Book Review for THE DARK-THIRTY by Patricia McKissack

Book Review by Allie Davis
MLIS 5653 Multicultural Literature for Children and Young Adults

BIBLIOGRAPHY
McKissack, Patricia C. 1992. The Dark Thirty. Ill. by Brian Pinkney. New York: Alfred A. Knope. ISBN 0679818634

Connect with the Author and Illustrator
http://www.patriciamckissack.com/
http://www.brianpinkney.net/main.html

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
      Patricia McKissack's The Dark-Thirty: Southern Tales of the Supernatural "is a collection of original stories rooted in African American history and the oral storytelling tradition.  They should be shared at that special time when it is neither day nor night and when shapes and shadows play tricks on the mind.  When you feel fear tingling in your toes and zinging up your spine like a closing zipper, you have experienced the delicious horror of a tale of the dark-thirty" (McKissack, Introduction).
     I love ghost stories so I was very delighted to find a collection by this award-winning author.  In her novel, McKissack does an excellent job of chronicling the plight and condition of African-Americans from slavery through the Civil Rights Movement.  Ten stories describe the injustices suffered by slaves at the hands of plantation owners, revenge sought by these slaves, the horrors of the KKK, death,  and just plain fantasy/folk stories which include conjuring siblings and Sasquatches. Each of the stories is based on stories that were told during McKissack's childhood by her grandmother; some are based on real people in her community.  Each story sufficiently portrays the socio-economic status of the main character and clearly characterizes him/her with enough details that the reader can "feel" what they are going through.  I cried, I laughed, I had goose-bumps, and I felt flabbergasted at times as I was reading their experiences. 
     Each story has its own setting, relevant to the theme and plot of the story.  They all take place in the deep south, and  each backs an actual period relevant event: Kentucky/selling of slaves, Mississippi/KKK lynching, St. Louis/Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, etc.  Each setting is especially effective at illustrating the unique experiences of the main character in the story.  Not only do the stories and settings teach about the African-American Experience, they teach history, in general. These stories could easily be adapted into a social studies unit on several different topics. 
            Cultural details abound profusely through the entire novel.  In the first story, "The Legend of Pin Oak," for example, depicts two different points-of-view, those of brothers.  One of the brothers is White, the plantation owner's first-born son.  The second is Black, the plantation owner's illegitimate son from a free woman of color from New Orleans.  They are made to live together, work together, and eventually come to terms with each other when their father dies.  The White son did not know that his brother was actually a freeman, and what ensues is nightmarish in nature.  Henri takes his wife, and they run away, trying to get to freedom.  The ending will leave the reader both sad and confused.  Throughout each story, details are rendered about African-American traditions (voodoo dolls), gender rolls (having to check the chicken coop), and values (family importance).  A single Brian Pickney black and white scratchboard illustration accompanies each story, contributing to the dark mood of each story.  Even though each picture is black and white, it vividly conveys the climatic experience of the characters.  There is one of a Black man hanging from a tree, a White KKK clansman trying to scrub windows to erase the past, and a train porter meeting death on the 11:59 Phantom Train.  All of the pictures accurately show the characters in period/traditional clothing, without stereotype.
     Overall, even though these are "ghostly" tales from African-American storytelling, these stories invite personal reflection on America's past and present relations with this culture.  Have we progressed from the insurmountable atrocities of human bondage to be able to say Mr. King's dream has been attained (an element from one of the stories)?  Have prejudices and biases been replaced with understanding and acceptance?  Reading and understanding the history of the people written about in The Dark Thirty is undoubtedly one way to help build a bridge across the humanities. 
        

AWARDS  

• Coretta Scott King Award; Won Award in 1993
• Newberry Honor Book; 1993

REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

• Publisher's Weekly, "In these stories, "haunting in both senses of the word,"...ghosts exact vengeance for lynchings, and slaves use ancient magic to ensure their freedom; historical backdrops run from the Underground Railroad to 1960s activism." (C) Dec. 21, 1998.
• Horn Book Magazine,  "A collection of original stories rooted in African-American history and the tradition of oral storytelling spans the period from slavery to the civil-rights era.  Pinkney's scratchboard artwork adds the right amount of tension and apprehension to this collection that is great for reading aloud..." (c) 2010
• School Libray Journal, "Some are straight ghost stories, many of which are wonderfully spookey and all of which have well-woven narratives.  There is a tale from slavery times; a story set amoung the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters; and one from the 1940s segregated South, in which a black man's ghost brings revenge upon the while Klansman who murdered him.  Strong characterizations are superbly drawn in a few words.  The atmosphere of each selection is skillfully developed and sustained to the very end..." (C) Dec. 1, 1992.

CONNECTIONS

Use as an introduction to collections, horror/ghosts, African-American folktales, suspense.

http://www.bookrags.com/lessonplan/the-darkthirty/#gsc.tab=0
https://www.teachingbooks.net/tb.cgi?a=1&tid=11252
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/The-Dark-Thirty-Southern-Tales-of-the-Supernatural-Lesson-Plans-917260

• Draw a character or a setting from one of the stories from the  collections.
• Have a reader's theater using one of the stories from the collections.
• Compare/Contrast 2 stories or one from another book, song, poem.

Other Patricia McKissack titles to read:

• Flossie & the Fox; ASIN B00FFBH70U
• Christmas in the Big House, Christmas in the Quarters; ISBN 0590430270
• Black Hands, White Sails; ISBN 05940483137

Gather more horror/ghost titles to read such as:

·       McDonald, Collin. The Chilling Hour ISBN 0525651012

·       Carusone, Al.  Don't Open the Door After the Sun Goes Down.  ISBN 0786810866