Sharing Black Stories: The Crossover by Kwame Alexander

Today’s Black story is Kwame Alexander’s masterpiece, The Crossover.

I remember the first time I read this book, and I remember when I finished it. You know those books that when you finish, you don’t know what to do with yourself? You just sit there and wonder how you could possibly pick up another book? That feeling? That was what I experienced with this book.

But my memories aren’t just about my experiences.

I also remember the first time I read the first page aloud to my students and watched them race to my desk to be the first to read.

I remember the first time I read the entire book to a class and watched their heads bob to the rhythm of the poetry. Their emotions going up and down like they were on a roller-coaster.

If I have a student struggling to find something to read, this is the first title I introduce. If I have a student who has read all of a series and doesn’t know where to go next, this is the book I put on their desk. It is almost always a winner.

As you can tell, this book holds a special place in my heart. It is a book that changed me and has changed my students.

You can purchase Kwame’s powerful book in verse here. It also has a Graphic Novel form that you can buy here.

What Black stories do you hold close to your heart?