Little a and Ku-Jaa

By John Chipley

Shirley Nelson Kersey, Ph.D.
For The Young African-American Boy

Readers of the books of fiction featuring Little A, a boy living in the projects of Memphis, are instantly aware that the writer is eminently qualified to focus on this young hero.

Only a person who has taught in the inner city schools is able to create a fictional, yet realistic account of the life of a youngster struggling to find himself in this environment.

John Chipley, whom the boys fondly have dubbed Mr. Chip, taught in Memphis inner-city schools for over fifteen years. In retirement he offers weekly volunteer sessions that focus on encouraging boys to read. This is a lofty goal, for the boys live in homes and neighborhood environments not structured to develop reading skills or dreams of career advancement. Mr. Chips goal surpasses development of reading ability to encourage the boys to enjoy this privilege.

Chipley is formally prepared to teach, for he holds both Bachelor and Master of Education degrees. However, the most memorable aspect of his classroom presence is his heart. He cares deeply about each one of his students and is there for them both now and in the future. Through the persona of Little A, Chipley gives the boys a fictional character with whom they can identify. Little As life style echoes theirs. While reading this series of books, the boys witness someone they can relate to. Little A is a wonderful fictional character full of wisdom, character, adventure, and confidence.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Feb 20, 2016
• ISBN: 9781504980500

John Chipley

Shirley Nelson Kersey, Ph.D. Readers of the books of fiction featuring Little A, a boy living in the projects of Memphis, are instantly aware that the writer is eminently qualified to focus on this young hero. Only a person who has taught in the inner city schools is able to create a fictional, yet realistic account of the life of a youngster struggling to find himself in this environment. John Chipley, whom the boys fondly have dubbed Mr. Chip, taught in Memphis inner-city schools for over fifteen years. In retirement he offers weekly volunteer sessions that focus on encouraging boys to read. This is a lofty goal, for the boys live in homes and neighborhood environments not structured to develop reading skills or dreams of career advancement. Mr. Chip’s goal surpasses development of reading ability to encourage the boys to enjoy this privilege. Chipley is formally prepared to teach, for he holds both Bachelor and Master of Education degrees. However, the most memorable aspect of his classroom presence is his heart. He cares deeply about each one of his students and is there for them both now and in the future. Through the persona of Little A, Chipley gives the boys a fictional character with whom they can identify. Little A’s life style echoes theirs. While reading this series of books, the boys witness someone they can relate to. Little A is a wonderful fictional character full of wisdom, character, adventure, and confidence.

Book preview

Little A

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and Ku-jaa

Author: John Chipley

Art: Tom Chipley

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AuthorHouse™

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.authorhouse.com

Phone: [phone]

© 2016 John Chipley. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 02/17/2016

ISBN: 978-1-5049-8051-7 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5049-8049-4 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5049-8050-0 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2016902911

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Contents

School

It’s like a Secret

Mr. President

The Woods

The Light

The Future

A.J.

The Life-Coin

The Bathroom

Try Again

Mojok

Two Worlds

#532

The Treehouse Writers

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Proudly presents

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Ku-jaa

The Treehouse Writers

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Mrs. Marquita Carter, Teacher (6th grade)

Jaylynn Futrell (age 12) / Ayuel Wek (age 12)

Clara John (age 12) / Winnie Marchel (age 13)

Mojok Deng (age 11) / Elizabeth Costa (age 11)

Angel Toler (age 11) / Kujaa Toto (age 12)

Mekki Toto (age 11) / Kader Bamba (age 11)

Binghampton Christian Academy, Memphis, TN. 38111

Little A books are sponsored by the Starfish Ministry,

Germantown United Methodist Chruch, Germantown, TN 38138

My name is Abraham.

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When I was growing up, everyone just called me Little A. Everyone, that is, except the big kids. They called me, ‘G-Boy,’ short for gangster boy. I’m part African-American and part American-African. When I was thirteen, I had a secret, a HUGE secret! And the secret had a name, Ku-jaa (pronounced Coo-Jah).

But before I tell you about Ku-jaa, let me tell you about myself. At thirteen I was small for my age but didn’t take bullying from the big kids. And I didn’t care how big they were! Most the guys in the neighborhood knew not to mess with me!

However, they still liked to tease me by calling me ‘G-Boy’. And they teased my dog, George, by calling him ‘Hot-Snot.’ Frankly, I liked our new names. I considered their street names for us a compliment. The name made me feel bigger, taller, and stronger.

*****

School

As I start my story, you need to know I wasn’t a good student, academically. Don’t get me wrong, I tried to make good grades. I was always polite to my teachers and had lots of friends. However, while being nice and polite is important, it