ALLEGEDLY BY: TIFFANY D. JACKSON
Bibliographic Information:
Author: Tiffany D. Jackson
Title: Allegedly
Copyright: 2017
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
ISBN:9780062422644)
Summary: Scenario: A white baby died under the care of an African American woman and her nine year old daughter. Mary, the daughter, is convicted; however, the question still remains: did she, do it? After being in “baby jail” for six years, she is finally able to leave to go to a group home. She meets Ted on an assignment at a nursing home. Fast forward a little bit, now Mary is pregnant with Ted’s baby and the state is threatening to take her baby. Even though it is going to be difficult, Mary has to find her own voice to finally tell what really happened. However, the person who holds all the cards is the one person she definitely can’t trust: Momma. Will Mary be able to tell her truth?
Critical Evaluation: This story is told in a straightforward manner that makes it easy for the reader to follow what is going on. It demonstrates a dark portrayal of the legal system as well as how social workers and parents sometimes fail children. he characters are very complex, and had interesting layers to them. For example the main character is smart, but she also has a layer of mystery to her which leaves you on your edge of your seat up until the last page. This book has a realistic feel since it provides a raw and honest look at what can and does happen when kids are caught up in the system. While this is a work of fiction, it makes the reader really think especially because it parallels what is going on in the world today. In addition to being very thought provoking, this book takes an honest inside look at some issues that are often not openly discussed such as racial inequalities, lack of education, mental health issues, and broken support systems.
Reader’s Annotation: A white baby ends up in the care of nine year old Mary and her mother. But who really committed the crime, Mary or her mother?
Author Information: Tiffany D. Jackson has written several books including “Allegedly”, “Monday’s Not Coming”, and “Let Me Hear a Rhyme”. The D in her name is short for Danelle. She is a Brooklyn native, where she currently lives, and loves naps, beaches, and cookie dough. Tiffany received her bachelor’s degree in arts in film from Howard University, and she then went on to obtain her master’s degree in the New School in the arts of media studies.
In addition to being an author, she is also a TV professional. Tiffany has been in the television industry for over a decade. Some of the networks and media companies that she has worked for include: BET, FUSE, BBC AMERICA, EPIX, Locks=down (a prison series), Roc Nation, and National Geographic. She even wrote her own short horror film, The Field Trip in 2009. To be specific, her other job title besides writer is a freelance TV Production Manager/Line Producer.
Genre- Fiction
Curriculum Ties- Justice System; Mental health
Book Talk Ideas- Justice System
Interest Age/Reading Level– Grades 9-12
Challenge Issues/Defense Preparation:
Challenge Issues: Justice System; Unhealthy Relationship Between Child & Parent; Mental Health
Selection Policy: http://ccclib.org/policies/CollectionDevelopmentAccess-1999-11-16.pdf
Library Bill of Rights: http://www.ala.org/advocacy/sites/ala.org.advocacy/files/content/intfreedom/librarybill/lbor.pdf
Right to Read: http://www2.ncte.org/statement/righttoreadguideline/
Rationale:
Bibliographic Information:
Author: Tiffany D. Jackson
Title: Allegedly
Copyright: 2017
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
ISBN:9780062422644)
Intended Audience: The intended audience is young adults specifically the upper grades of 9-12. This particular book would be beneficial for an English or social studies class. Primarily the book will be used for individual study in which every member of the class should read the book, and then afterwards there can be a group discussion of what transpired in the book as well as observations and thoughts concerning the book. “Allegedly” can be utilized to start discussions concerning the justice System as well as mental health issues.
Summary: Scenario: A white baby died under the care of an African American woman and her nine year old daughter. Mary, the daughter, is convicted ;however, the question still remains: did she, do it? After being in “baby jail” for six years, she is finally able to leave to go to a group home. She meets Ted on an assignment at a nursing home. Fast forward a little bit, now Mary is pregnant with Ted’s baby and the state is threatening to take her baby. Even though it is going to be difficult, Mary has to find her own voice to finally tell what really happened. However, the person who holds all the cards is the one person she definitely can’t trust: Momma. Will Mary be able to tell her truth?
Relationship to Program: The relationship of the book to school objectives would be helping 9th graders develop their literal and inferential understanding skills and comprehension skills. Through reading this book they would learn SLE # R.9.9.1 Connect own background knowledge, including personal experience and perspectives shaped by age, gender, class or national origin, to determine author’s purpose. R.9.9.5. Draw inferences from a sentence or a paragraph (including conclusions, generalizations and predictions) and support them with text evidence. Concerning summary and generalization students will utilize R.9.9.8 Summarize and paraphrase structures in informational and literary texts, including relationships among concepts and details. Concerning analysis and evaluation students will utilize R. 9.9.11 Recognize and define various points of view (e.g., omniscient narrator, third person limited) and R. 9.9.13 Identify and discuss a position using concepts gained from reading (e.g. debate, discussion, position paper, etc.).
http://www.fayar.net/edvision/language/09_reading_0405.pdf
Impact: I think this book would have a tremendous positive impact on the students. While this book does deal with some very serious content, I think the teens would appreciate “being treated by adults” by being allowed to read the book. Also it gives an accurate description concerning what is going on with our justice system. The teens definitely may know someone or have a friend or family member that may have had a brush with the law, and this book could give them insight into the justice system.
Why Included: This book is extremely thought provoking, as well as intriguing. Some may describe this book as “dark and twisted”, but sometimes that is just life. Exploring books that deal with tough subjects such as in this book may not always be pleasant ;however, life is full of ups as well as downs. I think the teens may be able to relate to finding themselves in situations they didn’t anticipate based off details that may or may not be true about them. What happened to Mary could easily happen to someone else so the story is very much still relevant to everyday life.
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