Langston Hughes: American Poet

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When Langston Hughes was a boy, his grandmother told him true stories of how African people were captured in Africa and brought to America enslaved. She told him about their fight for freedom and justice.

Langston loved his grandmother's stories. To learn more stories and bear more beautiful language, he began to read books. He fell in love with books and decided that one day he would write stories too, true stories about Black people.

When he ...

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More About This Book

Overview

When Langston Hughes was a boy, his grandmother told him true stories of how African people were captured in Africa and brought to America enslaved. She told him about their fight for freedom and justice.

Langston loved his grandmother's stories. To learn more stories and bear more beautiful language, he began to read books. He fell in love with books and decided that one day he would write stories too, true stories about Black people.

When he was only fourteen, Langston wrote his first poem, and for the rest of his life he was always writing — stories and essays and, most of all, poems. He wrote about Black people as he saw them: happy, sad, mad, and beautiful. Through his writing he fought for freedom from inequality and injustice; and his gift of words inspired and influenced many other writers.

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Alice Walker was one writer Langston influenced. In this moving and richly detailed portrait she celebrates the life of an extraordinary man. Accompanied by stunning paintings by artist Catherine Deeter, Langston Hughes: American Poet will introduce a whole new generation to the life and works of a great African American Poet of the twentieth century, and one of the most important poets of all time.

An illustrated biography of the Harlem poet whose works gave voice to the joy and pain of the Black experience in America.

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Editorial Reviews

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The Barnes & Noble Review
Langston Hughes was well known for his gentle nature, honest voice, and triumphant spirit, all of which are well reflected in this biography by Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Alice Walker. First published in 1974, Langston Hughes: American Poet tells the story of Hughes's childhood and his development into one of the greatest poets of the 20th century. It also introduces readers to some of Hughes's earliest works by including two of his poems in the text.

Hughes's childhood was hardly idyllic, much of it spent in Kansas with his grandmother while his mother searched for work and his father grew rich and embittered on a ranch in Mexico. He faced many obstacles in trying to achieve his dream of one day becoming a writer, including racial injustice, oppressive poverty, and a pervasive loneliness. In the hands of a less experienced writer, Hughes's background and experiences might seem depressing. But Walker describes the man's gentle perseverance, unflappable determination, and eventual achievement of his dream in a way that is both heartwarming and inspirational. Yet while Walker's affection for her subject clearly shines through, she avoids sugarcoating when she talks about Hughes's pain over his parents' broken marriage, his dismay at being victimized by racism, or his disgust at realizing that his own father was a bitter snob and a terrible bigot.

Walker's telling of Hughes's story is plenty powerful on its own, but the book packs an even greater wallop thanks to Catherine Deeter's evocative illustrations, paintings rich with color, detail, and emotion. Thanks to this combined effort, future generations of readers will come to know Hughes and his work and understand how he came to be one of the great writers of our time. (Beth Amos)

Publishers Weekly
"Deeter contributes imposing artwork to Walker's first book for children, originally published in 1974, impressively meshing realism and symbolism in her period paintings," wrote PW. Ages 7-11. (Jan.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
Publishers Weekly
Deeter (who also collaborated with the author on Finding the Green Stone and To Hell with Dying) contributes imposing artwork to Walker's first book for children, originally published in 1974. Impressively meshing realism and symbolism, the period-detailed paintings make creative use of light and texture as they portray the poet at various ages, in a spectrum of settings. Walker's rather wandering, informal narrative explains that Hughes, born in 1902, spent much of his childhood living with his grandmother in Kansas, while his mother moved around in search of work and his bitter, bigoted father settled in Mexico, where he became a wealthy rancher. A lonely child, Hughes "began to love books more than he loved most people." As the author traces the determined Hughes's path to realizing his dream of becoming a poet, her conversational tone recalls that of an oral storyteller; after explaining how he encountered racial discrimination when applying for jobs, she writes: "Some people, when they have a hard time, stay mad, with their lips poked out. But not Langston. When he felt bad, he sat down and wrote poems until he felt better." In a new author's note, Walker describes her personal connection to Hughes, affirming the affection that shines through this warm portrait. Ages 7-11. (Jan.) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
Children's Literature
Just in time for his centennial celebrations, the reprint of Alice Walker's loving portrait of Hughes is most welcome. Her narrative remains the same: a child-friendly look at the key points in Hughes's youth that set him on the road to becoming the writer that he was. Kids will love the Mexico City earthquake that never allowed Langston to catch up on his sleep before being bundled on the train back to Kansas. Adults will enjoy Walker's new Author's Note, which describes her warm friendship with the older Hughes during her college days. All readers will be drawn into Catherine Deeter's finely evocative paintings of Hughes and his times. An added bonus to all this is the inclusion of two of Langston's most memorable early poems-not as an afterthought, but beautifully flowing from the text. This is not a book for the multicultural market. It is a book for everyone about a native son who stretched for his dreams, sang like Walt Whitman of America, and made us all proud. 2002 (orig. 1974), Amistad/HarperCollins, $16.95. Ages 7 to 11. Reviewer: Kathleen Karr
School Library Journal
Gr 2-5-This text originally published in 1974 is accompanied by new, colorful paintings. In clear but at times dry prose, the author reveals the many influences that led Hughes to become who he was. He was raised by a loving grandmother and by a mother who had difficulty finding jobs. He dealt with loneliness, racism, and a distant father who, he realized, hated his own people-black Americans-as well as Native Americans. The artwork is rendered in lovely, inviting hues and softens the misery the narrative describes. For example, a depiction of young Langston meeting his estranged, bitter father shows the elder Hughes in a much warmer light than the wording might indicate. The new edition is larger in format than the older one and has a more modern picture-book feel, as well as an author's note. Two of Hughes's poems are included: "When Susanna Jones Wears Red" and "The Negro Speaks of Rivers." Walker's version balances Floyd Cooper's Coming Home (Philomel, 1994) by delving more into Hughes's adult life. An acceptable choice for poetry units and Black History Month.-Anne Chapman Callaghan, Racine Public Library, WI Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
The text of a 1974 picture-book biography of the poet Langston Hughes is reprinted, with new illustrations. The narrative focuses on Hughes's youth, describing how the break-up of his parents' marriage led to an unsettled childhood spent first with his storytelling grandmother and later, in adolescence, with his often unemployed mother. From these experiences, coupled with a disappointing relationship with his embittered father, grew Hughes's passion for setting down in verse his pride in his people. Unfortunately, the text itself demonstrates little passion, and almost no sense of poetry-a sad absence in a book about one of the 20th-century's greatest American poets. An author's note, new for this edition, indicates that a passion for the subject is there, despite appearances; it seems that here Walker has simply succumbed to the "dumbing-down" syndrome that afflicts so many writers for adults when they turn their pens to children's books. The elegance of her prose for adults is largely missing in this offering, which features choppy, pedestrian language instead: "This [discrimination] made Langston mad. He thought it was stupid for white people not to hire him just because his skin was black." Deeter's muted illustrations do little to compensate for the lackluster text; mostly static, they at times verge on the sentimental. One exception to this is a striking, Dillon-like composition that pictures a monumental black man growing organically out of the land around the Mississippi; this accompanies one of the two poems included in the text, "The Negro Speaks of Rivers." The writer of those poems deserves better than this. No bibliography or source notes are included. (Picturebook/biography. 7-10)
ALA Booklist
"An excellent introduction to Hughes.The engaging, anecdotal style is perfect for read-alouds."
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Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780060798895
  • Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
  • Publication date: 12/27/2005
  • Edition description: Reprint
  • Pages: 48
  • Age range: 7 - 11 Years
  • Product dimensions: 8.75 (w) x 10.00 (h) x 0.00 (d)

