southern_librarian's review
challenging
emotional
informative
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
EpicFest 2023 illustrator. And this one was written by his mom! So a mother-son collaboration. Really powerful words. It's a series of poems that poignantly express the journey to finding and claiming one's ancestors as a Black person. Even though a series of poems, I took my time to read and absorb them and to admire Jefferey's wood-cut style illustrations. This was a moving and eye-opening read.
mysteriesbooks's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Carole Boston Weatherford embarked on a daunting journey to trace her own lineage. For most Black Americans, one can only get as far as 1870, or the "genealogy brick wall" of the 1870's census. Before then, African Americans are only recorded as property, and your lineage search becomes a gamble on property and sale records. So with that in mind, watching Weatherford reach all the way back into the 1700's and on is an impressive, beautiful feat. Beautiful not just in how it must have felt to break the brick wall, but her prose and poetry is uniquely like stepping into another time, another place, and another person.
We see peeks into other prominent figures for the time that are unrelated to Weatherford, and even a couple of glimpses into the people who owned her ancestors. It's a bit of jumping around, but I truly believe it works well here. Paired with beautiful illustrations, I couldn't really put it down.
As it for being a middle grade, I think it's more well suited for Jr. High kids just on a vocabulary level. Either for those who have a genuine interest in history, or it would make a good companion to curriculum.
Highly recommend.
We see peeks into other prominent figures for the time that are unrelated to Weatherford, and even a couple of glimpses into the people who owned her ancestors. It's a bit of jumping around, but I truly believe it works well here. Paired with beautiful illustrations, I couldn't really put it down.
As it for being a middle grade, I think it's more well suited for Jr. High kids just on a vocabulary level. Either for those who have a genuine interest in history, or it would make a good companion to curriculum.
Highly recommend.
pagebypaigebks's review
4.0
“One acorn can grow a tree and seed a forest. Or a family tree.”
I'd like to thank Simon & Schuster for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
I've also posted this review on Instagram and my blog.
Instagram Post
Blog Post
Content Warnings: racism, slavery, death
Kin: Rooted in Hope is a powerful novel in verse where the author recounts the story of her genealogy. The beautiful prose added a very personal element to the story. We followed the history of Carole and Jeffery's ancestors along with their own journey in researching and discovering their stories. Throughout the book, many different perspectives and generations throughout history are explored. There are also sections pertaining to important historical figures and events. The beautiful illustrations added another layer of complexity to the prose and immerse the reader into the story.
I'd like to thank Simon & Schuster for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
I've also posted this review on Instagram and my blog.
Instagram Post
Blog Post
Content Warnings: racism, slavery, death
Kin: Rooted in Hope is a powerful novel in verse where the author recounts the story of her genealogy. The beautiful prose added a very personal element to the story. We followed the history of Carole and Jeffery's ancestors along with their own journey in researching and discovering their stories. Throughout the book, many different perspectives and generations throughout history are explored. There are also sections pertaining to important historical figures and events. The beautiful illustrations added another layer of complexity to the prose and immerse the reader into the story.
jaime_of_gryffindor's review
4.25
This was a great MG nonfiction poetry read. This book was outside of my comfort genre, but I did find it to be a good read. Kin: Rooted In Hope covered some heavy and important topics and was so beautifully written. I loved how this book had illustrations throughout it as well.
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