Difference between revisions of "Islandborn"

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[[File:Islandborn.jpg|thumb|Islandborn by Junot Díaz]]
 
[[File:Islandborn.jpg|thumb|Islandborn by Junot Díaz]]
Released in March 2018, Islandborn is the first children's book by Dominican-American author and Pulitzer Prize-winner Junot Díaz. With illustrations by Leo Espinosa, who was born in Colombia, the picture-book features Dominican girls living in the Bronx, much like Díaz's goddaughters to whom he had long promised a children's book. The protagonist Lola, who immigrated when she was six years old, does not remember the Dominican Republic, and sets out to fill in her missing memories.<ref>[[wikipedia:Islandborn|Islandborn]]. Retrieved on December 27, 2020.</ref>
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Released in March 2018, Islandborn is the first children's book by Dominican-American author and Pulitzer Prize-winner Junot Díaz. The image book highlights Dominican young girl living in the Bronx, similar as Díaz's goddaughters to whom he had long promised a children's book. The hero Lola, who moved when she was six years of age, doesn't recollect the Dominican Republic, and embarks to fill in her missing memories.<ref>[[wikipedia:Islandborn|Islandborn]]. Retrieved on December 27, 2020.</ref>
  
==Plot==
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==Summary==
Islandborn follows a young girl named Lola as she tries to remember the Island, the country she left as a baby. She tracks details through memories from family and friends, all of which are vividly illustrated by Leo Espinosa in brightly colored pages—that is, until a dark, shadowy “Monster” interrupts Lola’s cheerful narrative.
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Islandborn follows a little youngster named Lola as she attempts to recall the Island, the country she left as an infant. She tracks details through recollections from loved ones, which are all clearly showed by Leo Espinosa in brilliantly colored pages—that is, until a dark, shadowy “Monster” intrudes on Lola's lively story.
  
“Every kid in Lola’s school was from somewhere else,” the book begins. The children’s teacher asks each of her students to draw a picture of their “first country.” Lola is at first panicked because she remembers nothing of her birthplace. But she eventually realizes that she can — literally and figuratively — draw on the many memories of the family and friends who come from her birth country, and she ends up with so much material that she creates an entire book of pictures.
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A portion of the memories portrayed in Lola's book are euphoric, as her neighbors, loved ones review the sound of music and the brilliant colors  of their island homeland. Different memories are a lot darker, in any case, as a result of the "Monster" who attacked the Island and governed it for a very long time before “heroes rose up” and expelled it for eternity. Though anonymous, it's obviously a reference to dictator Rafael Trujillo, whose rule of fear damaged generations of Dominicans.<ref>MacPherson, Karen (2018). [https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/junot-diaz-says-childrens-books-lack-cultural-diversity-so-he-wrote-one-of-his-own/2018/03/08/a92467a8-208b-11e8-badd-7c9f29a55815_story.html Junot Diaz says children’s books lack diversity. He hopes his will help change that.]. Retrieved on December 27, 2020.</ref>
 
 
Some of the memories depicted in Lola’s book are jubilant, as her neighbors, family and friends recall the sound of music and the brilliant colors of their island homeland. Other memories are much darker, however, because of the “Monster” who invaded the Island and ruled it for 30 years before “heroes rose up” and banished it forever. Though unnamed, it’s clearly a reference to dictator Rafael Trujillo, whose reign of terror traumatized generations of Dominicans.<ref>MacPherson, Karen (2018). [https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/junot-diaz-says-childrens-books-lack-cultural-diversity-so-he-wrote-one-of-his-own/2018/03/08/a92467a8-208b-11e8-badd-7c9f29a55815_story.html Junot Diaz says children’s books lack diversity. He hopes his will help change that.]. Retrieved on December 27, 2020.</ref>
 
  
 
==Inspiration==
 
==Inspiration==
 
[[File:Islandborn monster.jpg|thumb|315x315px|Islandborn monster]]
 
[[File:Islandborn monster.jpg|thumb|315x315px|Islandborn monster]]
Diaz mentioned that he was hoping this book wouldn’t just be a comment on little Lola and her lovely family and this larger island community from which she comes, but hoping it would also be something of a dialogue about what children’s literature is capable of. Children’s books are no strangers to monsters or antagonists, the building blocks to many self-sustaining plots. But in this book, the Monster of Islandborn comes to represent larger political implications.
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Diaz saod that he was hoping this book wouldn't simply be a remark on little Lola and her beautiful family and this bigger island communityfrom which she comes, yet hoping it would likewise be something of a discourse about what children’s literature is able to do. Children’s books are no aliens to beasts or opponents, the structure squares to numerous self-supporting plots. In any case, in this book, the Monster of Islandborn comes to address bigger political implications.
  
“For me, the Monster represents the savage, traumatic histories from which many of us immigrants emerge—a history that is often erased or silenced within our communities and inside of the community in which we find ourselves,” Díaz says. “It’s a common injury that many immigrant communities wrestle with.”
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''“For me, the Monster represents the savage, traumatic histories from which many of us immigrants emerge—a history that is often erased or silenced within our communities and inside of the community in which we find ourselves,”'' Díaz says. ''“It’s a common injury that many immigrant communities wrestle with.”''
  
