Sociopolitical Book 10/22

Oct. 22

The sociopolitical book I chose was The People Could Fly by Virginia Hamilton. It is an African American folktale illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon. It is a mystical story of how the African people knew how to fly but forgot the magical words that released them into flight when they were brought to the new world.

One day in the cotton fields, a man named Toby spoke the forgotten, magical words to the exhausted slaves enabling them to fly away. I interpreted the flying away in the folktale as a metaphor for escaping. According to the Author’s Note there are many references to flying in black folktales.


I found myself spending more time looking at the illustrations than reading this story. The pictures depict African people captured as slaves, on slave ships and in cotton fields. I think the art in the book is as powerful as Virginia Hamilton’s words. This is book that would captivate students and stimulate many discussions about history, folklore, and artistry.