Discovering Urban Fiction for Middle School Students Compiled by: K.C. Boyd, MLS Area Library Coordinator Department of Libraries and Information Services Chicago Public Schools.
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Discovering Urban Fiction for Middle School Students Compiled by: K.C. Boyd, MLS Area Library Coordinator Department of Libraries and Information Services Chicago Public Schools What are pre-teens reading? What is Urban Fiction? Urban Fiction is a popular yet controversial genre especially among young African-American and Hispanic patrons. The genre features characters living in large urban cities that are usually involved in drug dealing, gang violence, and/or prostitution. http://www.libsuccess.org/Urban_Fiction/ What is Urban Fiction? Urban Fiction is also identified as: Urban Literature Gangster Literature Ghetto Literature Hip Hop Literature Street Fiction Street Literature What Are Some of the Characteristics of Urban Fiction Characteristics of Urban Fiction 1. Often self-published or published by small, independent presses. 2. Generally published in a trade paperback format 3. Some are poorly edited and have weak storylines 4. Often not reviewed in mainstream publications 5. Some authors are or have served time in jail/prison http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/ Characteristics of Urban Fiction cont. • The genre is made up of young, first-time African-American authors. • Stories take place in large urban cities such as Richmond, VA, Chicago, IL, New York , Washington, D.C. and Newark, New Jersey. • Gritty and includes plenty of sex, drugs, and violence. Drug dealing, or “the game”, is a common theme. • Written in the language of the streets, with plenty of slang and four-letter words. http://teenlibrarian.com/ Characteristics of Urban Fiction cont. • Heavy references are made to designer clothing, jewelry and expensive cars. • Female characters are often shallow and self-centered at the beginning, but learn valuable lessons through facing hardships. • Characters may profit from drug dealing, enjoying their wealth, but eventually most pay the price. Many titles end in tragedy – violent deaths, prison. • The cover art often feature photos of scantily clad women, men with guns, expensive cars, etc. http://teenlibrarian.com/ The Pioneers of Urban Fiction Pioneers of Urban Fiction Claude Brown 1965 Pioneers of Urban Fiction Robert “Iceberg Slim” Beck 1969 Pioneers of Urban Fiction Donald Goines 1971 Why Is Urban Fiction So Popular? Why Is Urban Fiction So Popular? • The stories reflect a world that many young readers can relate to. • The stories give the reader an opportunity to escape their own difficult circumstance. • The stories are fast paced filled with taboo subjects such as sex, drugs and violence. Why Is Urban Fiction So Popular? • Urban Fiction books are shared between family members. • Some school districts have integrated books from the genre into the school curriculum. Why Is Urban Fiction So Popular? Universal themes/messages from rap/hip-hop music are present. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vI2eLGZaGNY Why Is Urban Fiction So Popular? Influence of Recording Artists Tupac Shakur 1999 Why Is Urban Fiction So Popular? Influence of Recording Artists Ashanti 2002 Why Is Urban Fiction So Popular? Influence of Recording Artists Alicia Keys 2005 Why Is Urban Fiction So Popular? Influence of Television HBO’s The Wire 2002-2008 What Are the Positive and Negative Characteristics of Urban Fiction? Positive • The stories are ‘cautionary tales’ – the overall messages conveyed in these stories are positive. • Gets an audience of reluctant readers excited about reading • Encourages young people to become authors. • Gives hope to young people who need help. Negative • Reinforces stereotypes and encourages irresponsible behavior. • Promotion of sex, drugs and violence. • Negative references to women. • Heavily commercialized. • Strong use of explicit language. Popular Adult Urban Fiction Authors The Top Three Male and Female Adult Urban Fiction Authors http://www.omartyree.com/ http://us.macmillan.com/author/kwan http://us.macmillan.com/author/shannonholmes http://www.sistersouljah.com/ http://teriwoodspublishing.com/site.html http://www.bookvideos.tv/videoid/1033 http://www.nikkiturner.com/ Popular Adult Urban Fiction Authors Wahida Clark Kashamba Williams Deja King Omar