Hi, Jewell! Welcome back! How have the past three years been since we last spoke?

During the pandemic, I recommitted myself to finding beauty in each day and to write more books to entertain, inspire, and uplift the human spirit. Treasure Island: Runaway Gold is my first, joyous response!

When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?

I wrote and illustrated my first “book,” The Last Scream, in the third grade. I always loved to read and write. it wasn’t until I was a junior in college that I discovered black women wrote books! I immediately switched my major to English. I focused on exploring my heritage and providing diverse, “windows and mirrors” for all! I wrote adult, historical novels for thirty years, as a means of becoming good enough to write for the world’s best audience—children!

Quick lightning round! Tell us:

• The first book you ever remember reading: The Comics Illustrated tale of King Arthur and the Knights of the Roundtable.  I was too poor to buy books so I collected pop bottles for coins and bought comics.  I loved the knight, Prince Valiant, and for most of my life thinking about being “valiant” – courageous and determined, inspired me.

• The one that made you want to become an author: I was always writing. I identified most with animal stories like Black Beauty and The Velveteen Rabbit. Stories of love, becoming real, and overcoming adversity touched my heart. 

• The one that you can’t stop thinking about: Virginia Hamilton’s The People Could Fly.  Though I was an adult, this book reconfirmed my commitment to write stories in the African American oral tradition and to honor Black (as well as other) ethnic heritages.

Your latest novel, Treasure Island: Runaway Gold, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?

Skateboards, pirates, treasure, underground railroad, loyalty.

What can readers expect?

My novel is a page-turning adventure filled with modern day pirates using skateboards as sailboats, racing down streets and through abandoned underground subways to uncover buried treasure. Zane and his friends, Jack and Kiko, dodge a threatening skateboard crew and debate whether Captain John (a pirate, or is he?) can be trusted. Ultimately, they overcome treachery with allegiance, dishonesty with honesty, and betrayal with morality. Zane’s dog, Hip-Hop, provides protection and love.

Where did the inspiration for Treasure Island: Runaway Gold come from?

My novel is a reimagining Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic Treasure Island. As a professor, I’ve taught Stevenson often and have been impressed with his complex, multi-faceted characters. I also particularly admired the Treasure Island edition with N.C. Wyeth’s illustrations. In my book, Raymond Sebastien’s illustrations are likewise incredible! Readers will LOVE his marvellously detailed settings and characterizations.

Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?

I love Zane. Like the young protagonist, Jim, in the original Treasure Island, he lost his father and his mother takes in boarders (including the mysterious Captain Maddie) to make ends meet. Zane searches for treasure and finds both material and spiritual mysteries. Significantly, he becomes an heroic figure—sadder yet wiser and more aware of human dynamics, both psychological and emotional.

What’s next for you?

So much!  Soul Step, a picture book co-authored with my daughter, Kelly McWilliams; Ghost Boys (the graphic novel); and a new novel, titled, Will: A Western.

Lastly, do you have any book recommendations for our readers?

Root Magic by Eden Royce is a magical adventure about the Gullah people.  Also, I love Ghetto Cowboy by Greg Neri. It’s a coming-of-age tale set in the urban horse-riding culture of Philadelphia.

Will you be picking up Treasure Island: Runaway Gold? Tell us in the comments below!

The post Q&A: Jewell Parker Rhodes, Author of ‘Treasure Island: Runaway Gold’ appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

The Nerd Daily recently had the pleasure of speaking with award-winning novelist, Jewell Parker Rhodes. She is the author of countless adult and middle-grade novels and Rhodes takes audiences on an emotionally impactful journey in her newest middle-grade release, Black Brother, Black Brother.

In the interview, Rhodes discusses with us the social issues that have inspired her work, the importance in knowing and teaching Black history, and on how she has approached difficult topics in her writing. Released on March 3rd, Black Brother, Black Brother is out now for your reading enjoyment.

Hello, Jewell. Thank you for taking the time to chat with us about your newest novel, Black Brother, Black Brother. First off, if you could describe your novel in five words, what would they be?

Anti-racist & bullying.  Pro-brotherhood & family.  Triumphant!

What was your inspiration for writing Black Brother, Black Brother?

My inspiration was two-fold. Researching Ghost Boys, I learned elementary through high school students of color are often unfairly suspended and arrested. Once arrested even for minor infractions, the odds that a student will be entrapped by the criminal justice system and not graduate, double. Black Brother, Black Brother addresses this bias.

