Item 5 Book: Sounder

Armstrong, H., W. (1968). Sounder. New York, NY: Harper & Row.         

Genre: Classic Fiction,  African American

Subject: Dogs, Family Life, Poverty

Ages: 12 and up  

     

Plot: This timeless classic, Newberey-Medal-award-winning-book tells the story of an African American family faced with prejudice in the South. A young black boy learns how to read through his devoted dog Sounder.

Review:

Stereotypical characterizations of characters living in a racist society. This book is similar to the Fredrick Douglas' Autobiography, because it deals with the similar issues: learning how to read, and searching for ones identity while being opressed by society. The boy in the story is not a slave, but he lives in a racist society, which is similar to the treatment of Douglass' as a slave. Both are searching for thier own identity--which is common in African American novels.  The writing and language is kept simple, because it is meant to move the audience to connect with the boy and his struggle to find his father and dog.

Adaptations: This story was adapted into a movie in 1972 starring Cicely Tyson and again in 2003 for Disney starring Paul Winfield.

Awards:

Newberry Award