Young Katherine Johnson (Family Comic Friday)

This is the second of humorous volumes on the lives of notable figures from history during their youth I've recently read by the French cartoonist Augel. This selection was chosen for Black History Month as it features noted math genius Katherine Johnson. Her work as a 'human calculator ' for NASA helped the space program win the race to the moon with the Apollo 11 landing in 1969. She was even personally requested by John Glenn to confirm his contradictory calculations during his historic Friendship 7 orbital mission in 1962.

Just like with the Agatha Christie volume, there's interactive activities for readers. Instead of solving mysteries, your tasked with solving mathematical word problems. Math not being my strong suit, I prefer solving a crime over doing algebra any day. Though I will begrudgingly admit that if I had paid a tiny bit more attention, I would have correctly solved more of those problems than I did. Though let's be honest, Augel cheated a little in that problem involving the blocks!

You explore both humorous as well as thoughtful situations in this look at Katherine Johnson. You'll experience her life as a young black girl in the segregated mountains of West Virginia as well as the stigma of being a female who's life interest were in the male dominated fields of science and math. Katherine also explored the limits of her imagination with her beloved pet chicken Luncinda, and her celestial friend, the Moon. 

Young Katherine Johnson was an adorable book. Another success by Augel. Teachers will love this book as the last 10 or so pages are a lesson guide for Black History Month, science and math and astronomy and physics. Parents and guardians will love how the young readers in their lives will learn and be entertained through reading. And maybe they'll want to do some of the extra activities and science experiments in the back of this graphic novel! There's potential for fun for the whole class AND family!

Worth Consuming!

Fast Enough: Bessie Stringfield's First Ride (Family Comic Friday)

As you probably know, February is Black History Month. With the occasion, I choose a book that is part traditional children’s book and part graphic novel. This week’s Family Comic Friday looks at Fast Enough: Bessie Stringfield’s First Ride. It’s a partially fictionalized account of the childhood struggles of the first black woman to ride solo on a motorcycle across the United States.

Fast Enough: Bessie Stringfield’s First Ride
Written and Illustrated by Joel Christian Gill
Published by Lion Forge
Pages: 40
Retail Price: $17.99

Before I get into a synopsis for Fast Enough, I want to explain how this book is both a children’s book and a graphic novel. Children’s books tend to have one picture per page with a few sentences on the page describing the action. Graphic novels have what is known as sequential art. Here, You might see someone on the left of the page picking up a glass of milk. But the time the reader gets to the bottom right of the page, that person has consumed the milk and washed the glass through a number of panels or pictures showing the progression of the action.

Fast Enough has a mix of both styles of pages. Also, this book has all of the characters speaking with word balloons much in the style you see in a comic. As the age range recommended for this book is preschool to grade 3, you might say that this book is a primer into comics and graphic novels for young readers; as well as their parents and guardians.
This book is about transportation pioneer Bessie Stringfield when she was a young girl. The other boys in her town wouldn’t let her race bicycles with them. They called her too young, too slow, and too much of a ‘girl.’ But Bessie’s determination helps her to ride a bike and possibly even beat those boys by being ‘fast enough.’

Fast Enough not only has an important message about race and gender but it also seeks to educate more about the life of Stringfield when she grew up. The last 4-6 pages is filled with historical information about the accomplishments and firsts Stringfield held in the world of motorcycle enthusiasm. While I found those pages very informative, these are the most difficult pages for a youngster to follow alone.

The type set of the historical facts pages is 2-3 times smaller than in the main story. Plus, there’s some pretty big words for a preschooler here. Also, the concept of racism explained in this section will most definitely require some explanation and perhaps some uncomfortable (but manageable) Q&A sessions.

If you are familiar with my rating and reviewing of a Family Comic Friday offering, I do not judge a book on concepts explored and examined. I base my rating on the story structure, editing and artwork; all of which in this book was superb. But I do feel that adults should know of any controversial or perhaps age inappropriate sections of these books I cover. It is up to Parents to decide what is appropriate for their wards to read and what’s not.

Fast Enough dives a little into religion. Bessie’s mother has her pray to ‘the man upstairs’ for guidance on how to deal with the boys in town her won’t let her race them. The fact section also talks about Bessie’s Catholic upbringing. If religion is a bit of a caveat in your family, then this book might not be right for you.

I really enjoyed Joel Christian Gill’s look at a pioneering woman of color. It was a interesting change of pace for myself and the types of graphic novels and comics I review for this section. This book has the potential to influence and educate a lot of young hearts and minds of any race, color or gender. Countless women and African Americans and others have been inspired by Stringfield’s courage and sense of adventure. Adults, just make sure to take the journey with the young reader in your life when it comes to this work, as your guidance may help to foster the next generation of Bessies!

Fast Enough: Bessie Stringfield’s First Ride debuted in print and digital platforms on February 5th, 2019.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

1977: A Madman Turns 40: 2017- Day 42

Secretary Alexander's official government photo, 1977.

   
Today's date in A Madman Turns 40 history commemorates the historic appointment of Clifford Alexander Jr. On this day, Alexander was appointed as the first black Secretary of the United States Army. Nominated by newly elected Jimmy Carter, he served until January of 1981 when he was replaced by Reagan appointee, John Otho Marsh Jr. 

    Since this is Black History Month, I thought it was appropriate to highlight this moment in American military history. So just who is Clifford Alexander Jr.

Former Secretary Alexander, circa 2015.

    A former member of the New York National Guard, Clifford Alexander spent his term trying to revitalize the now 'all-volunteer' Army. The draft was halted in 1973, but recruitment efforts were at an all-time low in the late 70s due to the painful legacy of the Vietnam War. Alexander also lead President Carter's new mandate to encourage diversity by awarding minority owned businesses a fair share of government contracts.

     After Alexander's term as Secretary ended, he returned back to the private sector where he served in numerous functions as well as a member of the American Stock Exchange's board of governors; a position he still holds. In the 90s, Mr. Alexander spoke before Congress against President Clinton's 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy which barred openly gay Americans from serving in any military function. In 2011, Alexander and other opponents of the government's approach towards homosexuals in the military, celebrated in 2010 when President Obama signed an official appeal of DADT into law.

President Obama signing the
Don't Ask, Don't Tell repeal into law, 2010

     Well, that's all this Madman has time for today. Check in again tomorrow- who knows where I'll go next in 1977 history...