My characters, Donte and Trey, are also inspired by my own experience raising two bi-racial kids (one, light-skinned; the other, darker). Skin color should not determine the ease with which one child is more fully embraced by society and the other is subject to racism.  Yet, in both public and private schools, my son was treated with suspicion.  Typical childhood moodiness was seen as criminal when an employee threatened to call the police. While as a family we’d discussed “driving/walking while black,” the thought of school being an unsafe space, upended my family’s world.

Fencing plays a huge role in the novel, can you explain a little bit about why you chose to incorporate the sport? Does it hold a personal connection or was it something you had to conduct further research on?

Decades ago, I discovered Alexander Dumas’ was mixed race (Haitian and French) and his novels were based on his father’s exploits as the “Black Count,” a swordsmen and general in Napoleon’s army. Yet popular culture and media historically has rendered fencers as aristocratic and white.

I mourned not having black D’Artagnan as a role model for youth—especially since in the twenty-first century, fencing can be a path toward college scholarships, global travel, and Olympic competition.  My husband and children fenced a little; I cheered and did research.  Most helpfully, Ben Brattan (a three-time fencing all-American and the youngest to win a gold medal at the World Team Championships) hosted my visit to the Peter Westbrook Foundation in NYC.  There I glimpsed dozens of youth and instructors striving for fencing excellence.

You depict the importance of addressing issues regarding racial prejudices and identity in the novel, what advice can you give to parents and educators that want to teach and hold these types of discussions with children and young students?

Fiction, in particular, can foster empathy.  Allowing the imaginative connection between one’s self and a character allows youth to vicariously experience events, emotions that can affect identity.  Encouraging critical thinking, exploring cause and effect, asking about motivations and best reactions to racial prejudice all lay the groundwork for great discussions.  Kids especially want to control the narrative of their own lives.  Stories can model various life pathways and affirm choices that nurture an amazing, self-loving identity.

In the novel, Donte realizes the importance of community. Are there instances in your own life where a sense of community uplifted and supported you?

My childhood and young adult life were traumatic.  My grandmother was the lifeline who supported me during intense self-doubt and loneliness.  As I’ve matured, I’ve realized that I also had an amazing, supportive community of teachers and librarians who were shaping and sustaining me.  But as a child, they were invisible to me—I didn’t appreciate their impact!  Now I do.  All my novels celebrate teachers, librarians, mentors, elders, and other adults besides parents who can provide uplift and support.

The middle-grade novels you write often look at serious events in history through the eyes of children. Do you ever feel any trepidation, or on the other hand, a sense of freedom when exploring these topics for a young audience?

Social injustice, familial and economic stress, environmental disasters and physical and mental traumas have always been a part of life. Having learned to persevere, to be more mindful and optimistic, I now feel both the freedom and obligation to demonstrate that while life can be hard, the universe “always shines down with love.”  Challenges shouldn’t prevent you from exclaiming, “I like being me!” or urging yourself and others to: “Be You.  Even if others can’t see you.”  Also, during national crisis like 9/11 and the pandemic, holding onto historic American values and spiritual empathy can allow love to flower and sustain community.

Nonetheless, particularly, as a parent, writing Ghost Boys nearly undid me.  I was a child when Emmett Till was murdered and having raised my son, I know personally that my son’s life has been “at risk” because of skin color. Ultimately, my faith in today’s youth who are learning and discussing real social issues made it possible for me to finish the novel. Kids and their brave teachers/parents should be celebrated for these honest and meaningful conversations.

You’ve written about Marie Laveau, Emmett Till, and in Black Brother, Black Brother you mention Alexandre Dumas, is there a Black historical figure that you want to see written about or want to write about yourself?

Mathew Henson, co-discoverer of the North Pole in 1909, has always fascinated me.  What was he like as a child?  How did he endure Arctic expeditions?  Maybe, one day, I’ll write a novel inspired by him.

The biography on your website mentions that while writing your first novel, Voodoo Dreams, you mainly ever wrote at night, has your writing process changed much and how would you describe it now? Also, what advice can you give to aspiring writers?

As my children needed me less in the day, I shifted to daylight hours.  But I still spend a great deal of time dreaming, thinking, musing about writing.  First drafts explode in bursts.  Sometimes I write for an hour…sometimes less.  It’s not until I have a draft does my actual writing time start to extend to two hours…four hours…even twelve hours when I’m deep in revisions.

