Blues Journey

Written by Walter Dean Myers

Narrated by Richard Allen

The opening line of this call and response style verse asks the question that forms the thread throughout – Blues, what you mean to me?

In a magnificent collaboration of words, art, and song, a timeline of the blues is presented in a soulful reading and dramatic musical accompaniment that offers a compelling evocation of the blues experience.

A Live Oak Media audio production.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Live Oak Media
• Release date: Jan 1, 2005
• ISBN: 9781430109167

Walter Dean Myers

Walter Dean Myers was the New York Times bestselling author of Monster, the winner of the first Michael L. Printz Award; a former National Ambassador for Young People's Literature; and an inaugural NYC Literary Honoree. Myers received every single major award in the field of children's literature. He was the author of two Newbery Honor Books and six Coretta Scott King Awardees. He was the recipient of the Margaret A. Edwards Award for lifetime achievement in writing for young adults, a three-time National Book Award Finalist, as well as the first-ever recipient of the Coretta Scott King-Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement.

Reviews for Blues Journey

[ocosta1-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I liked this book for it's writing and illustrations. I liked how the author repeated certain lines in his poem. For example, one stanza is "Blues, won't you free me,/let all this suffering cease?/Said blues, wont you free me,/let all this suffering cease?" The repetition of the line expresses the passion and desperation of the speaker. I also thought the illustrations were amazing. The only colors used were white, brown, black, and blue. The blending of the colors enhanced the mood for the poem, in my opinion. The main idea of this story is to explain to readers the importance of the blues in the African American culture and to explain how music and arts can impact lives.

[brandib90 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The “Blues Journey” takes its readers on a journey through the emotions of the people in the pictures. The illustrator did a wonderful job in creating pictures that mirrored what the words were saying. This book is a poetry/song book; this is because the way that the story is written could be put to a beat that could help the story flow better. Also the purpose of this book was to show the journey of African-American musical history. The author clearly shows the ups and downs with the help the of illustrations, the reader can truly get a feel for the emotions that are portrayed in the book.

[manich01 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This expressive book mixes nonfiction passages, a timeline, poetry, and a glossary to immerse the reader in the Blues. Moving illustrations also reveal the sometimes (purposely) vague references in order to make the text appropriate for both young and experience readers alike.

[whitneejenkins3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Blues Journey is a blues poem written by Walter Dean Myers and illustrated by Christopher Myers. It is a well illustrated piece where the reader can see the story through pictures alone. The poem is about an African American journey from the middle passage throughout history. It shows the hardships and happy times of African American musical history. This poem can be sung as well and spoken. Not only that, it shows accomplishments from people like the legendary B.B. King, Robert Johnson, Billie Holiday, John Mayal, and Eric Clapton. This picture book shows appreciation for every artist in the music industry from the late 1800s through the 1960s. Reading this will give the reader insight the musical history and the artists that paved the way.

[ebruno_11 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This poetic book captures many feelings and emotions, such as love, heartbreak, despair, and joy, that African Americans experienced when they were supressed. They took their feelings and put them into lyrics in a style known as the blues. This book really captures a serious and foreboding tone.

[anniegoodwin_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

"Blues Journey" by Walter Dean Myers tells the story of the birth of blues. The story begins with the end of slavery and continues through the Civil Rights Movement. This text gives recognition to difference people, places, and events that were pivotal in the African-American struggle for rights, which in turn were pivotal in the blues progression. Through poetry, Myers gives insight into the life of the narrator. The narrator expresses his feelings by relating to different people and events in the blues movement. Myers gives recognition to blues icons, including Billie Holiday, Memphis, the Delta, and other slang terms that signified that era. Myers allows further investigation for his readers by providing an introduction, timeline, and glossary that expand ideas readers may have been confused about.Since this book is written in the form of poetry (or song) is can easily be incorporated into a language arts or creative writing class. With this text, I would have students write of a significant point in their lives using poetry. This text identifies the birth of the blues and related events through poetry, so I feel a creative writing piece would be a perfect accompaniment. Another creative writing component would be to have students write brief chants or songs about an obstacle they had to overcome. This text refers to songs sung by African-Americans while they worked, spent time at Parchman, and endured slavery. Having students write their own song would be a great way to incorporate the arts into a language arts class. Additionally, I feel that this would be a good text to use in a history lesson when discussing the end of slavery. Many students enjoy learning from sources other than a textbook, and this text would present history and a creative, and possibly more interesting fashion.While I enjoyed reading "Blues Journey," it was not my favorite text by Walter Dean Myers. I feel that this text included a lot of symbolism, terms, and names that I was unfamiliar with. After finishing the text, I discovered the "Blues Glossary" in the back, which clarified many terms and phrases I did not understand. However, I found it hard to decipher the meaning of different events in the text, which in turn made it difficult to read. Although I did not particularly enjoy this book, I would recommend it to others. It offers a unique perspective of the Delta Blues and events during the beginning of the blues era. I would certainly recommend this text for young readers who wish to learn history in a fashion other than a textbook.

[katekf_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This beautifully illustrated book tells the story of the blues through text that reads like a blues' song combined with gorgeous illustrations that are striking and powerful. Each page tells a different part of the story of the blues and how it reflects African-American culture. In the beginning of the book is a small essay about the history of the blues and at the end is a timeline that reflects the pages and a glossary of the language used. In terms of what ages this book would be appropriate for, it actually covers quite a range due to the difficult subject matter that's touched on. A second or third grader might just enjoy the music of the text and knowing some of the easier history of the blues while a fourth or fifth grader or even older would be able to use this book as a gateway to understanding the more difficult history that is part of the story of African-Americans and their music.

[chrismyersgroup · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is a fantastic book that covers everything about the blues, from a brief description of the blues style to a glossary of blues terms. The text is comprised of strains from blues songs. The pictures have been created by using only blue ink, white paint, and brown paper bags. This is truly remarkable, for each illustration contains much detail. Reading the glossary before reading the book may be beneficial to the reader and the audience. The metaphors and symbolism used in the blues lyrics are explained. This is necessary for a deeper understanding of both the text and the illustrations. Although the illustrations are beautiful pieces of art, they do not seem to be an integral part of the book. Some of the illustrations are quite ambiguous. It is also surprising to see such content expressions on most of the characters.

[smpenni · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Using lyrics as poetry, Walter Dean Myers creates a collection of poems that express the blues. Themes include slavery & racism, abuse & hard-luck. It's easy and enjoyable to read, and includes beautiful illustrations!!