Tyree Keisha Irving Zane Relentless Aaron Kiki Swinson Teri Woods Lisa Lennox Quentin Carter Treasure Hernandez Ashley JaQuavis Tu-Shonda Whitaker Ashley Antionette Sapphire Darrell Debrew Jihad Deborah Mayer Victor L. Marter Leo Sullivan Shavonn Moore Critics of Urban Fiction Dr. Gloria Wade Gayles Independent Scholars Program Spelman College Urban fiction threw out African American family values and rituals, and it makes older people in the community invisible. There are exceptions, but most of this fiction is of the very brief now. It's not born to be read ten years from now. There are no James Baldwins, no Ralph Ellisons, no Toni Morrisons, no Ernest Gaineses. What is this genre‘s value, other than to make money? Meeting the Needs of Your Students Make sure your school has a written selection and reconsideration policy that addresses written challenges to books. If you don’t, you’re totally vulnerable. http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6632974.html Chicago Public Schools Collection Development Policy for School Libraries Librarians should make purchasing decisions based on their knowledge of the following: Students Communities Collection needs Other criteria set forth in the CPS Collection Development Policy for School Librarians A Dirty Little Secret: Self-Censorship Self-censorship is rampant and lethal By Debra Lau Whelan School Library Journal, 2/1/2009 Street Fight: Welcome to the World of Urban Lit Teens love it. Some librarians loathe it. Welcome to the world of urban lit. By Amy Pattee School Library Journal, 7/1/2008 Amy Pattee Assistant Professor Graduate School of Library Science Simmons College • Do our collections reflect the needs and tastes of the young people we serve? Or do they just reflect our own literary preferences? • Are we willing to challenge ourselves professionally and to open up to new forms of literary expression? Or are we set in our ways? • As librarians who are committed to serving teens, it’s essential to embrace urban street lit—even if its stories occasionally clash with our values. Dr. Sandra Hughes-Hassell Director of the School Library Media Program University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Urban Teens in the Library: Research and Practice by Dr. Sandra Hughes-Hassell http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzaXRLWLTkI 6:17- 8:53 Takin’ it to the Street: Teens and Street Lit By Megan Honig Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA), August, 2008 Six Steps to Meeting Urban Fiction Readers Needs by Megan Honig http://pdfs.voya.com/Vo/yaT/VoyaTakinItToTheStreets.pdf 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Respect the genre Provide Satisfying Alternates Provide Access Collect Urban Fiction books Use Urban Fiction in Library Programs Broaden your collection Popular Urban Fiction Novels And Series * Appeared on the 2008 Mayor Daley’s Book Club Choice List Anne Schraff and Paul Langan The Bluford Series is a collection of 15 novels that focus on the lives of a group of high school students and their families. Each novel addresses complex topics relevant to the lives of today's students: family, friendship, trust, violence, and peer pressure. * Appeared on the 2008 Mayor Daley’s Book Club Choice List Platinum Teens Series Created by former Triple Crown Publications author, Kasamba Williams. This series is written by teens, marketed as teen friendly and comes with a discussion guide. http://www.platinumteen.org/ http://www.eharlequin.com/ Monica McKayhan Earl Sewell * 2009 Mayor Daley’s Book Club Spring Conference Gift * Appears on the 2009 Mayor Daley’s Book Club Choice List * 2008 Mayor Daley’s Book Club Spring Conference Gift www.earlsewell.com * Currently appears on the 2009 Mayor Daley’s Book Club Choice List www.earlsewell.com * Appears on the 2009 Mayor Daley’s Book Club Choice List * 2008 Mayor Daley’s Book Club Spring Conference Gift * Appeared on the 2008 Mayor Daley’s Book Club Choice List * Appeared on the 2008 Mayor Daley’s Book Club Choice List Urban Lit Books with an Edge Drama High Series by L. Devine Drama High is a series of books that focuses on the lives of teens struggling with peer pressure, acceptance and selfesteem. http://www.dramahigh.com/index.htm * Appeared on the 2008 Mayor Daley’s Book Club Choice List Adult Books that Teens are Reading http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5FYahzVU 