Meet the Author

Alice Walker

Alice Walker won the Pulitzer Prize and an American Book Award for her novel The Color Purple. She has written numerous poems, essays, and short stories, including her most recent book, The Way Forward is With a Broken Heart. Originally published in 1974, Langston Hughes: American Poet was Alice Walker's first book for children. This picture book biography is now back in print with a new author's note and beautiful new illustrations. Ms. Walker lives in Northern California.

This is Catherine Deeter's third collaboration with Alice Walker. Their first two books for children were Finding the Green Stone and To Hell With Dying. Ms. Deeter has also illustrated The Return of Rex and Ethel by Arnold Adoff, Poppy Bear: The Garden Rat Overslept by Ruth E. Saltzman, and her own Seymour Bleu. She lives in Templeton, California.

Biography

Alice Walker won the Pulitzer Prize and the American Book Award for her novel The Color Purple, which was preceded by The Third Life of Grange Copeland and Meridian. Her other bestselling novels include By the Light of My Father's Smile, Possessing the Secret of Joy and The Temple of My Familiar. She is also the author of two collections of short stories, three collections of essays, five volumes of poetry and several children's books. Her books have been translated into more than two dozen languages. Born in Eatonton, Georgia, Walker now lives in Northern California.

Author biography courtesy of Random House, Inc.

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    1. Also Known As:
      Alice Malsenior Walker (full name)
    2. Hometown:
      Mendocino, California
    1. Date of Birth:
      February 9, 1944
    2. Place of Birth:
      Eatonton, Georgia
    1. Education:
      B.A., Sarah Lawrence College, 1965; attended Spelman College, 1961-63

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  • Posted April 10, 2009

    more from this reviewer

    I Also Recommend:

    The Dream Keeper and Other Poems
    My People
    Selected Poems of Langston Hughes

    GREAT BOOK

    MY NAME IS R. P. MORRISON AND I AM A 7 YEAR OLD FOURTH GRADER. I TRULY ENJOYED THIS BOOK. I LEARNED A LOT ABOUT LANGSTON HUGHES. I USED THIS BOOK AS PART OF MY ORAL PRESENTATION. I PASSED THE BOOK AROUND AFTER MY PRESENTATION. MANY OF MY CLASSMATES WANTED TO PURCHASE IT. THE BOOK BROUGHT LANGSTON HUGHES TO LIFE. ALICE WALKER MADE US UNDERSTAND HIM AS A WRITER AND A HUMAN BEING. SHE SHARED MOMENTS THAT MADE HIM A SPECIAL HUMAN BEING. ONCE I STARTED THE BOOK I WAS UNABLE TO PUT IT DOWN. ALICE WALKER KEPT ME INTERESTED. SHE HAD MY FULL ATTENTION. I FELT AS THOUGH I WAS TAKING A TRIP BACK IN TIME. I HOPE THAT OTHER FOURTH GRADERS READ THIS BOOK. THIS IS A GOOD BOOK FOR PARENTS TO READ FOR AND WITH THEIR CHILDREN. I STRONGLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK. LANGSTON TAUGHT US THAT WE SHOULD NEVER GIVE UP ON OUR DREAMS.

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