My Seneca Village
The Seneca Village of the title was a predominantly African American community in New York City that was torn down in 1857 to build Central Park. Seneca Village emerges here through the fictionalized voices of characters whose names are based on real people Marilyn Nelson found in census records. Her first poem, titled “Land Owner,” is attached to “Andrew Williams, bootblack” and dated 1825, when Seneca Village was established. Her final poem, “Uncle Epiphany,” is dated 1855, just two years before the community would be gone. Nelson has imagined individuals of weight and heft and detail as she moves in and out of various lives and families. Brief prose narratives connecting the poems create a fuller sense of story. An opening note provides more information on Seneca Village, which stood on land taken from Indigenous people, while a detailed discussion of the specific poetic form for each poem appears at volume’s end. ©2015 Cooperative Children's Book Center
CCBC Age Recommendation: Age 12 and older
Age Range:
Grades 6-8 (Ages 11-13)
Grades 9-12 (Age 14 and older)
Format:
Poetry
Subjects:
19th Century
African Americans
Historical Fiction
Racism
Writers and Writing
Diversity subject:
Black/African
Publisher:
Namelos
Publish Year: 2015
Pages: 87
ISBN: 978160898196
CCBC Location: Non-Fiction, 811 Nelson