Reflection on the text set

Having looked at these pieces of African American literature, I found that they had multiple things in common. The thing that stuck out most to me was the cultural background information they attempted to rely upon its readers. Each of these books were set in a setting of the past and attempted to show readers what life was possibly like for an African American growing up in the past. They each had a component of segregation as their focus points, and each book seemed to end leaving a deep message. This message was usually focused on the new found relationship that will never be forgotten, or they focused on how things were going to change in the future and what life will eventually be, segregation free. I learned that each of these can stand as a lesson learned about what segregation does to a society and how impressionable small relationships can be to those around us. Each of these were touching stories that I believe are important for young and old readers alike to enjoy. It is important to give African American readers a sense of belonging and this guiding light of hope. The African American literature I read does this as many books should. They should be considered valuable pieces of literature and should be included in personal and public libraries all around.

I also learned valuable information while searching for critical professional reviews. I came across a multicultural review that gave me much better insight to the criteria and reasoning behind including multicultural literature in children’s classrooms. I realized that each criteria was in some way similar to each of the books I reviewed and I am now able to truly see why each book was chosen and published and what each is attempting to represent. At first I was unclear of why each one seemed to be set in the past, but after reading the professional review, I gained a much better insight and understanding of the stereotypes and characteristics that are attempting to be portrayed. I enjoyed reading others reviews as well to gain a better understanding of African American literature I may have missed or overlooked.