Finding Langston

Unlike a lot of historical fiction for children, this is actually a joy to read. Not a whole lot of giggles or such, but it's concise, immersive, and heartwarming, and just a great story. Our hero reads poetry *and* (when turning the other cheek doesn't work) puts the bully in his place. Lots going on behind the scenes, too, like the teacher's inability to control the class w/out screaming (and it's not even winter yet... how can she escalate to last the rest of the year?) and the question about whether or not the dad is semi-illiterate; lots for kids to think about.

I sure do appreciate our boy's desire to have something special for himself, to not want to tell his dad about the library right away.

I think teachers should be careful to show more let kids have this book to themselves, instead of discussing and analyzing it to death. Some discussion, w/ the right group, w/ the teacher as facilitator more than lecturer, could be ok, but don't spoil the book by telling kids how to feel about it.

I will look for more by the author, including her picture-books. show less

This lyrical book is short and moving. A lovely tale about change, about pasts, and finding home in new places. After the death of his mother Langston and his father move up north. Langston’s new home is lonely and alien. He misses his mom and his grandmother who is still down south. His father is mourning their loss and isn’t able to give Langston the home he needs.

Langston comes across a library, a place he was never allowed to enter in Jim Crow South. In this new sanctuary Langston finds friendship and connection he needs. He finds new family in books, poetry, classmates. He finds connections between poetry and his mother, opening up a new doorway for him and his father.

This book is about an 11-year-old boy named Langston who recently moved from Alabama to Chicago with his dad due to the recent passing of his mother. Langston isn't too fond of Chicago and really misses home and his mother. Langston also lacks friends and is bullied at school for the way he dresses and talks, like a "country boy." Eventually, Langston stumbles upon a library, which soon becomes his safe place. In the library, Langston finds an author with the same name as him, Langston Hughes. When Langston starts to read the book, he finally feels like he fits in and someone relates to him. Throughout the book, Langston falls in love with reading, especially reading Langston Hughes's poetry.

I really enjoyed this book. It's a show more heartwarming story about a boy finding a way to cope through literature, and not just any literature, but his mother's favorite literature, poetry from Langston Hughes. I really appreciate the title of the book because this book is about Langston finding Langston Hughes but it's also about Langston finding himself. show less

After his mother dies, Langston and his father are forced to move to Chicago where everything feels foreign and fast. Homesick and lost in the City, Langston stumbles into a library that would change his life forever. What he learns there about his own namesake and his family history may just be the thing he needs to be able to move forward. Set in the great migration, we learn about the struggles of discrimination and poverty that many Black Americans faced trying to make it in a country that tried to make it difficult for them to survive.

This short, moving novel is a joy to read and an inspiration of self-discovery. Langston is able to make sense of his life through the poetry and books he reads at his local library, demonstrating show more the power of the written word and of finding authors whose work resonates in our souls. show less

Cline-Ransome does an excellent job of capturing the trapped, powerless feeling of dread so common during the middle school years, even without the specific challenges Langston faces, and the experience of finding relief and freedom through literature. The main downside is that the ending is somewhat abrupt. I listened to this with my son and we both felt like the story was just picking up steam when it ended.

And...I just learned that it's part of a trilogy, so that might be why it felt like it stopped abruptly.

After the death of Langston's mother, he must move from rural Alabama to the city of Chicago with his father. Overwhelmed by the loss of his mother, the stress of moving, and bullying, Langston finds comfort in the library. There, he reads all about Langston Hughes, and learns about his namesake. I loved this book because it showed a black male protagonist dealing with grief, which is something I have not seen in a lot of books. I also liked how it covered a lot of important and emotional themes without coming across as overly sappy.

Chicago, Spring 1946. Black migration era, and Langston has just moved from Alabama with his father after the death of his mother. A lot of the usual school age themes in this book -- bullying, beginning independence and self-knowledge, making new friends. Added on top -- segregation (both official and unofficial), poverty, grieving, flowering African American literary and artistic culture. Short book that packs a punch, and is a wonderful flowing read. A lot of poetry and library love as well.
Really nice audio book version.