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backonthealex's review
5.0
What is it like to be a black man and to want something so badly you are willing to put up with racial discrimination, willing to buck the system and prove those who think you lack the intelligence to fly a plane wrong, so very wrong? What was it like to become a Tuskegee Airman?
In a series of thirty-three poems, Carole Boston Weatherford answers these questions, writing the history of this distinguished band of brothers, the African American pilots who fought for victory on two fronts, one in Europe against Nazism and one at home against racism.
Using a composite "you" that not only addresses the Tuskegee airmen as a whole, but also and immediately invites the reader into their midst, Weatherford begins her history-in-verse, capturing the big and small personal and shared moments and events that mark this period in America.
Weatherford skillfully orchestrates this complex history, beginning with a young boy's desire to fly to becoming one of 2,000 black pilots in the 1938 newly formed Civilian Pilot Training Program - 2,000 out of a total of 400,00 - sent to Tuskegee Institute. Training is rigorous, cadets knowing that
"The eyes of your country are on you;
the hopes of your people
rest on your shoulder." (pg 10-11)
She then takes the reader along as the men learn and practice their new skills, even as they must still deal with racism and Jim Crow laws at every turn, knowing
"In this war, the enemy is you.
In 1941 and 1942, eleven black men -
if you count the three boys -
were lynched in the United States." (pg 19)
Weatherford deftly goes beyond the Tuskegee program to include the ways in which other black Americans did what they could to counter the racism of the home front, acts that give impetus to their own training. There is a poem dedicated to Dorie Miller, the Navy cook who was awarded the Navy Cross for his heroic actions during the attack on Pearl Harbor; another recounts boxer Joe Louis's victories in the ring, his benefit matches to raise money for army and navy relief funds, and his convincing the War Department to admit him and Jackie Robinson to Officer Candidate School
"along with thirteen other men
whom racist policies had barred." (pg 30)
In another poem, readers learn that singer Lena Horne refused to go on USO tours that barred black servicemen. And refusing to perform in white-only establishments, too,
"Now Lena pays her own way
to perform for the troops. When she visits Tuskegee,
she sings, perches on planes, and poses for photos.
How could you not fall for Lena?" (pg 50)
As the child of a WWII nurse, I personally love that Weatherford even offers up a poem paying homage to the Tuskegee Army Airfield Nurses, finally giving this most unsung group of military nurses some of their due: "it really takes a good nurse to KEEP 'EM FLYING." (pg 13)
This free verse history is probably one of the best books I have read about the Tuskegee Airmen, simply because there is so much meaning and information to be culled from each poem, yet they are rather sparely written, making each word used important and expressive. And it all works.
The black and white illustrations were done in collaboration with Weatherford's son, Jeffery Boston Weatherford, an artist in his own right. For You Can Fly, Jeffery used a technique called scratchboard, which results a much more dramatic illustration than just using, for example, black and white paint/india ink or charcoal on white paper. Scratchboard results in a textured illustration and these compliment the poems so beautifully.
I have to admit I am a big fan of Carole Boston Weatherford's free verse histories. When she came to Bank Street this year, to accept the 2016 Flora Stieglitz Straus Award for nonfiction for her amazing book Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer: Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement, I'm afraid I may have shamelessly fangirled. So naturally, I was really looking forward to reading this new history-in-verse and let me say, it does not disappoint and I highly recommend it.
Do not miss the Epilogue or the interesting back matter that includes an Author's Note, an extensive Timeline, and a variety of Resources for Further Reading.
This book is recommended for readers age 9+
This book was sent to me by the publisher, Atheneum BFYR
This review was originally posted on The Children's War
In a series of thirty-three poems, Carole Boston Weatherford answers these questions, writing the history of this distinguished band of brothers, the African American pilots who fought for victory on two fronts, one in Europe against Nazism and one at home against racism.
Using a composite "you" that not only addresses the Tuskegee airmen as a whole, but also and immediately invites the reader into their midst, Weatherford begins her history-in-verse, capturing the big and small personal and shared moments and events that mark this period in America.
Weatherford skillfully orchestrates this complex history, beginning with a young boy's desire to fly to becoming one of 2,000 black pilots in the 1938 newly formed Civilian Pilot Training Program - 2,000 out of a total of 400,00 - sent to Tuskegee Institute. Training is rigorous, cadets knowing that
"The eyes of your country are on you;
the hopes of your people
rest on your shoulder." (pg 10-11)
She then takes the reader along as the men learn and practice their new skills, even as they must still deal with racism and Jim Crow laws at every turn, knowing
"In this war, the enemy is you.
In 1941 and 1942, eleven black men -
if you count the three boys -
were lynched in the United States." (pg 19)
Weatherford deftly goes beyond the Tuskegee program to include the ways in which other black Americans did what they could to counter the racism of the home front, acts that give impetus to their own training. There is a poem dedicated to Dorie Miller, the Navy cook who was awarded the Navy Cross for his heroic actions during the attack on Pearl Harbor; another recounts boxer Joe Louis's victories in the ring, his benefit matches to raise money for army and navy relief funds, and his convincing the War Department to admit him and Jackie Robinson to Officer Candidate School
"along with thirteen other men
whom racist policies had barred." (pg 30)
In another poem, readers learn that singer Lena Horne refused to go on USO tours that barred black servicemen. And refusing to perform in white-only establishments, too,
"Now Lena pays her own way
to perform for the troops. When she visits Tuskegee,
she sings, perches on planes, and poses for photos.
