Multicultural Book Review: African-American

Genre:  Fiction

Culture:  African American

Book:  Curtis, Christopher Paul.  (2007). Elijah of Buxton.  New York:  Scholastic Inc.

Brief synopsis:  Through the fictional character of Elijah Freeman, Curtis paints an historically accurate, detailed picture of the Elgin Settlement and Buxton Mission of Raleigh in Canada West.  Founded in 1849, this settlement provided escaped slaves and freed people the opportunity to know true liberty by owning their own land, supporting themselves economically, and living without the threat of slavery.  Through Elijah’s adventures (the first free-born child of the Settlement), the reader is shown the daily life of the settlement, the lasting effects of slavery, the horrors of the slave trade, and the hope that somehow still existed among the enslaved and newly-freed alike.

Comparisons/contrasts with traditional American/Western culture:  Racism, a major theme of this book, is still, “the dominant force in the United States insofar as attitudes and behavior toward African Americans are concerned” (Locke, 25).  Traditional American/Western culture has historically oppressed African-Americans, dating back to the beginnings of slavery, and well into post-Civil War America.  The Civil Rights Movement made significant gains toward equality, yet racism still exists even in the twenty-first century, and still no greater issue faces African-Americans today than the economic one, perpetuated by racism and the status quo (Locke, 25).  Elijah of Buxton plainly presents an accurate depiction of racism and the economic and social struggles of African-Americans in the mid-nineteenth century.  Curtis also uses dialect spoken by his characters to authentically portray the time period.

Response:  Before reading this book, I knew nothing of the Buxton Settlement.  Though not the only settlement of freed people, Buxton was the one that flourished and thrived, eventually having a regionally-renowned school that White students also attended, a brickyard, a gristmill, and a sawmill.  I believe this piece of African-American history is important and worthy of much greater attention in our history texts, and our school Media Center programs.  This book was one of the most well-written, thoroughly engaging, and enlightening pieces of historical fiction I’ve ever read.  Its kid-friendly accessibility, accuracy, and storyline have been recognized with a Newbery Honor, a Coretta Scott King Book Award, and a Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction.  It was also winner of the Canadian Library Association Book of the Year, a finalist for Governor General’s Literary Award, and an American Library Association Notable Book.  I believe this award-winning piece should be placed in middle-school curriculum—probably Civics curriculum—within the context of a unit on African-American history.  It should be in the collections of all middle school Media Centers and it should be promoted by all school library Media Specialists.