hold fast to dreams by andrea davis pinkney

A move to book publishing found Pinkney working first at Simon & Schuster and Scholastic before signing on with Hyperion Books for Children. From there she moved to Essence, a publication geared toward African American women, where Pinkney headed the modern living section and wrote feature articles on family life, travel, and history. She also writes young-adult novels based on her personal experiences as a pre-teen.įor her first job Pinkney worked as an editor of a home-decorating magazine.

Pinkney writes for a variety of age groups. Pinkney augments her library research with trips to view her subject’s art and interviews close family members or acquaintances in order to place her subjects within the larger context of the African-American experience. Many of Pinkney’s books have been biographies of notable African Americans. At Hyperion, Pinkney promoted the works of African American authors, gaining praise within the publishing industry and providing young black readers with books that promote and extol the many positive aspects of their heritage.

(Sept.Washington, District of Columbia, United Statesįor her first job Pinkney worked as an editor of a home-decorating magazine. A useful chronology, selected discography, and source notes are included for readers seeking to explore the Motown sound further. With folksy speech and catchy metaphors ('a voice that was spicy ginger and cream%E2%80%94it was gritty and mellow'), supported by clear headings and well-chosen photographs, the Groove detours into the 'finishing' of artists, segregation, and the Detroit riots of 1968, though Pinkney omits discussions of other popular music of the 1960s. Thanks to Berry's ambitious innovations, Motown became 'an assembly line that cranked out hit after hit after hit,' achieved through exacting standards that included personal integrity offstage, the color of a performer's eye shadow, and on-stage moves. With well-chosen collaborators in every department%E2%80%94songwriting, backup performance, artistic development%E2%80%94Berry spotted and cultivated some of the best African-American musical talent of the era Motown's stars in its 1960s heyday included The Supremes, The Four Tops, The Temptations, The Jackson 5, and Stevie Wonder. In this clear, comprehensive history of Motown, Pinkney (The Red Pencil) narrates as 'the Groove,' a chatty, older guide to Berry Gordy Jr.'s music business.

Hold fast to dreams by andrea davis pinkney