How could you not fall for Lena?" (pg 50)
As the child of a WWII nurse, I personally love that Weatherford even offers up a poem paying homage to the Tuskegee Army Airfield Nurses, finally giving this most unsung group of military nurses some of their due: "it really takes a good nurse to KEEP 'EM FLYING." (pg 13)
This free verse history is probably one of the best books I have read about the Tuskegee Airmen, simply because there is so much meaning and information to be culled from each poem, yet they are rather sparely written, making each word used important and expressive. And it all works.
The black and white illustrations were done in collaboration with Weatherford's son, Jeffery Boston Weatherford, an artist in his own right. For You Can Fly, Jeffery used a technique called scratchboard, which results a much more dramatic illustration than just using, for example, black and white paint/india ink or charcoal on white paper. Scratchboard results in a textured illustration and these compliment the poems so beautifully.
I have to admit I am a big fan of Carole Boston Weatherford's free verse histories. When she came to Bank Street this year, to accept the 2016 Flora Stieglitz Straus Award for nonfiction for her amazing book Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer: Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement, I'm afraid I may have shamelessly fangirled. So naturally, I was really looking forward to reading this new history-in-verse and let me say, it does not disappoint and I highly recommend it.
Do not miss the Epilogue or the interesting back matter that includes an Author's Note, an extensive Timeline, and a variety of Resources for Further Reading.
This book is recommended for readers age 9+
This book was sent to me by the publisher, Atheneum BFYR
This review was originally posted on The Children's War
scostner's review
4.0
Weatherford has put together the story of the Tuskegee Airmen through a collection of poems. Each poem marks another step in the journey that took these servicemen from being stuck as support personnel to owning the skies as Red Tail Angels. Although the poems work as a whole to tell the story, each one captures a specific event or impression that can also stand on its own. There is the irony in "The Civilian Pilot Training Program," which mentions the recruiting posters showing Uncle Sam, but everyone knew that the young black men were not wanted for any of the glamorous jobs. "The Other War" reminds us that these pilot trainees not only fought to succeed in ground school, but still had to face racism every day, too. And "A Long Line" sounds a roll call of heroic black men from the pharaohs of Egypt, Crispus Attucks, Robert Smalls, the Harlem Hellfighters, up to the Tuskegee Airmen.
It's not just the poetry, but also the extras that make the book so useful. Jeffery Boston Weatherford's scratchboard artwork provides images of recruiting posters, the Joe Louis/Max Schmeling fight, and other visuals to support the content of the poems. The Author's Note gives a brief explanation of the history of African-American soldiers serving in the U.S. military up to the time of World War II. A timeline covers major events from the end of the Civil War to the invitation for the Tuskegee Airmen to attend the inauguration of President Obama. The resource section lists books, films, and primary source documents for further information.
This would be an excellent book to use in social studies classrooms when the students are studying World War II or the Civil Rights Movement. It could support student understanding of the issues, but could also be used as examples for students to mimic in creating their own responses to the material they are studying. And the same applies to the artwork - the scratchboard style could be imitated, or other styles could be used to illustrate key scenes from the time period.
Highly recommended for 5th grade and up.
I read an advance galley provided by the publisher for review purposes.
It's not just the poetry, but also the extras that make the book so useful. Jeffery Boston Weatherford's scratchboard artwork provides images of recruiting posters, the Joe Louis/Max Schmeling fight, and other visuals to support the content of the poems. The Author's Note gives a brief explanation of the history of African-American soldiers serving in the U.S. military up to the time of World War II. A timeline covers major events from the end of the Civil War to the invitation for the Tuskegee Airmen to attend the inauguration of President Obama. The resource section lists books, films, and primary source documents for further information.
This would be an excellent book to use in social studies classrooms when the students are studying World War II or the Civil Rights Movement. It could support student understanding of the issues, but could also be used as examples for students to mimic in creating their own responses to the material they are studying. And the same applies to the artwork - the scratchboard style could be imitated, or other styles could be used to illustrate key scenes from the time period.
Highly recommended for 5th grade and up.
I read an advance galley provided by the publisher for review purposes.
bookworm_baggins's review
5.0
Read aloud to Emma and Will. I picked this up expecting to read 4 or 5 of the short selections and we ended up reading the entire book in one day over the course of two sittings. As free verse novels go, this one wasn’t the most poetic I’ve read, though it did have some standout selections. However, the style lent itself well to the topic, gradually drawing the reader into what it meant to be a black man wanting to serve in WWII. My kids (11 and 9) were skeptical at first and ended up really enjoying listening and learned a lot in the process. A lot of important history was brought to their level. The length was perfect and worked so well as a read aloud.
nexttotheblues's review against another edition
5.0
I'm a sucker for nonfiction poetry. What a multifaceted account of The Tuskegee Airmen and the time they lived. Really nice context.
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