Member Review

'Black Star' is another powerful verse novel for teenagers by Kwame Alexander following on from his magnificent 'The Door of No Return'. That novel explored Asante history and the horrors of the Transatlantic slave trade by telling the story of Kofi Offin growing up in what is now Ghana before he is captured, enabling us to understand the richness of pre-colonial African history and culture.
'Black Star' fast-forwards two generations and introduces us to Kofi's granddaughter Charlene who lives with her parents and Kofi in Virginia in the early 1920s during a time of racial segregation. I have read a lot of stories set in the Jim Crow era, but I think this was the first novel I have read to feature a Black character with a living relative who had been born in Africa - perhaps something relatively rare as Kofi is transported to America as the Civil War is underway and slavery is about to be abolished. But this allows for Kofi to pass his stories down to Charlene and for her to take pride in his strength and determination.
Much of the novel focuses on Charlene's everyday concerns - her aspiration to be a major baseball player at a time when women's baseball has very little recognition is front and centre of the story, but Alexander gives us hints of a wider canvas, through inclusion of the real historical figures of Marcus Garvey and Mary McLeod Bethune, as well as references to segregation and white supremacy of which Charlene is only dimly aware. Foregrounding Charlene's sporting interests and her friendships allows us to connect with her - in the same way that we did with Kofi in 'The Door of No Return' - but a shocking twist once again reminds us of the evils of racism that persisted in this period and still do today. But although this is a harrowing read at times, there is also plenty of hope - in the determination of Charlene and her family and the strength of her community.
I believe Alexander has planned this as the second part as a trilogy - I wasn't expecting such a big gap between the first two volumes but found the generational shift surprisingly effective, and I am now hoping that the third book will introduce us to Charlene as a grandmother in order to explore yet another era.
As ever, Alexander's verse is highly compelling and skilfully crafted, making this an accessible read even for those who may believe that they do not like poetry. It is certainly a book I will be sharing with my pupils and colleagues - many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an ARC to review.