Romare Bearden (1911–1988)

The poems here are honest. They are not always happy, they are not always about huge things. Mostly they are about the experience of a culture, as seen through the eyes of one man. Accompanied by incredibly thoughtful & sensitive collages, Langston Hughes paints such a vivid picture of Harlem here. One of my favorite poems is actually the first one, 'Theme for English B', a response to a writing assignment Hughes obviously received from his English teacher. Such simplicity in his words, yet show more such a thoughtful rumination over where his words are coming from as an African American, and where his words are going to, with a white English teacher. Beautiful! show less

The block is all about the city and the individual living in the city. They range from daily visits to the store or going to Church to the one person thinking about why they feel sad, happy or confused. I think this book does an excellent job at illustrating there are creative minds in the concrete jungle, as many people who live in the suburbs think it is only colorful where they live and the city is ruthless, but it is not the city it is the people who live there that make the cities image show more wonderful. The artwork has this mid 90's feel to it in terms of purple, neon green feel to it, it is meant for those who live in an inner city environment, but it still leaves anyone feeling they can relate. show less

Langston Hughes is illustrated by an amazing multipaneled piece by Romare Beardon. Or perhaps it's the other way around, but regardless this collection of poems and paintings about a single city block is as enthralling as it is unsettling.

Poetry

I am a big Hughes fan and had never read this one because the work wasn't supposed to be that strong. It's not, but Hughes "not that strong" is still pretty damned good. Put that in combination with there vibrant and somewhat unnerving paintings you show more have an awesome work. I cannot believe I waited this long to explore this book. The Bill Cosby intro was subtle and tasetful which was pleasingly suprising.

I wouldn't have this in a classroom, but I would use it to have a dialogue about race with my own daughter. Hughes is to pointed and rich to be objectively shared. show less

Li'l Dan is a young boy who loves to play the drum. Another man at the plantation taught him how to play, and now he really wants to get good at playing the drums and eventually have his own. Li'l Dan lives on a cotton plantation, but one day a group of soldiers comes through and tells Li'l Dan that he is free. Li'l Dan is all alone, no family, so he goes with the soldiers and makes sure his drum is right there with him. Dan ends up being a crucial part in helping the soldiers win a battle, show more all with his little drum. This book would be a great way to teach about the civil war because it is from the perspective of a child, and a slave child. Students would be able to relate to Li'l Dan because they are similar to his age. I learned more about the civil war in this book because it does have factual information intertwined within the story. show less