English & Swahili
4+
Black Culture & Identity
History
Enslavement
Forced Migration
Empowerment
Activism
Ibi Zoboi & Loveis Wise
summary
The People Remember is on an entirely separate plane of existence from other books. It combines the best aspects from different genres and produces a breathtaking experience.
Poetry, history, narrative arcs & illustrations that should be in a museum fill the pages. Emotional verses seamlessly integrate the traumatic beginnings of enslavement up until present day, and expound upon the principles of Kwanzaa.
Y’all…the spreads in this book coupled with the text will blow your damn minds with the beauty. Rich colors and abstract backgrounds in all the right places make for a read that is unlike any other. Truly I can’t do it justice by merely trying to describe it; The People Remember must be experienced.
Remembrance is both painful and hopeful, it fills us with optimism for the future and brings comfort. Like a memory, the text weaves in and out of past and present. It combines ancestral beliefs with politics and peppers in Swahili for a celebration that is the complex identity being Black and living in the US.
I can’t begin to describe this accurately, because it’s not my experience. But, I know how it feels to see my own marginalized identities reflected back at me. The People Remember is a tidal wave of identity affirmation.
This book was kindly sent by Harper Kids but all opinions are my own!
Ibi Zoboi
Ibi Zoboi holds an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts. Her novel American Street was a National Book Award finalist and a New York Times Notable Book. She is also the author of Pride and My Life as an Ice Cream Sandwich, a New York Times bestseller. She is the editor of the anthology Black Enough. Born in Haiti and raised in New York City, she now lives in New Jersey with her husband and their three children. Image was found here!
Loveis Wise
Loveis Wise is an illustrator and designer from Washington, DC. They are currently based in Los Angeles and their work often speaks to themes of joy and liberation. Their work can be found through the New Yorker, Google, Adobe, and the New York Times. This photo was found here!