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A review by flying_monkeys
The People Could Fly: American Black Folktales by Virginia Hamilton
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
"These tales were created out of sorrow. But the hearts and minds of the black people who formed them, expanded them, and passed them on to us were full of love and hope. We must look on the tales as a celebration of the human spirit." (from the Introduction)
Offers a varied selection of tale types with some repetition among the individual stories. Tales are divided into: He Lion, Bruh Bear, and Bruh Rabbit And Other Animal Tales; The Beautiful Girl of the Moon Tower And Other Tales of the Real, Extravagant, and Fanciful; John and the Devil's Daughter And Other Tales of the Supernatural; Carrying the Running-Aways And Other Slave Tales of Freedom.
Highly recommended to all ages. Though, if you're able to find it, I would go for the edition that includes the CD with narration by James Earl Jones. My library was unable to get that edition. :(
Purely for entertainment reasons, "The Peculiar Such Thing" was my favorite story. I could see folks telling that one at night sitting around the campfire. It felt like a tale that should've been included in the Scary Stories series from my tween/teen years.
Two stories really nailed the real-life origins of folktales: the first was "Carrying the Running-Aways" because it is such a personal story to Hamilton's own family history. The second, "The People Could Fly," packed serious emotional punch. A powerful way to end the collection.
4 stars
(Only reason not 5 stars is that I wish the illustrations had been in color like the cover was.)
Offers a varied selection of tale types with some repetition among the individual stories. Tales are divided into: He Lion, Bruh Bear, and Bruh Rabbit And Other Animal Tales; The Beautiful Girl of the Moon Tower And Other Tales of the Real, Extravagant, and Fanciful; John and the Devil's Daughter And Other Tales of the Supernatural; Carrying the Running-Aways And Other Slave Tales of Freedom.
Highly recommended to all ages. Though, if you're able to find it, I would go for the edition that includes the CD with narration by James Earl Jones. My library was unable to get that edition. :(
Purely for entertainment reasons, "The Peculiar Such Thing" was my favorite story. I could see folks telling that one at night sitting around the campfire. It felt like a tale that should've been included in the Scary Stories series from my tween/teen years.
Two stories really nailed the real-life origins of folktales: the first was "Carrying the Running-Aways" because it is such a personal story to Hamilton's own family history. The second, "The People Could Fly," packed serious emotional punch. A powerful way to end the collection.
4 stars
(Only reason not 5 stars is that I wish the illustrations had been in color like the cover was.)