Finding Langston by Lesa Cline-Ransome
Format: Book
Who it’s for: Kids
In 1946, Langston and his Dad move to Chicago from rural Alabama. His mother recently passed away and he is feeling a little lost in this big city. The city is so noisy and everyone calls him “Country boy” because he has an accent and wears overalls. He hasn’t made any friends and is experiencing bullying from a few kids in his class. In order to avoid the bullies, one day he goes a different way home from school and discovers the George Cleveland Hall Branch Library.
The library becomes his home away from home. He never imagined such a wonderful place and they allow colored folks! The first book he finds is by Langston Hughes and he wonders if he was named after him? He finds he has a lot in common with Mr. Hughes and soon discovers more poetry and writings by other Negro writers.
Langston’s journey to discovering himself is beautifully written by Ms. Cline-Ransome. This is truly a lovely book. It’s a love story for libraries and writers. And, it’s a story about the Great Migration when many blacks from the South migrated to the North after World War II.