips who won the audio CD of "Indigo Girl" from last week's blog. ******** Recently I have met several young writers and bloggers. One of them who goes by the pen name of Julian Daventry, asked for volunteers to be part of her Shared-WIP four-part tag. Each blogger answers four sets of ten… Continue reading Shared WIP Blog Tag- Part I
Congratulations to Joan Edwards, a faithful follower of this blog, for winning Cleo Edison Oliver in Persuasion Power on last week's post. I stumbled upon JUST AROUND MIDNIGHT: ROCK AND ROLL AND THE RACIAL IMAGINATION (Harvard University Press, 2016) while perusing Tantor Audio's huge list of audio books. Here's the blurb that drew my attention: Rooted… Continue reading Just Around Midnight: Rock and Roll and The Racial Imagination- A Review and Audio Book Giveaway
Congratulations to Connie Saunders for winning AUDACITY JONES STEALS THE SHOW. Loving vs. Virginia (Chronicle Books, February 2017) by Patricia Hruby Powell is more than just a book about the interracial couple who challenged Virginia's anti-miscegenation law. It is a documentary novel, which combines free verse, black and white illustrations by Shadra Strickland in the Visual Journalism style, period… Continue reading Loving vs. Virginia: A Review and Autographed ARC Giveaway!
I recently submitted the fourth draft of Half-Truths to Rebecca Petruck for her critique. In a future blog I'll clue you in on my marching orders for Draft #5, but today I'm sharing a specific part of her feedback about writing scenes. This is a longer blog than normal, so grab your favorite beverage and… Continue reading Mississippi Trial, 1955: A Book Review and a Writing Exercise
I'm taking a break from my blog series on the writing class I took this fall to highlight (and give away!) two books for children. I thought they'd make great holiday gifts for some fortunate student, child, grandchild, niece or nephew. This week I'm hosting Carole Weatherford as she shares wonderful insights into her new… Continue reading Birmingham 1963 + A Giveaway!
My apologies if you receive this blog post twice. I am reposting it since it didn't seem to get sent out the first time and I wanted you to have a chance to win this fantastic book. Two girls. One white, one black. The South and civil rights. Given my own work-in-progress, Half-Truths, how could I… Continue reading Yankee Girl and a Giveaway
Two girls. One white, one black. The South and civil rights. Given my own work-in-progress, Half-Truths, how could I not read Yankee Girl? Drawing upon her own childhood experiences, the author, Mary Ann Rodman, writes in her author's note: "Like Alice (the protagonist), I was the daughter of an FBI agent. In the summer of… Continue reading Yankee Girl and a Giveaway!
Unaccustomed to attention, Rosa Parks (1913-2005) was an unlikely heroine of the Civil Rights movement. Yet on December 1, 1955 when she refused to relinquish her bus seat in Montgomery, Alabama, she set in motion events that she would not have dreamed possible. In her own words, this autobiography is a window into history and into… Continue reading Rosa Parks: My Story
I read Through My Eyes by Ruby Bridges as a part of my research for Half-Truths. I came across a photograph of Norman Rockwell's painting depicting Ruby's brave integration of her Louisiana elementary school. I saw the original "The Problems We All Live With" at the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Ma. The huge painting of the white guards escorting the… Continue reading Two Outstanding Picture Books for African American History Month