Kill ‘Em and Leave by James McBride

Kill ‘Em and Leave: Searching for James Brown and the American Soul is the new book from James McBride, himself a musician and National Book award-winning author of The Good Lord Bird and The Color of Water. It’s a perfect fit for those students whose Junior Theme involves describing an American artist and his/her impact on American values.  McBride notes how James Brown sold "more than 200 million records, recorded 321 albums, 16 of them hits, wrote 832 songs, and made 45 gold records. He revolutionized American music: he was the very first to fuse jazz into popular funk; the very first to record a 'live' album that became a number-one record." Kill ‘Em and Leave is a fascinating look not only at an innovative and influential musician, but also at race relations and social class in American society.

McBride divides his book into three sections (Countin’ Off, Hit It! And Quit It!).  He begins by describing the Buzz (“four hundred years of pent-up bitterness”) and writes about how “Brown was a child of a country in hiding: America’s South” where “the music [of black artists] is immortalized while the communities that produced them continue to suffer.” McBride shares a story of money and greed, of associates and mentees like Al Sharpton, of passion and dedication, through a series of vignettes. “What was the point, Brown said, trying to play big. Just be big.” Given the style and power of McBride’s writing, Kill ‘Em and Leave could also be considered as assigned text for classes like Senior Writers Seminar and Creative Writing.  Starred review from Booklist.

The One in a Million Boy by Monica Wood

The One in a Million Boy by Monica Wood is exquisitely written. I honestly found myself reading more slowly – to savor the writing and so that the story would not end.  The boy, 11, is a scout working on merit badges who is assigned to help Ona, a one-hundred and four year old women originally from Lithuania.  As is often the case between children and older people, they recognize something in each other and form a bond, eventually agreeing to strive for an appearance in the Guinness Book of World Records.

The boy is portrayed as a gentle caring soul, with a love of lists, of counting, and of memorizing obscure factoids. Even though he is never named, the boy has a profound impact on his often absent, musician father, Quinn, and on his fragile mother, Belle.

As part of a school project, the boy interviews Ona about her long life and excerpts are interspersed throughout the book. These, to me, are some of the best parts of The One in a Million Boy since they are written as semi-monologues (only Ona’s responses are transcribed) and I was immediately pulled into the conversation. Ona is funny and impatient and yet seems truly humble and lonely. Like all of us, Ona has a set of assumptions and values that guide her life. Despite her wisdom, she still has epiphanies, especially about her own family: “Not until Randall [her son] learned to talk did Ona accept the full measure of her parents’ sacrifice of assimilation. Their love for her was too severe, and it cost so much – communication with their only child – that even now she could not imagine how they managed to pay.” 

I think it would take a special high school student (perhaps one who has a strong and affectionate relationship with a grandparent or neighbor) to fully appreciate this book.  Adult readers and book groups, however, will love The One in a Million Boy and find much to contemplate and discuss.  Highly recommended.