This story is one of a few i’m going to be reading to educate myself more on black lives, history, and stories. I realize that while i’ve always tried to offer a variance in my classroom library, it can be hard to find good books for tweens by black authors or about black characters; so with the help of our library tech we have permanently added a ‘black authors’ section to our online library catalogue and are looking at getting the tech guys to change the homepage to support the black lives matter campaign. In the meantime, I’m going to do what I can, as an educator, to educate myself so that I can learn to teach and support all my current and future students, from all walks of life.
The Boy in the Black suit is the beginning of my journey. It’s a truly amazing book that really digs deeps into the life of Matthew, a young black teenager who recently lost his mother to breast cancer. The boy has a meandering way of revealing details to the reader, similar to how one makes a friend. You learn the important stuff first and pick up on more the more you get to know them. We learn that Matthew’s father has turned to alcohol to numb the pain of losing his wife, and Matthew starts working at a funeral home to help make ends meet in the family. He begins to find a peace through attending other’s funerals, in knowing that other’s share his grief. That is until he meets Lovely. He learns that despite her difficult past; the loss of her grandmother leaving her without any parents or guardians, that there can be strength and change that comes from grief.
The only warnings I would bring up are the fact that this book talks a lot about death and exploring the meaning you have after the loss of a loved one, and as such there is a touch of alcoholism displayed. There is however great conversations about the meaning of life, and your philosophy for life (is it like a chess game, where you plan three moves ahead to always know whats coming; or is it like a deck of cards where you never quite know what the next card will bring you) that would be great for group discussions or even an argumentative/philosophical style essay. I think this book could be great with both a class, and small groups, or even an individual read. However, a whole class might lose interest, especially around the relationship development of Matthew and Lovey.
Overall 4/5 stars from me!
Until next time,
Songbird