Infinite Hope: A Black Artist's Journey from World War II to Peace
Like most African American soldiers in the segregated army during World War II, Ashley Bryan was assigned to a service unit. As a stevedore he helped unload shipments in Boston—although he was much more adept drawing others at work—before being sent overseas, where he and other Black solders cleared mines on the beach and unloaded supplies during the invasion of Normandy before moving across France. At war’s end, he was in charge of getting his unit home, a task made more challenging by continued segregation rules that saw them repeatedly denied space on transport ships. Bryan survived the violence of war and of racism by creating art—carrying supplies in his gas mask, and sketching whenever he had the chance. A volume beautiful in both sensibility and design, he describes how art provided an escape and a means of preserving his humanity. His gentle spirit shines through in this first-person account looking back, in excerpts from his handwritten letters home, and in the moving sketches and other art he created before and during the war. Black-and-white photographs are included throughout, while several recent full-color paintings in which he revisits the war close this arresting work. ©2020 Cooperative Children’s Book Center
Illustrated by Ashley Bryan
CCBC Age Recommendation: Age 11 and older
Age Range:
Grades 6-8 (Ages 11-13)
Grades 9-12 (Age 14 and older)
Formats:
Biography, Autobiography and Memoir
Substantial Narrative Non-Fiction
Subjects:
20th Century
African Americans
Art and Artists
Autobiography/Memoir
History (Nonfiction)
Racism
World War II
Diversity subject:
Black/African
Publishers:
Atheneum, Simon & Schuster
Publish Year: 2019
Pages: 107
ISBN: 9781534404908
CCBC Location: Non-Fiction, 741 Bryan