Weekend Pick for October 28, 2022

Weekend Pick for October 28, 2022
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American Street (2017) by Ibi Zoboi

For this weekend, I chose the work of incredibly talented, original, and truthful Ibi Zoboi. She was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and immigrated to the U.S. when she was four years old. With her debut novel, American Street (2017), Zoboi became the New York Bestselling Author. Her voice is fresh, strong, and authentic. 

Ibi Zoboi

One of my students, Jacob Blocker (in the picture below) is sharing his appreciation of Ibi Zoboi's novel.
Jacob is convinced that "authors write stories that need to be told," and as a reader he believes that "this story has to be read and discussed because it allows us to see the life of the kids caught up in the problems of our immigration system." It seems as if this neat and vital intersection of writers' and readers' needs is clearly demonstrated in Ibi Zoboi's work. 
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​American Street presents a coming-of-age story of a teenage Haitian girl Fabiola Toussaint, who moves back home to the United States. Since Fabiola is an American-born citizen, she is allowed to re-enter the country while her mother is detained by the immigration authorities. The young girl moves in with her aunt’s family and gets reunited with the “three Bees”—her cousins. Now, she lives in Detroit on the corner of American Street and Joy Road.
Fabiola desperately misses her mother and home in Haiti. Surrounded by family, the girl often feels lonely and lost. Instead of retelling the story further, I will let you pick up the book and read. There will be some joyful, sad, and painful moments for our protagonist and people close to her. 

Jacob Blocker

I would also suggest to look at some other novels written by Ibi Zoboi.  You will not be disappointed. 

To learn more about Ibi Zoboi, check out the following link to the video:
 https://aalbc.com/authors/author.php?author_name=Ibi+Zoboi

Thank you for following Dr. Bickmore's Wednesday blog and keeping up with readings!

Till next time,
​Leilya