Black Dove, White Raven
The alternating voices of foster/step siblings Emmy and Teo describe their life together in the 1920s and early 1930s, first in the United States and then in Ethiopia, where they are caught in that emerging nation’s internal and international struggles. Teo’s mother, Delia, who was Black, and Emmy’s mother, Rhoda, who is white, were pilots who performed together in stunt shows. After Delia’s death, Rhoda moved the children to Ethiopia, fulfilling Delia’s dream for their family. Over the next five years, tensions begin to rise between the Ethiopian government and the Italians just over the country’s borders. At the same time, Haile Selassie is trying to bring his country into the 20th century while not offending the interests of the powerful Ethiopian landowners. Rhoda learns she won’t be able to keep Teo out of a war that seems inevitable when they learn Teo’s Ethopian father, long dead, was enslaved, meaning Teo, by law, is enslaved. The man who owns Teo demands his service to fly an ancient relic to safety before the war breaks out. Teo disappears while doing so, and Emmy, also a pilot, goes in search of him. Elizabeth Wein’s richly layered novel is dramatic, detailed, and gripping, with both main and secondary characters fully realized. Her author’s note goes into great detail about what is fact and what is fiction in her story, as well as providing additional historical context for the political history of Ethiopia. ©2015 Cooperative Children's Book Center
CCBC Age Recommendation: Age 14 and older
Age Range:
Grades 9-12 (Age 14 and older)
Format:
Novel
Subjects:
20th Century
African Americans
Ethiopians and Ethiopian Americans
Flight/Aviation
Historical Fiction
Lesbians
LGBTQ+ Persons
Politics and Political Systems
Racism
Stepfamilies
War
World History
Diversity subject:
Black/African
LGBTQ Family
Publisher:
Hyperion
Publish Year: 2015
Pages: 357
ISBN: 9781423183105
CCBC Location: Fiction, Wein