My Man Blue (Module 3)

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Grimes, Nikki. 1999. My Man Blue. Ill by Jerome Lagarrigue. NewYork: Puffin. ISBN 0329292110

2. PLOT SUMMARY
My Man Blue follows a kid, Damon, and his mother’s old friend, Blue. The book begins with Damon and his mother’s move to an urban neighborhood where they first meet up with Blue. Although wary at first, Damon accepts Blue’s friendship with the understanding that Blue wants to help fill the whole Damon’s father left and keep Damon from being swallowed up by the streets the way Blue’s son was.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
There is nothing forced about Nikki Grimes’ writing. Her poems flow naturally in free verse form. She has organized this book to highlight the growth of the friendship and Damon’s growing courage and self-confidence. Poems balance in total length and line length with some having shorter, more staccato lines and others longer, more lyrical ones.

Blue and Damon’s friendship is filled with beautiful lessons of truth and courage. The emotions are raw and honest, like Damon’s telling Blue in the poem “Second Son:” “But I can’t take Zeke’s place.” Grimes delicately touches on discussions of fear, violence, and loss but maintains a hopeful voice throughout. This book has great appeal to many audiences (young and old) because of the chord of truth that it strikes.

“Damon & Blue” is most musical poem in its use of rhyme (“blue, two, avenue”), rhythm, and “s” sound. Other poems do not use rhyme but feature other literary devices like alliteration. For example, “Like Blue” has a lot of “b” in it (be, Blue, black, built, boxing, but). There is much that can be highlighted to students about how poets craft their poems in this book.

The strength of this book really comes in Grimes’ ability to touch on deep themes while not feeling forced or trite. In the “Class Bully,” we are surprised to see that the bully is a girl and given another surprise as Damon refuses to hit her back: “It’s guys / who don’t hit girls / Who’re strong.” Grimes also writes of fear in two poems. In “Fearless,” Blue takes Damon to climb a tree: “And urges me to loop / my fear like twine / around a branch and use / the rope to climb.” This is such a great image of how to use fear to our advantage. In one of the more tender poems about a shooting at school, “The Plan,” Damon personifies and addresses fear directly: “So, Mister Fear, / If you’re listening, / You best be leaving / Now.”

Lagarrigue’s illustrations are a perfect companion to the book. They are soft acrylic paintings, filled with deep colors and are slightly gritty looking to emphasize the urban feel. The paintings seem blurred, yet truly exemplify the intense emotions of the book. In many ways, they really personify Blue himself—soft, yet tough.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

• Publishers Weekly starred review: “Though each of these accomplished poems could easily stand alone, together they form an enticing story.”
• School Library Journal review: “Lagarrigue debuts with a set of twilit, impressionistic, sparsely populated street scenes in which Blue, with his shaven head and heavy frame, leans hugely but attentively toward his diminutive companion. Damon mentions his mother several times, but because she appears in the illustrations only once, she remains a background presence as man and boy bond.”
• Newsweek review: “[This is one] of this year’s best children’s books. . . . [It] sneaks in a bit of wisdom (it’s OK for African-American boys to cook and read), but mostly it’s the story of a kid and his mother’s boyfriend warming to each other.”

5. CONNECTIONS

• Jerome Lagarrigue’s artistry should be delved into deeper by observing some of his other illustrated works. These include Freedom Summer (ISBN: 9780689830167), Me and Uncle Romie (ISBN: 9780803725201), Going North (ISBN: 9780374326814), and Poetry for Young People: Maya Angelou (ISBN: 9781402720239).
• For older students (grades 5-8), Nikki Grimes has written another book about fathers and father-figures, Dark Sons (ISBN: 9780786818884). My Man Blue would be a great introduction to this longer book and could set the tone for discussing father-son relationships.
• Other books about fear that can be compared and contrasted because they take a lighter look at the theme:

Henkes, Kevin. Wemberly Worried. ISBN: 9780688170288

Mayer, Mercer. There’s an Alligator Under My Bed. ISBN: 9780803703742

Seuss, Dr. What Was I Scared Of? ISBN: 9780375958670

Waber, Bernard. Courage. ISBN: 9780618238552