The People Remember

by Ibi Zoboi (Author) Loveis Wise (Illustrator)

The People Remember
Reading Level: 2nd − 3rd Grade

The People Remember tells the journey of African descendants in America by connecting their history to the seven principles of Kwanzaa. It begins in Africa, where people were taken from their homes and families. They spoke different languages and had different customs.

Yet they were bound and chained together and forced onto ships sailing into an unknown future. Ultimately, all these people had to learn one common language and create a culture that combined their memories of home with new traditions that enabled them to thrive in this new land.

Sumptuously illustrated, this is an important book to read as a family--a story young readers can visit over and over again to deepen their understanding of African American history in relation to their own lives and current social justice movements. By turns powerful and revealing, this is a lyrical narrative that tells the story of survival, as well as the many moments of joy, celebration, and innovation of Black people in America.

Select format:
Hardcover
$19.99

Kirkus

Starred Review
"Zoboi’s poetic retrospective breathes life into Black history narratives and reverently celebrates Black lives."
Ibi Zoboi
Ibi Zoboi was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and holds an MFA in writing for children and young adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts. Her YA novel American Street was a National Book Award finalist and and her debut middle grade novel, My Life as an Ice Cream Sandwich, was a New York Times bestseller. She is the author of Pride, a contemporary YA remix of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, and editor of the anthology, Black Enough: Stories of Being Young & Black in America. Her most recent bestseller, Punching the Air, is a YA novel in verse, co-authored by prison reform activist Yusef Salaam of the Exonerated Five. Her debut picture book, The People Remember, earned a Coretta Scott King Honor. Raised in New York City, Ibi now lives in New Jersey with her husband and their three children.
Classification
Non-fiction
ISBN-13
9780062915641
Lexile Measure
-
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Balzer & Bray/Harperteen
Publication date
September 28, 2021
Series
-
BISAC categories
JNF007050 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Biography & Autobiography | Cultural Heritage
JNF018010 - Juvenile Nonfiction | People & Places | United States - African-American
JNF025010 - Juvenile Nonfiction | History | Africa
Library of Congress categories
-
Coretta Scott King Book Award
Honor Book 2022
ALSC Notable Children's Book
Selection 2022

Subscribe to our delicious e-newsletter!