Toni Morrison

Black Arts Movement

Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. The Black Arts Movement or BAM is the artistic branch of the Black Power movement. It was started in Harlem by writer and activist Amiri Baraka (born Everett LeRoi Jones). Time Magazine describes the Black Arts Movement as the "single most controversial moment in the history of African-American literature-- possibly in American literature as a whole." The Black Arts Repertory Theatre is a key institution of the Black Arts Movement. The movement was one of the most important times in the African American literature. It inspired black people to establish their own publishing houses, magazines, journals and art institutions. It led to the creation of African American Studies programs within universities. The movement was triggered by the assassination of Malcolm X. Other well-known writers that were involved with this movement included Nikki Giovanni, Sonia Sanchez, Maya Angelou, and Rosa Grey.

Jacqueline Woodson

Song of Solomon (Novel)

Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Song of Solomon is a 1977 novel by American author Toni Morrison. It follows the life of Macon "Milkman" Dead III, an African-American male living in Michigan, from birth to adulthood. This book won the National Books Critics Award, was chosen for Oprah Winfrey's popular book club, and was cited by the Swedish Academy in awarding Morrison the 1993 Nobel Prize in literature. The main character, Macon "Milkman" Dead III, derives his nickname from the fact that he was breastfed for far too long. One of Milkman's father's tenants, Freddie, happens to see him through the window being breastfed by his mother. Milkman is so tall by now his feet are "touching the floor." He quickly gains a reputation for being a "Momma's boy" in direct contrast to his (future) best friend, Guitar, who is motherless and fatherless.

International Literacy Day

Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online.September 8 was proclaimed International Literacy Day by UNESCO on November 17, 1965. It was first celebrated in 1966. Its aim is to highlight the importance of literacy to individuals, communities and societies. On International Literacy Day each year, UNESCO reminds the international community of the status of literacy and adult learning globally. Celebrations take place around the world. Some 776 million adults lack minimum literacy skills; one in five adults is still not literate and two-thirds of them are women; 75 million children are out-of-school and many more attend irregularly or drop out. According to UNESCO's "Global Monitoring Report on Education for All (2008)", South and West Asia has the lowest regional adult literacy rate (58.6%), followed by sub-Saharan Africa (59.7%), and the Arab States (62.7%). Countries with the lowest literacy rates in the world are Burkina Faso (12.8%), Niger (14.4%) and Mali (19%). The report shows a clear connection between illiteracy and countries in severe poverty, and between illiteracy and prejudice against women.

Toni Morrison

Approaches to Teaching the Works of Toni Morrison

Essays on teaching Morrison as novelist and public intellectual Toni Morrison's novels have been frequently taught and frequently honored, earning the Nobel Prize and other awards. They are also frequently challenged and banned, a fact that highlights their power. Centering Black people and their lives, Morrison's writing pushes readers to reconsider their ideas about canonical American literature. It also rewards engagement with its structural and stylistic creativity and deep historical grounding. This volume offers approaches to teaching Morrison that help students navigate the complexities of her works and find in them ways to make sense of the world. Encouraging instructors and students to reflect on their own racialized identities, essays also emphasize reading in community, whether as collaborative pedagogy, team teaching, or public humanities initiatives, reinforcing the fostering of mutual respect and a community of care. This volume contains discussion of Toni Morrison's Beloved, The Bluest Eye, Home, God Help the Child, Jazz, Paradise, Song of Solomon, Sula, Tar Baby, and "Recitatif," in addition to Fatih Akin's Gegen die Wand, Auf der anderen Seite, and The Cut; James Baldwin's Giovanni's Room; Louise Erdrich's Love Medicine, Tracks, Four Souls, and The Night Watchman; William Faulkner's As I Lay Dying; Gabriel García Márquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude; Darryl A. Smith's "The Pretended"; and Tennessee Williams's The Rose Tattoo.