Bambara, Toni. (1992). Gorilla, My Love. New York: Vintage Books, 177 pp.

Grade Range: 10-12

Genre: short stories

Summary and Critique

Toni Cade Bambara tells the stories of fifteen different African American women in fifteen short stories. Each character is uniquely compelling, and the protagonists range from sassy young girls to pregnant actresses to wise old grandmothers. The setting of each story also varies, from the city life of New York to the country life of North Carolina. For example,"The Lesson" is about a young city girl who is forced to join in a summer enrichment program. The program's African American children get a crash course in the difference between the haves and the have-nots as they wander through a very expensive toy store. in "Mississippi Ham Rider," a young Black reporter tries to entice an old blues guitarist to come to New York City. As she wanders around town, she realizes the gap between African Americans living in the southern country and those in the city is enormous. "The Survivor" depicts an actress who goes back to her roots to deliver a baby.

These short stories are both gripping and moving. Although the language and context, which include curse words and sexual content, is too strong for middle school students, this collection of well-written and creative tales serves as a fantastic read for high school students.

Themes/Topics

Race, ethnicity, and culture

Families

Friends and Enemies

Love, Sex, and Romance

Author information

Toni Cade Bambara was a welfare activist, teacher, and writer. She emerged in the 1960's as one of the best African American writers. Bambara wrote several collections of short stories and two novels (The Salt Eaters and If Blessing Comes). She also wrote several essays and studies including Daughters of the Dust: The Making of an African American Woman's Film. Toni Cade Bambara died in 1995.

For more information on Toni Cade Bambara:

http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/litlinks/fiction/bambara.htm A short biography of the b4teens_author.

http://www.accd.edu/sac/english/bailey/bambara.htm A list of pieces written by Bambara. It also has several links that lead you to more information about Bambara.

http://voices.cla.umn.edu/newsite/authors/BAMBARAtonicade.htm A very nice biography, critique, bibliography, and related links for Bambara.

Media Connections

Movies

The Color Purple (1985) An African American woman (Celie) suffers through beatings and rape at the hand of her husband, but she lives and thrives with the help of an unusual friend. Based on the book by Alice Walker.

Beloved (1998) An ex-slave is visited by the spirit of her daughter whom she killed to keep from going back into slavery. The film is a representation of a true story of a slave woman who killed one of her children and tried to kill two others so they would not have to be slaves. Based on the book by Toni Morrison.

To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) A Southern family grapples with race relations and prejudice. Based on the book by Harper Lee.

Native Son (1951) A troubled African American man murders a rich white girl and has to avoid the law. Bigger Thomas is a troubled character who has been oppressed by society and lives in poverty. Based on the book by Richard Wright.

Malcolm X (1992) An autobiographical account of Black Nationalist leader Malcolm X.

Ghosts of Mississippi (1996) A film about the family of murdered Civil Rights leader Medgar Evers and their struggle to bring his murderer to justice.

Real Women Have Curves (2002) A young, overweight, Hispanic woman strives to be accepted by her family and others.

The Joy Luck Club (1993) The story of four Asian women and their daughters.

Where the Heart Is (2000) A seventeen-year old pregnant girl is forced to fend for herself while living in a Wal-Mart after her boyfriend abandons her.

I Like it Like That (1994) A Hispanic woman takes a job at a record company in order to support her children after her husband goes to prison.

Pretty in Pink (1986) A high school girl from a poor and motherless family begins dating a guy from a rather wealthy family, much to the dismay of their jealous friends.

Television

The Cosby Show any episode (families)

Law and Order any episode (politics, social movements)

Good Times any episode (families, gender)

Music

"We shall overcome." Adapted from gospel songs by Guy Carawan and Candy Carawan. The song of the Civil Rights Movement.

Online Resources

http://www.academicinfo.net/africanamcr.html An informative site about the history of the Civil Rights Movement.

http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/afroonline.htm A collection of online texts by African American authors.

http://www.hypermusic.ca/jazz/mainmenu.html A history of jazz music that accompanies one of the short stories by Bambara.

http://www.lessonplanspage.com/ A huge collection of lesson plans.

http://faoschwarz.com/ FAO Schwarz toy store, featuring a variety of toys.

http://www.pbs.org/theblues/classroom/essaysblues.html Provides a brief history of blues music.

http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/poverty.html Information about poverty, as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Related Texts

Bambara, Toni Cade. (1980). The Salt Eaters. New York: Random House, 295pp. Bambara's early novel about an African American community in the south that believes in the healing power of salt.

Alvarez, Julia. (1994). In the Time of the Butterflies. Chapel Hill, N.C.: Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 325pp. A novel that combines fact and fiction about three sisters in the Dominican Republic who were murdered for being revolutionaries.

Hurston, Zora Neale. (2000). Their Eyes were Watching God. New York: Harper Collins, 231pp. A beautiful book about an African American woman and her trials with love and life.

Reed, Ishmael. (1972). Mumbo Jumbo. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 223pp. A book that gives an unusual look at the history of black and white relations.

