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A Primer for a Cultural Phenonmenon

18/8/2019

 
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The more closely an individual skillfully expresses his or her own personal truth, the more it resonates with universal humanity.  Thus, art is created.  iNK author, Carole Boston Weatherford and artist Frank Morrison have created a work of art to explain an art genre-- the wildly pulsating manipulation of words, sounds, music, dance and rhythms of rap.  Like other art forms, rap has its roots in earlier incarnations of popular music most of which are foreign to me.  I was raised on classical music and discovered jazz as a young adult.  I was never into popular commercial music as a girl although I did, on occasion, listen to the "Hit Parade" on the radio on Saturdays. I certainly didn't grow up with earbuds and unlimited access to what flows through fiber optic cables.  So I'm not qualified as an expert to render my opinion on Weatherford's and Morrison's  new book The Roots of Rap:16 Bars on the 4 Pillars of Hip-Hop.  So, to do this work (which is clearly a labor of love) justice, I treated it as a study guide.  I began by looking up the 4 pillars of Hip-Hop which are graffiti, break-dancing, rapping and "dub, " the  simultaneous changes of speed and direction of  two records on two turn-tables by one DJ.

First,I read the book through, soaking up the impassioned and powerful artwork of Frank Morrison. My take-away was that the source of the music was people rising up from urban streets who demanded that they be heard and created music and art (graffiti)  that compelled attention.  Although I had heard some of the names of the artists through the zeitgeist, I didn't really know who they were.  So I went to You Tube, looked up the artist, opened a new window where I could read the lyrics as I listened to the music and watched the videos.  I was determined not to miss a beat. 

Weatherford introduces her musical history  in The Roots of Rap with:

"Soulman James Brown shouting, 'I'm black and I'm proud.' 
​"Giving birth to funk--bass lining pulsing loud. 
​ "BA BUMP BA BUMP BA BOOM BOOM BUZZ--​ BA BUMP BA BUMP BA BOOM BOOM BUZZ"

This music was played at volume to the max in boom boxes and cars, filling public spaces with sound that invited dancing. Not just toe-tapping dancing but amazingly athletic  break-dancing on sidewalks.  I watched the B-Boys--the best of the best.  Who know the human body was capable of such moves?  Why haven't they been adopted to liven up the floor exercises in gymnastic competitions and add points for difficulty?  Next came the Jamaican reggae beat that was embellished by DJs who man-handled turntables, improvising live and in real time a novel mix of already recorded music, creating a  genre  called "dub."  D. J. Kool, known as the founder of hip-hop, interacted mightily with his live audience who kept up with his off-beat approach and rat-a-tat lyrics that are both fervent and witty.   Weatherford was a kind guide to this greenhorn as she gently shared her knowledge of music that she has come to love.  So if rap is foreign to you, this not just a book to read.  It is a course in music appreciation. 


In the back-matter there is a "Hip-Hop Who's Who" that can keep a playlist-builder busy. Rap has no limit  in its range of expression, from  anger to yearning to a celebration of life, which makes it popular world-wide. It is an amalgam of  diverse cultures, beats, songs and poems.  Some of it may be too raw for the very young.  But then, some very young children have already experienced a harsh reality not of their own making.  Whatever it is, there's a rap song for that.

In this one-of-a-kind picture book about music without a sound track Carole Boston Weatherford and Frank Morisson have created an introduction to  a universal form of communication that is echoing around the world.  Go catch the wave. 

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Busy Chewing Up the Scenery to Make a New Environment for Others

10/8/2019

 
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Meet an amazing animal that is doing its share to save the planet.  It's a rodent-- the "dent" part of its name refers to its teeth, which it uses  to gnaw down trees.  So how does that help save the planet?  The answer is in Dorothy Hinshaw Patent's latest book At Home with the Beaver: the Story of a Keystone Species.  She tells the story with gusto and her text works seamlessly with Michael Runtz's photos that add clarity, close-ups and time-stopping images worthy of intense scrutiny.