What book, movie, podcast, or television show are you currently consuming?

For my Ethnic Literature class at Arizona State University, I’m teaching Little Fires Everywhere (both the book and television adaptation).

What can readers expect next from you?

Paradise on Fire (a working title) is about climate change and how an African American city girl learns how to survive in a drought-stricken countryside and save her friends from a wildfire.

Will you be picking up Black Brother, Black Brother? Tell us in the comments below!

The post Q&A: Jewell Parker Rhodes, Author of ‘Black Brother, Black Brother’ appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

“Contradictions rattle, hurt my mind. (Be tough. Don’t be tough. Don’t be tough, get bullied. Be black, tough can get you killed.)”

Award-winning and bestselling author, Jewell Parker Rhodes, captivates audiences with her new emotionally driven story about a young black boy that faces discrimination, while also discovering the importance of community and friendship. Black Brother, Black Brother is a middle-grade novel that looks at the protagonist’s ability to establish his own identity while facing bullying and racial prejudice.

Desperate to be invisible, Donte Ellison is not. As the new kid at his private school, Middlefield Prep, he is seen and judged for the colour of his skin, while also being constantly regarded with suspicion and harassed. His classmate and primary bully, Alan, taunts him by chanting and calling him “black brother.” On the other hand, his brother, Trey, is lighter skinned and presents as white. While Trey and Donte are both biracial, Trey is the popular kid that is accepted by his peers and teachers.

Rhodes’s narrative opens with Donte being accused for throwing a pencil during class. It quickly escalates to the police being called and Donte subsequently arrested. This unjust incident eventually leads Donte to take a stand against Alan and his bullying. The plan that Donte establishes is to learn and challenge Alan at fencing. What ensues is a journey of the self where Donte learns the importance of his family and community, of the power of forgiveness, and of embracing his identity.

The novel is written through the eyes of Donte in first person point-of-view. While Donte’s thoughts fill the page, his point-of-view is quite expressive and verges on poetic. Emotions are exposed unabashedly as the reader gains insight to Donte’s perception of the world. As Donte’s perspective is able to highlight injustices that happen in the everyday, the result is that difficult issues and topics are presented in a digestible format for a younger audience. Rhodes shares universal messages of acceptance and friendship, but she also focuses in on other important issues like racism and the school-to-prison pipeline. Rhodes brings up these topics and explores them, while seamlessly interweaving them to be part of the compelling and, ultimately, heartwarming story.

Though the novel deals with difficult subjects, Rhodes still is able to maintain a sense of fun and joy through her depiction of certain relationships and in her inclusion of fencing. The positive relationships in Donte’s life are strong and moving. The characters that are portrayed in these relationships are dynamic and have clear motivation for their choices. Fencing, another main highlight of the novel, quickly becomes a safe haven for Donte and allows for a space where he can build-up confidence. Rhodes presents a well-researched depiction of the sport, and is able to connect her descriptions of fencing with the various interactions and interior struggle that is portrayed throughout the work.

While essentially a middle-grade novel, Black Brother, Black Brother is an enjoyable read for all ages because Rhodes creates a lasting impact, but for young readers, she presents complex and real-life situations in a way that is still incredibly hopeful. Overall, through its enthralling storytelling and characters, Black Brother, Black Brother will hold your attention, open the door for discussion, and maybe even teach you something new.

Black Brother, Black Brother is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers.

Will you be picking up Black Brother, Black Brother? Tell us in the comments below!

Synopsis | Goodreads

From award-winning and bestselling author, Jewell Parker Rhodes comes a powerful coming-of-age story about two brothers, one who presents as white, the other as black, and the complex ways in which they are forced to navigate the world, all while training for a fencing competition.

Donte wishes he were invisible. As one of the few black boys at Middlefield Prep, he feels as if he is constantly swimming in whiteness. Most of the students don’t look like him. They don’t like him either. Dubbed the “Black Brother,” Donte’s teachers and classmates make it clear they wish he were more like his lighter skinned brother, Trey. Quiet, obedient.

When an incident with “King” Alan leads to Donte’s arrest and suspension, he knows the only way to get even is to beat the king of the school at his own game: fencing. With the help of a former Olympic fencer, Donte embarks on a journey to carve out a spot on Middlefield Prep’s fencing team and maybe learn something about himself along the way.

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