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aeder's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.5
kathleenes's review against another edition
4.0
A beautifully illuminated book for children mostly to introduce them to the real history of the Americas
toebean5's review against another edition
4.0
I think this is a really important book for an older elementary school age classroom. The art is excellent. As much as the topic discusses things that are uncomfortable/unpleasant, I think it's doing a disservice to children, especially black children, to keep it from them. As the young girl at the beginning of the story points out, a large portion of our population can't trace their family history-- and that story is an important part of our country's history.
melodyseestrees's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Slavery, and Colonisation
Moderate: Death, Physical abuse, and Violence
Minor: Suicide
Content Ratings are done with the perspective of a child in mind as this book is shelved as children's. An adult reader may find the graphic ones are more of moderate nature.alysses's review against another edition
5.0
As descendants of enslaved people, we are constantly reminded of how we don't have a history passed a certain period in time. It's an incredibly hard journey piecing together that part of you that sits in the void but sits strong and constantly calling to you.
This story is of a little girl who goes home to her grandmother and states that she doesn't have a history to tell. Her grandmother states that she does and begins weaving a verbal tapestry of their origins. She tells her granddaughter about the how their people were taken from Africa, stripped of home, culture and religion; taken to a foreign land and enslaved. Enslavement is ugly but the people, her people were wonderful, resilient, warriors at heart and soul and built a whole nation on their backs.
The artwork was beautiful and the sentiments expressed were empowering and heartbreaking.
We must always remember: We come from wonderful, resilient, intelligent, resourceful warriors. Push forward.
This story is of a little girl who goes home to her grandmother and states that she doesn't have a history to tell. Her grandmother states that she does and begins weaving a verbal tapestry of their origins. She tells her granddaughter about the how their people were taken from Africa, stripped of home, culture and religion; taken to a foreign land and enslaved. Enslavement is ugly but the people, her people were wonderful, resilient, warriors at heart and soul and built a whole nation on their backs.
The artwork was beautiful and the sentiments expressed were empowering and heartbreaking.
We must always remember: We come from wonderful, resilient, intelligent, resourceful warriors. Push forward.
kyeattam's review against another edition
5.0
Read with my children and they loved it. We even did some kids activities after reading.
bookishrealm's review against another edition
5.0
FFirst, I will be buying a copy of this book for my daughter. Second, I can't see this book not getting nominations for some serious awards like the Caldecott or the Coretta Scott King Award. I received this book for review, but all thoughts are my own.
Honestly, I had no idea that this book was forthcoming until I was scrolling through Eidelweiss and saw the cover then I saw "The 1619 Project" and I knew that it was a title that I was going to want to read. It begins with the main character feeling ashamed that she is unable to complete a school project about family ancestry. Unsurprisingly, like quite a few Black people she only knows her family history to a certain point (like her I only know up to about my great great grandmother). It's then that her grandmother tells her the true origins of her history. What follows next is a poetic and heartbreakingly beautiful exposition about the way in which our ancestors were stripped of everything they knew to be brought to an unfamiliar land. This book reminded me of a pretty popular quote, "People say that slaves were taken from Africa. This is not true. People were taken from Africa and were made into slaves." Our ancestors were robbed of their culture, traditions, their very way of life. Who we are now as Black Americans is the result of our ancestry being born on the water. Different tribes from various parts of the continent of Africa were forced together to form a new life, a way to survive the constant trauma inflicted on them. They chose to keep going and to somehow have hope that one day things would change. I don't know how they did it, but like the main character, I'm living that dream for them and it's something that I don't take likely and it's something that I'll never forget. Each poem in this book is sacred to me because it tells the story of where I come from even if I don't know the specifics. With artwork that is out of this world, rich paintings that evoke such deep emotions, this is easily one of my favorite books of 2021. Although it isn't out yet, I highly recommend that you keep this one on your radar.
Honestly, I had no idea that this book was forthcoming until I was scrolling through Eidelweiss and saw the cover then I saw "The 1619 Project" and I knew that it was a title that I was going to want to read. It begins with the main character feeling ashamed that she is unable to complete a school project about family ancestry. Unsurprisingly, like quite a few Black people she only knows her family history to a certain point (like her I only know up to about my great great grandmother). It's then that her grandmother tells her the true origins of her history. What follows next is a poetic and heartbreakingly beautiful exposition about the way in which our ancestors were stripped of everything they knew to be brought to an unfamiliar land. This book reminded me of a pretty popular quote, "People say that slaves were taken from Africa. This is not true. People were taken from Africa and were made into slaves." Our ancestors were robbed of their culture, traditions, their very way of life. Who we are now as Black Americans is the result of our ancestry being born on the water. Different tribes from various parts of the continent of Africa were forced together to form a new life, a way to survive the constant trauma inflicted on them. They chose to keep going and to somehow have hope that one day things would change. I don't know how they did it, but like the main character, I'm living that dream for them and it's something that I don't take likely and it's something that I'll never forget. Each poem in this book is sacred to me because it tells the story of where I come from even if I don't know the specifics. With artwork that is out of this world, rich paintings that evoke such deep emotions, this is easily one of my favorite books of 2021. Although it isn't out yet, I highly recommend that you keep this one on your radar.