On My Journey Now: Looking at African-American History Through the Spirituals
Written by: Nikki Giovanni
Junior High and High School Grades
"The songs written and first sung by African-American slaves were inspired by a host of human needs: to express emotion, to call God, to remain heartened under oppression, and, perhaps most importantly, to communicate covertly, often about the Underground Railroad. Giovanni brings these motives home in this short, impressionistic look at the lives of the slaves, beginning with their holding in places such as Cape Coast Castle and Goree Island, through the end of the Civil War, when members of divided families desperately attempted to track one another down. Giovanni is a poet, and the book has cadence; in tone, it almost reads like the transcript of a speech or sermon, as the author is generous with her own opinions and often refers to herself within the text."
School Library Journal Review
Online Resources:
http://nikki-giovanni.com/
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/nikki-giovanni
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