The beaver must chew wood-- something hard-- to keep its ever-growing front teeth short.  It uses its felled product to build.  It alters the landscape with its dams that stop creeks effectively enough to form ponds that become a new environment for many other species of plants, fish, frogs, insects, birds.  The pond becomes a food chain that would not exist but for the beaver. Since the beaver is the key to a new environment it is dubbed a "keystone" species.  The original keystone is the wedge-shaped stone in the top center of a stone arch that keeps all the other stones in place, making the arch possible, even without mortar.  
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This keystone is carved but it still makes the arch of this bridge stable and possible-Wikimedia commons
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The beaver's home is less asthetic but does the job. From At Home with the Beaver-Michael Runtz
The web of life, the inter-dependency of species- is a complex concept that is crucial to our comprehension if we are going to make an effort to take care of our planet and the current seemingly distant threat of global warming.  Patent's book shows the uninitiated how living creatures depend on each other and on the one species that creates a space for them to thrive.

​For those who love nature and have actually visited a beaver pond, this book is a way to introduce an amazing habitat to their friends.  For those who have never visited a beaver pond, At Home with the Beaver can motivate them to put down their phones, and make plans to go find one for themselves.  

When Rules Get in the Way

3/8/2019

 
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In the simplest terms, we Americans call ourselves a democracy that is "of the people, by the people and for the people." The act of voting establishes our power. So, just how well are we doing?

In in 1787, after the colonies had won independence from the tyranny of Great Britain, they sent delegates to Philadelphia to "frame" the rules for the citizens of our new nation.  The result is the Constitution of the United States of America-- a four page document with 4,591 words, including signatures.  Over the years, another 3,048 words have been added in 27 Amendments.  But according to iNK author Cynthia and her husband, Sandford Levinson, authors of  271 page book for the YA audience,
Fault Lines in the Constitution: The Framers, Their Fights, and the Flaws that Affect Us Today,  following our Constitution, as it is written, has its problems.  These are not unlike the work that a playwright has to do on a script  after the actors start reading it.  The questions about such texts are: What works and what doesn't?

For those who don't know much about the Constitution, it is defined by the Levinsons as "an agreement that describes how an organization is governed.  It is different from a collections of laws.  The purpose of a constitution is to determine who makes the laws, how those decision makers are chosen, how long they serve, and what powers they have......it is intended to help a group of people accept leadership and reduce friction.  That's the idea at any rate."

Each chapter starts with an incident  or event that conflicts with  or has no obvious resolution within the Constitution as it is written.  Outlining the problem and its resolution requires the attention of the reader.   This is a challenge for its YA audience, and even for adult readers who think they know a thing or two (like me!).  The Levinsons have broken down the problem into eight parts beginning with a Preamble (which means "walks before" and a Post-amble (backmatter, including a timeline, notes, etc.).  It is a book to guide study in a course on civics.  It should be digested bite by bite and be required reading for students who have ambitions for careers in public service in politics, law enforcement, and justice.

The Levinsons chose the words "Fault Lines" for their title because:
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"The metaphor of fault lines come from geology and refers to shifting tectonic plates beneath the earth's surface that can cause rumbles ranging from mild vibrations to catastrophic earthquakes and tsunamis. Architects safe-guard residents in these zones by construction buildings that can withstand shaking.

"But what if you lived in a building that got a C on an earthquake safety test?  Assuming you decided not to move, you'd want your home shored up.  That's what we believe the Constitution needs--reinforcement.  And it's up to all of us to provide it.."


The book ends with a debate between the authors (who are also husband and wife) who disagree on what we should do next.  Both Levinsons do agree that the Constitution needs to be fixed.  They each have ideas on how this is to be done. 

Their conversation is a model for civil discussion that is supposed to take place on the floors of Congress as well as classrooms around our country. 

The updated paperback revision of this book is available now.  
   


     Vicki Cobb

    *Award-winning author of more than 90 nonfiction books for children, mostly in science.
    *Former Contributor to the Huffington Post
    *Founder/President of iNK Think Tank, Inc.
    *Passionate advocate for the joy of learning for every child and teacher.


    Disclaimer: All opinions, typos, and grammatical errors are my own,  especially small word omissions which I often don't notice in my fervor.  

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iNK Think Tank, Inc. is a nonprofit with the mission of using nonfiction children's literature in classrooms

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