Tuesday, January 24, 2023

Sukey and the Mermain

Written by: Robert D. San Souci and Brian Pinknet

First line: A girl names Sukey lived with her ma and step-pa in a cabin with a sagging porch and a roof so rickety it let in sunshine or rain, depending on the weather. 

Why you should read this book: A top notch writer and a top notch illustrator team up to create this sensational fairy tale about a little girl who escapes her troubles through a dalliance with a mermaid called Mama Jo. Sukey moves back and forth between her world on the surface and Mama Jo's ocean but chooses the world of men in the end. Inspired by and constructed from various pieces of African-American folklore likely handed down through the oral tradition all the way from Africa, this book introduced the idea of a Black mermaid to the public over thirty years ago.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You are already het up about the validity of a Black mermaid.

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