The Monster of “Islandborn” is a large, bat-like creature. In its first appearance, it flies above a wave that threatens to encapsulate the Island. For those familiar with Díaz’s work, the parallels between the Island and the Dominican Republic are overt: between the Monster’s 30 years of havoc and Rafael Trujillo’s 31 years of dictatorship, and between the wave and Hurricane San Zenon, the natural disaster that prompted Trujillo to place the nation under martial law and rebuild Santo Domingo under a new name—Ciudad Trujillo (Trujillo City). But Díaz makes no explicit references to what the Monster could represent: The monster is simply called “the Monster,” just as the island is called “the Island.”<ref>Z. Li, Grace (2018). [https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2018/3/6/junot-diaz-interview-islandborn/ Junot Díaz on the Monster of 'Islandborn']. Retrieved on December 27, 2020.</ref>
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The Monster of "Islandborn" is a huge, bat-like animal. In its first appearance, it hovers over a wave that takes steps to encapsulate the Island. For those acquainted with Díaz's work, the equals between the Island and the Dominican Republic are obvious: between the Monster's 30 years of devastation and Rafael Trujillo's 31 years of tyranny, and between the wave and Hurricane San Zenon, the natural disaster  that incited Trujillo to put the country under military law and remake Santo Domingo under another name—Ciudad (Trujillo City). Yet, Díaz makes no express references to what the Monster could address: The beast is basically called "the Monster," similarly as the island is designated "the Island."
  
 
==Impact==
 
==Impact==
Here are a review from The Washington Post:
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According to The Washington Post, Diaz approves/avows the encounters of ALL immigrant children, specifically Afro-Latinx kids, whose cultures and characters are regularly ignored in conversations of race and identity in America. The book fabricates the true lives and experiences of Afro-Latinx in a way that assists with testing misinformation, misrepresentations and stereotypes of Afro-Latinx people. Illustrations also validates the lively culture, skin tone, hair texture, rich history and ommunity of island born Afro-Latinx people in America.<ref>[https://www.responsivereads.com/responsive-reads-blog-posts/islandborn-by-junot-diaz Islandborn by Junot Diaz]. Retrieved on December 27, 2020.</ref>
 
 
*''Diaz validates/affirms the experiences of ALL immigrant children, in particular Afro-Latinx immigrant children, whose cultures/identities are often overlooked in discussions of race & identity in America''
 
*''Builds/bridges the authentic lives and experiences of Afro-Latinx in a way that helps to challenge misinformation, misrepresentations and stereotypes of Afro-Latinx people''
 
*''Illustrations validate/affirm the vibrant culture, skin color, hair texture, rich history and community of island born Afro-Latinx people in America.''<ref>[https://www.responsivereads.com/responsive-reads-blog-posts/islandborn-by-junot-diaz Islandborn by Junot Diaz]. Retrieved on December 27, 2020.</ref>
 
  
 
==Reference==
 
==Reference==
 
[[Category: Anti-Black Racism in Children's Story Book]]
 
[[Category: Anti-Black Racism in Children's Story Book]]
 
<references />
 
<references />

Latest revision as of 16:23, 9 March 2021

Islandborn by Junot Díaz

Released in March 2018, Islandborn is the first children's book by Dominican-American author and Pulitzer Prize-winner Junot Díaz. The image book highlights Dominican young girl living in the Bronx, similar as Díaz's goddaughters to whom he had long promised a children's book. The hero Lola, who moved when she was six years of age, doesn't recollect the Dominican Republic, and embarks to fill in her missing memories.[1]

Summary

Islandborn follows a little youngster named Lola as she attempts to recall the Island, the country she left as an infant. She tracks details through recollections from loved ones, which are all clearly showed by Leo Espinosa in brilliantly colored pages—that is, until a dark, shadowy “Monster” intrudes on Lola's lively story.

A portion of the memories portrayed in Lola's book are euphoric, as her neighbors, loved ones review the sound of music and the brilliant colors  of their island homeland. Different memories are a lot darker, in any case, as a result of the "Monster" who attacked the Island and governed it for a very long time before “heroes rose up” and expelled it for eternity. Though anonymous, it's obviously a reference to dictator Rafael Trujillo, whose rule of fear damaged generations of Dominicans.[2]

Inspiration

Islandborn monster

Diaz saod that he was hoping this book wouldn't simply be a remark on little Lola and her beautiful family and this bigger island communityfrom which she comes, yet hoping it would likewise be something of a discourse about what children’s literature is able to do. Children’s books are no aliens to beasts or opponents, the structure squares to numerous self-supporting plots. In any case, in this book, the Monster of Islandborn comes to address bigger political implications.

“For me, the Monster represents the savage, traumatic histories from which many of us immigrants emerge—a history that is often erased or silenced within our communities and inside of the community in which we find ourselves,” Díaz says. “It’s a common injury that many immigrant communities wrestle with.”

The Monster of "Islandborn" is a huge, bat-like animal. In its first appearance, it hovers over a wave that takes steps to encapsulate the Island. For those acquainted with Díaz's work, the equals between the Island and the Dominican Republic are obvious: between the Monster's 30 years of devastation and Rafael Trujillo's 31 years of tyranny, and between the wave and Hurricane San Zenon, the natural disaster  that incited Trujillo to put the country under military law and remake Santo Domingo under another name—Ciudad (Trujillo City). Yet, Díaz makes no express references to what the Monster could address: The beast is basically called "the Monster," similarly as the island is designated "the Island."

Impact

According to The Washington Post, Diaz approves/avows the encounters of ALL immigrant children, specifically Afro-Latinx kids, whose cultures and characters are regularly ignored in conversations of race and identity in America. The book fabricates the true lives and experiences of Afro-Latinx in a way that assists with testing misinformation, misrepresentations and stereotypes of Afro-Latinx people. Illustrations also validates the lively culture, skin tone, hair texture, rich history and ommunity of island born Afro-Latinx people in America.[3]

Reference

  1. Islandborn. Retrieved on December 27, 2020.
  2. MacPherson, Karen (2018). Junot Diaz says children’s books lack diversity. He hopes his will help change that.. Retrieved on December 27, 2020.
  3. Islandborn by Junot Diaz. Retrieved on December 27, 2020.