Naylor, Gloria. (1988). Mama Day. New York: Tickner and Fields, 312pp. An African American girl falls in love and struggles to avoid the mystical life and pull of her family.

Schwager, Tina. (1999). Gutsy Girls: Young Women Who Dare. Minneapolis: Free Spirit Publishing, 261pp. A collection of profiles about 25 young women between the ages of 14 and 24 who exhibited mental and physical courage in the face of a challenge.

Gilbert, Derrick I.M. (1998). Catch the Fire!!!: A Cross-Generation Anthology of African-American Poetry. New York: Riverhead Books, 288. A collection of over 100 poems by African-American men and women.

Morrison, Toni. (1974). Sula. New York: Knopf, 174pp. Two African American girls grow up together but then chose very different lives as women.

Teaching Ideas

(1)"Getting Personal/Concept Mapping Narratives" Objective: Students will create a concept map illustrating a scene from their lives and then write the scene incorporating sensory details, an element of conflict, or tension, dialogue, and private thoughts. Students will proceed through the stages of the writing process, peer revising using questioning strategies.

Materials Needed: overhead transparencies; crayons optional for students

Procedure/Guided Practice:

-Read and discuss stories that are examples of personal narratives. Engage students in highlighting or responding to elements of the text that emphasize details in the setting, tension between characters, and private thoughts.

-Using the overhead, brainstorm scenes/events from students' lives. Ideas may include the birth of siblings; graduation ceremonies; first day of school; first day in a new place; a wedding; a divorce; the death of a grandparent; an earthquake; the break-up of a friendship; the beginning of a new friendship; a time the student got into trouble; a time the student won an award or game, etc.

-Draw a picture on the overhead of a scene from your own life. Include in your concept map, three-five sensory details about the setting; dialogue bubbles; private thought bubbles; a tunnel to a past memory somehow related to the event or scene; a rope for a tug of war that pits the two sides of the conflict against each other. Emphasize that all scenes contain an element of tension or doubt, even scenes between friends and lovers. (One often wants to freeze the moment, knowing happiness is fleeting.)

Ask students to draw a similar picture depicting a scene from their own life. Have them label the sensory details; the thought bubble; the tug of war; the dialogue; the tunnel to the past.

-Next, model writing a narrative based on your overhead concept map. Think aloud as you write, referring back to the elements in your drawing. You may want to start in the middle of the action, in the middle of the dialogue or private thought.

-After you model this, have students write their own narrative based on their drawings.

-When are they finished, refer back to your narrative. Ask them to come up with at least three questions for you to explore further when you revise your narrative.

-Write down their questions and think aloud about how you might answer those questions in the revision process.

Have students switch papers, read each other's narrative, and write down five questions to help their peer develop their narratives further.

Students revise their drafts, paying close attention to the questions that were raised, as well as to moments that might be slowed down to heighten the tension. (Lesson Plan written by Marcy Winograd, Lessonplanspage.com.)

(2)"Create a Story" Have students open a new word processing document. Give them two minutes to start a story. At the end of two minutes, students quickly move to the computer on their right, change the font color to red, read what was written, and continue writing the story. They have three minutes. At the end of three minutes, students quickly move to the computer on their right, change the font color to green, read what was written, and continue writing the story. They have four minutes. At the end of four minutes, students quickly move to the computer on their right, change the font color to orange, read what was written, and continue writing the story. They have five minutes. At the end of five minutes, students quickly move to the computer on their right, change the font color to purple, read what was written, and continue writing the story. They have six minutes. At the end of six minutes, students quickly move to the computer on their right, change the font color to blue, read what was written, and continue writing the story. They have seven minutes. At the end of seven minutes, students should be back at their original computers. They are instructed to select all the text, change the font color to black (default), and read what was written. They are to correct spelling, grammar and syntax, print the story for credit, and email it to their respective English teachers.

This is a great exercise for composing at the computer, and it gives students a chance to see how others write. For some students, they are interacting for the first time with other students in the class on a personal level. (Lesson Plan written by Elaine Neetz, Lessonplanspage.com)

(3) "Dancing Through Literature" Goal: To combine literature with dance. At the end of the lesson the learner should know: 1) How to express themselves through dance from reading and interpreting poetry; 2) Expand knowledge of dance through all aspects of curriculum

Assignment:

1.Read a copy of Langston Hughes' poem"Harlem Version"

2. Discuss the significance of each line of the poem.

Ask:

        1. What is your interpretation of a deferred dream?

        2. How does it make you feel?

        3. What is a dried raisin?

        4. What does it mean to fester like a sore?

        5. What is the significance of a dream smelling rotten?

        6. How can a deferred dream be sweet?

        7. What would it be like to have a heavy load?

Students should then choreograph a dance based on their interpretations of the poem. It can be any style of dance as long as it remains in the context of a deferred dream. They may use music to perform the dance.

They may use spoken literature of their own or the poem itself (reciting it while dancing or having someone else do it, but it must be rehearsed). (Lesson Plan written by Taurus M. Hines, Lessonplanspage.com).

(Review written by Hannah Denbigh and edited by Jennifer E. Moore)