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A review by bickie
A Long Time Coming: A Lyrical Biography of Race in America from Ona Judge to Barack Obama by Ray Anthony Shepard
5.0
Highly readable "work of creative nonfiction told in five story-poems - flash lines of verse, prose, and quotes - anchored in historical facts" following the "significant events" in 5 Black historical figures' lives from 1773-2008 "that show how they tilted the country's moral arc toward liberty, freedom, and justice" (quotes from the preface by the author). While the stories contain snippets of hard history, they focus on the resistance and perseverance of the people to continue working "toward a more perfect union" where there is social and racial justice.
All chapters/story-poems are made up of many individual poems, most labeled with a place and date, and all titled. The individual poems are impressionistic, and many have a rhythm that would work well when read aloud. They are peppered with italicized quotes from primary sources. The five chapters are bookended by poems "Did You Even Wonder?" and "The Long Time" (labeled as an Epilogue). Back matter includes a timeline from 1775-2008, "History Clips" listing internet resources to primary sources, and "Further Reading" providing age-appropriate suggestions on the topics of "Enslavement and Emancipation," "Freedom and Justice," and "The Promise of America." There is also an extensive Bibliography and Source Notes section listing primary and secondary sources used as well as the sources of the italicized quotes for each chapter as well as a comprehensive index.
Given the people's life experiences, there is mention of rape, beatings, lynching and other murder, alcohol and cannabis use, and extra-marital affairs. Two quotes contain profanity: one from President Lyndon B. Johnson ["What is that g*dd***ed n*****r preacher doing to me?"] and one from Barack Obama's white grandfather ["Should be one h*ll of a Christmas"].
All chapters/story-poems are made up of many individual poems, most labeled with a place and date, and all titled. The individual poems are impressionistic, and many have a rhythm that would work well when read aloud. They are peppered with italicized quotes from primary sources. The five chapters are bookended by poems "Did You Even Wonder?" and "The Long Time" (labeled as an Epilogue). Back matter includes a timeline from 1775-2008, "History Clips" listing internet resources to primary sources, and "Further Reading" providing age-appropriate suggestions on the topics of "Enslavement and Emancipation," "Freedom and Justice," and "The Promise of America." There is also an extensive Bibliography and Source Notes section listing primary and secondary sources used as well as the sources of the italicized quotes for each chapter as well as a comprehensive index.
Given the people's life experiences, there is mention of rape, beatings, lynching and other murder, alcohol and cannabis use, and extra-marital affairs. Two quotes contain profanity: one from President Lyndon B. Johnson ["What is that g*dd***ed n*****r preacher doing to me?"] and one from Barack Obama's white grandfather ["Should be one h*ll of a Christmas"].