On My Journey Now by Nikki Giovanni

$18.99

Looking at African-American History Through the Spirituals

Ever since she was a little girl going to services in three different churches, Nikki Giovanni has loved the spirituals. In her travels from the slave ports of Africa and back to congregations throughout the United States, she has listened for the roots of those magnificent songs. In On My Journey Now, she weaves together the powerful words of the spirituals—"Go Down, Moses" and "Ain't Got Time to Die"—with the story of Africans in America.

Nikki Giovanni shows that, from the moment Africans were taken on board the slave ships, they had to choose: to face an ominous future or to give up. She celebrates through spirituals their choice to overcome the tragedy of enslavement, to find a way to survive, to worship, and to build a better tomorrow. Even today, from the best hip-hop lyrics to the hum of an astronaut, Nikki Giovanni hears the echo of the spirituals—the songs of a people who chose to live.

Complete Lyrics for the Spirituals Included

Candlewick Press, hardcover, glossary of terms and names, bibliography, index

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