Collier, Bryan. Uptown. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 2000.
Uptown, by Bryan Collier, is a story about Harlem, as told through a young boy’s eyes. Throughout the story the boy describes things that are special about Harlem and that all combined, make a special and unique place. He begins by talking about some of the special food, like chicken and waffles. Next he talks about the buildings and the streets and the activities of the weekend. Then the narrator talks about the some of the artistic things that are part of Uptown including the Apollo Theatre, Jazz, and Van Der Zee photographs. Then he talks about the people that live there and their activities. As he talks about each of these, he makes a personal connection to his life and how he relates and sees each of these things. At the end of the book, he says that Uptown is his home. The pictures in the book are collages of pictures, paper, fabric, and other objects such as chocolate bars. These help to demonstrate the authenticity of the book as some of the pictures show real places in the area, or representations of them.
Collier uses pictures and examples from Harlem to make the book very authentic and diverse. Due to the specific places, buildings, streets, and themes that he shows, Collier makes this book a positive representation of the area and all of the special characteristics that it is known for. He displays the culture of the area and the things that are important to the people living in Harlem, something that a resident of the area could easily relate to. African-Americans and those who live in the Uptown area will be able to relate to having visited some of the places, heard some of the jazz, or seen some of the types of people that are demonstrated in the book. Students reading this book will be able to understand that there is a unique culture in this area that many of the people living here are very proud of. The story expresses the narrator’s pride of living in this area. Uptown is a positive representation of African-American culture that makes this a good choice for diverse literature.
Uptown, by Bryan Collier, is a story about Harlem, as told through a young boy’s eyes. Throughout the story the boy describes things that are special about Harlem and that all combined, make a special and unique place. He begins by talking about some of the special food, like chicken and waffles. Next he talks about the buildings and the streets and the activities of the weekend. Then the narrator talks about the some of the artistic things that are part of Uptown including the Apollo Theatre, Jazz, and Van Der Zee photographs. Then he talks about the people that live there and their activities. As he talks about each of these, he makes a personal connection to his life and how he relates and sees each of these things. At the end of the book, he says that Uptown is his home. The pictures in the book are collages of pictures, paper, fabric, and other objects such as chocolate bars. These help to demonstrate the authenticity of the book as some of the pictures show real places in the area, or representations of them.
Collier uses pictures and examples from Harlem to make the book very authentic and diverse. Due to the specific places, buildings, streets, and themes that he shows, Collier makes this book a positive representation of the area and all of the special characteristics that it is known for. He displays the culture of the area and the things that are important to the people living in Harlem, something that a resident of the area could easily relate to. African-Americans and those who live in the Uptown area will be able to relate to having visited some of the places, heard some of the jazz, or seen some of the types of people that are demonstrated in the book. Students reading this book will be able to understand that there is a unique culture in this area that many of the people living here are very proud of. The story expresses the narrator’s pride of living in this area. Uptown is a positive representation of African-American culture that makes this a good choice for diverse literature.
