I am personally impressed and inspired by Yaa Gyasi and her success. Born in 1989 in Mampong, Ghana, she published her debut novel Homegoing in 2016. The novel became an outstanding contribution to literature from the beginning. It won the National Book Critics Circle's John Leonard Award for best first book, the PEN/Hemingway Award for a first book of fiction, the National Book Foundation's "5 under 35" honors for 2016 and the American Book Award. Gyasi was awarded a Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise in Literature in 2020.

One of my teacher candidates, Maggie Tregre​, shares her experience with the novel:

​Homegoing captures life and history of generations at the moments when living seems almost impossible. Yaa Gyasi's first novel describes the destiny of the individual  against the destroying power of the slavery machine, narrating remarkable characters whose lives are molded by historical forces beyond any possibility of choice or control. The novel follows the lineage of two half-sisters, Effia and Esi, born into different villages in the 18th century Ghana and traces this Akan family across seven generations after it is split into two by the trans-Atlantic slave trade. It is more a collection of linked stories than a conventional novel. 

As an avid reader, I have my favorite authors and preferable kinds of stories. We all do and often influence each other’s reading choices by suggesting books that are trending or gaining popularity among friends, YA experts, and colleagues. Fear of missing or ignoring a book that has been enthusiastically advertised and promoted is often driving these choices. However, from time to time, I pick up a book by an author I don’t know and just read. One of these books is All Our Broken Pieces by L.D. Crichton (2019), an author of The Enchantment of Emma Fletcher (2017).

While the story Crichton tells her readers is engaging, it took me a few days to read because it was raw and full of pain. I had to pause, think, and grieve with characters about their losses, whether emotional or physical. All Our Broken Pieces is a story of two teenagers, a girl and a boy, affected by an immense trauma and attempting to cope with it. They find each other and form a bond that helps them survive their tragedies and rediscover hope. Crichton narrates the characters that are believable, flawed, angry at times, resolute at other times, strong, yet extremely vulnerable. I am not going to retell you the story because I will give out some spoilers. Here are just a few teasers for you.

The story is told by both protagonists. Lennon, the girl (and yes, Beatles have something to do with her name), deals with a heavy case of OCD to the point that is unable to ride in a car without thinking someone she loves will die because of it. Her daily rituals, tapping, counting, and rearranging things create an overwhelmingly intense picture of her real struggles. Kyler, the boy, has survived the house fire that left a huge scar on his face. Since then, he wears hoodies and keeps his head down. A talented musician and songwriter, he plays in a school band with his friends, but refuses to perform in public. 

​Welcome to the first October Weekend Pick! I, Leilya, will be entertaining your reading buds this month. We will visit some books and young adult novels that my students and I have enjoyed together or individually. I will begin with my choices this week.
In the Teaching of Literature course, I include methods of teaching prose—fiction and nonfiction, poetry, and drama providing teacher candidates with additional strategies and activities for a specific genre of literature. Last and this week we devoted to nonfiction informational texts. I chose Getting Away with Murder: The True Story of the Emmett Till Case (2003) by Chris Crowe.

This book is authored by our NCTE and ELATE colleague, educator, and writer Chris Crowe. I love telling my students about writers I met personally. The first time I met Chris was at the NCTE convention in 2012. By that time, I had heard a lot about him from Dr. Steven Bickmore. Later Chris came to the first YA Literature Summit at Louisiana State University, where he was one of the featured speakers.
Before I “grew up” to teach in college, Chris Crowe graciously agreed to talk to my ninth graders with special needs. For those who doesn't know him, Chris Crowe is a  professor of English and English education at Brigham Young University specializing in young adult literature. In addition to his academic work, Crowe writes books for the young-adult audience. ​

​It seems there were many American tragedies in the history of this country; however, the kidnapping and brutal murder of Emmett Till, a fourteen-year-old Black boy from Chicago, IL, visiting relatives in Money, MS, during summer of 1955 holds a crucial place. It is one of the focal points leading to the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States. In detailed, document-based narration, Getting Away with Murder: The True Story of the Emmett Till Case (2003), Chris Crowe examines Emmett Till's tragic case, following the trial, which regardless of getting into the national spotlight, acquitted both of his white murderers.

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During class, I also introduced Crowe’s young adult novel Mississippi Trial, 1955 (2002), which is a fictional account of Emmett Till’s story from an adolescent protagonist's point of view. Both provide unique perspectives on this historic case and can be used in tandem during the conceptual teaching unit focused around the Civil Rights Movement, racial discrimination, or issues of social and criminal justice.  ​