44 Where can I find more information about Urban Fiction novels? Selection Tools Book reviews from professional journals Booklist *School Library Journal Kirkus Reviews Horn Book Bulletin for the Center for Children’s Books Voice of Youth Advocates http://www.libraryjournal.co http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/ Word on Street Lit. #1-16 Vanessa J. Morris Assistant Professor Clarion Univ. of Pennsylvania Rollie Welch Collection Manager, Cleveland Public Library Selection Tools Urban Fiction Book Reviews 1. American Library Association – YALSA Good Reads for Teens http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/tenreading/recreading/recommendedreading.cfm 2. Amy Pattee, Assistant Professor, Graduate School of Library and Information Science http://gslis.simmons.edu/blogs/yaorstfu 3. Crazy Quilts http://http.campbele.wordpress.com/ 4. The Pinnacle http://urbanreviews.blogspot.com/ 5. RAWSISTAZ Reviews http://www.therawreviewers.com/index_sample.shtml 6. School Library Journal http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/ 7. Street Fiction http://www.streetfiction.org 8. Teen Librarian http://www.teenlibrarian.com/streetlit/ 9. Teen Reads http://teenreads.com/ 10. Teen Urban Fiction http://www.teenurbanfiction.com/ Urban Fiction Publishing Companies Black Expressions – search under kids http://www.blackexpressions.com/ The Cartel Publishing http://thecartelpublications.com/ Kessington Books – search under YA http://www.kensingtonbooks.com/ Qboro Books http://www.qborobooks.com/ Terri Woods Publishing http://teriwoodspublishing.com/site.html Triple Crown Publications http://www.triplecrownpublications.com/ Urban Books http://www.urbanbooks.net/ Urban Literature http://www.urbanliterature.com/ Author Websites Coe Booth - http://www.coebooth.com/ K’wan - http://www.kwanfoye.com/ L. Devine - http://www.dramahigh.com/ Sharon Draper - http://sharondraper.com/ Sonia Hayes - http://soniahayes.com/home.php Shannon Holmes - http://us.macmillan.com/author/shannonholmes Janet McDonald - www.janetmcdonald.com Denene Millner - http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/contributor.jsp?id=3747285 Mitzi Miller - http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/contributor.jsp?id=3747286 Earl Sewell - http://www.earlsewell.com/ Sister Souljah - http://sistersouljah.com/ Nikki Turner - http://nikkiturner.com/ Omar Tyree - http://www.omartyree.com/ Vickie Stringer - http://www.triplecrownpublications.com/ Terri Woods - http://teriwoodspublishing.com/site.html Urban Fiction Blogs and Wikispaces Bluford Series http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bluford_Series Crazy Quilts http://http.campbele.wordpress.com/ M. Doyle, MLK Middle School, San Francisco, California http://teenlibrarianblog.blogspot.com/2007/09/urban-fiction-for-teens.html The Pinnacle http://urbanreviews.blogspot.com/ Urban Fiction Journal Articles What teens are reading by Felicia Pride and Calvin Reid http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6620241.html “From the Street to the Libraries” by Anne Banard http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/23/nyregion/23fiction.html?_r=1&pagewanted= all “Inner City Teens Do Read” by Vanessa J. Morris, August, 2007 http://www.jahreinaresearch.info/VJMWebsite/urbanfiction/Inner%20City%20Teen s%20Do%20Read.rtf “Is Urban Fiction Appropriate for African-American Teenagers” by LaQuisha Hall http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/322469/is_urban_fiction_appropriate_f oraafrican.html?cat=38 Urban Fiction Journal Articles “The Real World” by Vanessa E. Jones http://www.boston.com/ae/books/articles/2008/11/03/the_real_world “Street Fight: Welcome to the World of Urban Literature” by Amy Pattee http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6573998.html “Takin it to the Street: Teens and Street Lit” by Meagan Honig http://pdfs.voya.com/Vo/yaT/VoyaTakinItToTheStreets.pdf The Real World by Vanessa J. Morris http://www.boston.com/ae/books/articles/2008/11/03/the_real_world/ Online Hip-Hop Dictionaries Hip Hop Galaxy Dictionary http://www.hiphopgalaxy.com/ Rap Dictionary http://www.rapdict.org/Main_Page Urban Slang Dictionary www.urbandictionary.com Urban Slang Dictionary - www.urbandictionary.com K.C. Boyd, Area Library Coordinator Department of Libraries and Information Services Chicago Public Schools Facebook: K.c. Boyd