Apple (Skin to the Core)
By:
A memoir in verse for fans of Brown Girl Dreaming and The Poet X
How about a book that makes you barge into your boss's office to read a page of poetry from? That you dream of? That every movie, song, book, moment that follows continues to evoke in some way?
The term "Apple" is a slur in Native communities across the country. It's for someone supposedly "red on the outside, white on the inside."
Eric Gansworth is telling his story in Apple (Skin to the Core). The story of his family, of Onondaga among Tuscaroras, of Native folks everywhere. From the horrible legacy of the government boarding schools, to a boy watching his siblings leave and return and leave again, to a young man fighting to be an artist who balances multiple worlds. Eric shatters that slur and reclaims it in verse and prose and imagery that truly lives up to the word heartbreaking.
Author’s note. Notes explaining section titles. Note about the artwork. Black-and-white photographs and illustrations using gouache and photo references.
ISBN: 9781646140138
JLG Release: Oct 2020
Sensitive Areas:
Language: Strong Language , Discrimination: Racial Insensitivity/Racism , Violence: General
Topics:
Native Americans , Indigenous communities , Onondaga people (Iroquois Confederacy) , Tuscarora Nation (New York) , Pop music , Rock and roll , Family , Coming of age , Memoirs in verse , Books in verse
Awards & Honors
2020 National Book Award Longlist for Young People's Literature
2021 Michael L. Printz Award Honor Book
Praise & Reviews
Starred or favorable reviews have been received from these periodicals:
School Library Journal
Gr 7 Up–This bittersweet but ultimately inspiring memoir in verse chronicles Gansworth’s experience raised on a reservation. Gansworth, who is an enrolled Onondaga writer and artist, was born and raised at the Tuscarora Nation. The text aims to illuminate the truth about his family history and the trauma that shaped Gansworth’s life. Black-an Gr 7 Up–This bittersweet but ultimately inspiring memoir in verse chronicles Gansworth’s experience raised on a reservation. Gansworth, who is an enrolled Onondaga writer and artist, was born and raised at the Tuscarora Nation. The text aims to illuminate the truth about his family history and the trauma that shaped Gansworth’s life. Black-and-white photos and original graphic art supplement the text. The book’s very effective format creates emotional resonance. The straightforward narrative showcases themes of betrayal, racism, struggle, acceptance, resilience, risk, coming of age, and the power of family and community. The text opens by confronting and reclaiming the slur “Apple,” which is a derogatory term used to describe a Native person who is “red on the outside, white on the inside.” Gansworth’s deft storytelling skills shine; he is not afraid to examine uncomfortable truths. He writes honestly about the appropriation of Native American songs and dances, the effects of boarding school on both sets of grandparents, learning his native language, longing for his father’s approval, friendship, feeling lost, and leaving home for college. Throughout the narrative, he incorporates references to pop culture, such as television programs, movies, Batman, comic books, the Beatles, KISS, and Pink Floyd. All teens will relate to Gansworth’s profound portraits of joy, pain, and hope. VERDICT A well-written and captivating autobiography about the modern-day Indigenous experience that should be widely shared. Recommended for middle and high school libraries.–Naomi Caldwell, Alabama State Univ., Montgomery
Book Details
ISBN
9781646140138
First Release
October 2020
Genre
Nonfic
Dewey Classification
B
Trim Size
6" x 9"
Page Count
352
Accelerated Reader
N/AScholastic Reading Counts
N/ALexile
N/AFormat
Print Book
Edition
Hardcover edition
Publisher
Arthur A. Levine
Potentially Sensitive Areas
Language: Strong Language , Discrimination: Racial Insensitivity/Racism , Violence: General
Topics
Native Americans, Indigenous communities, Onondaga people (Iroquois Confederacy), Tuscarora Nation (New York), Pop music, Rock and roll, Family, Coming of age, Memoirs in verse, Books in verse,
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