Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans by Kadir Nelson

I could've sworn I reviewed this book last summer when I read it, but alas, it went unreviewed, which is a crying shame because this book is beautiful. And with Martin Luther King, Jr. Day coming up and Black History Month approaching, this is a book that needs to be on everyone's radar.

One of the reasons kids (and adults for that matter) find history so boring is because they are forced to read "un-biased" texts void of any voice. Told from the perspective of a "grandmother-like figure who would allow me to focus on major historical milestones that affected both her family and the rest of the country," Kadir Nelson creates a history of the African American experience full of, well, Heart and Soul.

Once you put a book like this in the hands of students, suddenly history comes alive. I am not ashamed to admit that I teared up a couple times while reading this book. For a non-fiction text to do that is quite a feat.

This would be a great mentor text to use with kids about voice and writing about history through someone else's lens.



Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans by Kadir Nelson
Published: September 27, 2011
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Pages: 108
Genre: Nonfiction
Audience: Middle Grade/Young Adult
Disclosure: Book checked out from my local library