Going Back Home: An Artist Returns to the South

by Toyomi Igus, Michele Wood (Illustrator)

More than half a century after her family moved north to find a better life, African American artist Michele Wood returned to the south to see and feel the land where her ancestors lived. Going Back Home presents a series of her paintings inspired by this personal journey. Through her complex and richly patterned art, Wood places herself back in history, imagining the struggles of her ancestors to overcome hardship through family love and strong community. Michelle Wood collaborated with author Toyomi Igus to interpret her visual images and family stories. Igus's moving text draws on African American history to reveal the experiences of Wood's turn-of-the-century sharecropping family.

Genres: Picture Books, African American, Art

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

Toyomi Igus has had a rich and varied writing and communications career. Born Toyomi Lynn Gibson in Iowa City, Iowa, the first child of four from her African American father and Japanese mother, she grew up in Buffalo, New York, and went on to college at Barnard College, Columbia University. After college Igus dove into consumer and trade magazine publishing as an acquiring editor and managing editor, and then on into academic book publishing, revamping and managing the publications unit of the Center for African American Studies at UCLA. Under her editorship, the press produced several books on the African diaspora, including Wilfred Cartey’s Whispers from the Caribbean, Trevor Purcells’ Banana Fallout: Class, Color and Culture Among West Indians in Costa Rica, and the final volume of St. Clair Drake’s Black Folk Here and There. While at UCLA, Igus co-wrote, edited and curated Life in a Day of Black L.A., a collection of photographs of contemporary African-American life by Southern Californian black photographers, a traveling exhibition and book.

Igus published her first children’s book in 1991. To date she has authored six children books, including When I Was Little and Great Women in the Struggle (Just Us Books); Going Back Home (Childrens’ Book Press), winner of the American Book Award and the Skipping Stones Honor, and I See the Rhythm (Childrens’ Book Press), winner of the Coretta Scott King Award, Multicultural Children�s Book Award, and the Jane Addams Picture Book Award, and her very personal Two Mrs. Gibsons (Childrens’ Book Press), which remains on educational recommended book lists around the country.

Reviews

[Mbgirl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve been into African folk art of late, owing mainly to reconnecting with my MS Delta relatives.

This book is full of magical, splendid art, and her kin were born in the Delta. Mine were from China, but many of their progeny were born in small Delta towns. Blame slavery and racism for how this all happened.

Also getting through the memoir Chasing me To my Grave—- there is such richness to explore a hallowed ground and geography (author left Indiana and moved to GA) to appreciate one’s roots.

The book itself takes less than 5 minutes to read—- to appreciate the wonderful art, a lifetime!

[Christian Padgett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not necessarily the most kid friendly book, it does provide a lot of useful information. In this story, Michelle Wood describes here family and her families past. This book can help with describing how African Americans have persevered through many struggles.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely love the illustrations!

[Aleta · Rating 5 out of 5]

An artist's interpretation of her family's African American heritage, especially in the South - beautiful!

[Renee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book would be a great tool for students to learn about representation and choice in art. The artist Michelle Wood visits the south in search of her family's ancestral home. She writes about the history of enslaved black Americans, reconstruction era black families, sharecropping and the great migration. The book gives a little bit of historic context about the events, but spends most of the time talking about the paintings, including symbols, colors, and figures in the painting. Readers will begin to understand why an artist makes specific artistic choices and how personal can help us create paintings with a unique perspective. This book is also a celebration of black history and culture, and it's lovely to see the pride that Michelle Wood has in her heritage reflected in her art.

[Teresa Selders]

The grade level for this book is 1-2 grade or higher. ( 6-8 years). This book takes us back to the south. The artist of this book did not grow up in the south. She heard many stories of how her family grew up there. She imagined what it was like and drew illustrations of the stories that were told to .her. She collaborated with author Toyomi Igus to tell the stories while she drew the magnificent pictures, which were really detailed. I picked this for my library because its a wonderful African American read for black history. I like this book because its really detailed and its a true story.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Educational. Probably more enjoyable to people who actually are African-Americans or who know some.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Going Back Home is a richly illustrated and beautifully written book that incorporates amazing art work with vibrant rich writing detailing the artist's family history in the southern United States. I love the beautiful quilt like backgrounds in all of her paintings.The author touches on subjects of family, belonging, picking cotton, slavery, plantations, share cropping, work songs, music, and most importantly a keeper of family history.

[Elizabeth]

The premise of this book is a neat idea, but the execution -- of just explaining painting after painting -- doesn't have the most engaging flow, and I also wasn't super into the paintings themselves (I found her use of chunks of color in skin tones off-putting).

[Elif · Rating 1 out of 5]

not for children!

[Tracy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the illustrations, not so impressed with the prose.