Liberation Literature

Virginia Hamilton's Speeches, Essays, and Conversations

A monumental collection by one of America's greatest authors of children's literature.

Virginia Hamilton (1936-2002) was not only one of the most magnificent writers who ever lived—winning honors such as the Newbery Medal, Newbery Honor, National Book Award, and the Coretta Scott King Award for classics like The House of Dies Drear, The People Could Fly, M. C. Higgins the Great, and Her Stories—she was one of the greatest thinkers we ever had on children's literature. Born to a family of storytellers, she wove into her books and thoughts a deep concern with memory, tradition, and generational legacy, especially as they helped define the lives of African Americans from the days of slavery onward. Hamilton described her work as ''liberation literature.'' This landmark book brings together her essays, speeches, and interviews into one thought-provoking, incisive, inspiring whole.

Liberation Literature also features a foreword by Laura Pegram, founder of Kweli, and an introduction by Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop, the "mother of" multicultural children's literature. It is a must-have for anyone interested in writing, the history of African American representation, children's literature, and literature overall.

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