Text 1 Fiction in Verse- Blues Journey

   Blues, blues, blues; what do you mean to me

   Blues, blues, blues; what do you mean to me

   Are you my pain and misery or my sweet sweet company?

Imagine being in the deep south; think Lousiana (New Orleans preferably).

Imagine you're in a hot sticky room, stuffed wall to wall with people listening to the sweet sound of southern blues. The strings of a guitar are being plucked and strummed expertly by a blues player who lives and breathes this genre of music. While you're listening, you can't help but to lose yourself. You lose yourself in the simple story of the blues player, you lose yourself in the feelings of loss and love; hardships and relationships. You lose yourself in the struggle of a people.

Walter Dean Myers does a superb job introducing young readers to blues music using  Fiction in Verse. Each page of the text's features a pentatonic or a "blues" scale. The blues scale follows the normal pattern of African music which is a call and a response. In the blues, the singer makes the same call twice and then the blues singer responds to his own call.

                             I gave my woman money, I offered her my hand

                             Gave her all my money, said, "Baby, take my hand"

                             She smiled from here to Sunday, then spent it on another man!

                            (Now you know that's wrong!)

While reading this text you can almost hear the likes of B.B King playing Ole Lucille, his guitar, in the background. Blues Journey experiences young readers to the music, reading in verse, historical realities and phrases that are new. Another feature of the text is a thorough introduction explaining what are "the blues" and a glossary explaining unfamilar words that can be heard in blues music.

I think the text is unique and the picture spark interest and questions. Although, the book has some funny blues lyrics (like the second one posted), it also has haunting verses that may intrigue readers.

                            Strange fruit hanging, high in a big oak tree
                            Strange fruit hanging, high in a big oak tree
                            You can see what it did to Willie, can you see what it does to me?

This verse deals with the reality of lynching in the deep south that was practiced in places where the blues were sung and listened to. Through the music, black people expressed themselves and the oppression and injustices they faced- I guess why the music is called "the blues".

The text,I think, it is a light and short way of introducing heavy subject matter in History and Social Studies and it can be used to help students in the creation process of their own writing peices based on  American History.