WE TROUBLED THE WATERS by Ntozake Shange

Magnificent. This is the word that comes to mind about the poems and paintings in WE TROUBLED THE WATERS by NTOZAKE SHANGE. It is a child's book. After reading the poems, I would call it a book with no age specified. It's about the struggles of the Civil Rights movement. The issues written about are in poetic form and tackle very heavy issues. There is: voting rights, Jim Crow, lynching, etc. It is also about famous people. For example, Rosa Parks, Booker T. Washington, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King. There is a dedication to the Little Rock Nine. "To the Little Rock Nine with great appreciation"--Ntozake Shange.

The poetry hits the heart. The poetry made me really feel how strong African Americans are as a people. I was also greatly moved by each painting. The paintings are wondrous. Each one painted by Rod Brown whom I can't wait to learn more about as an artist and painter or book illustrator. No poem is unnecessary. No poem drags, wanders or is dull. What a powerful "child's" book.http://www.boomerangbooks.com.au/We-Troubled-the-Waters/Ntozake-Shange/book_9780061337352.htm

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