Second Cousins [Paperback]

Virginia Hamilton (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Blue Sky (1998)
• ASIN: B001OLZLVC
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)

More About the Author

Virginia Esther Hamilton was born, as she said, "on the outer edge of the Great Depression," on March 12, 1934. The youngest of five children of Kenneth James and Etta Belle Perry Hamilton, Virginia grew up amid a large extended family in Yellow Springs, Ohio. The farmlands of southwestern Ohio had been home to her mother's family since the late 1850s, when Virginia's grandfather, Levi Perry, was brought into the state as an infant via the Underground Railroad.

Virginia graduated at the top of her high-school class and received a full scholarship to Antioch College in Yellow Springs. In 1956, she transferred to the Ohio State University in Columbus and majored in literature and creative writing. She moved to New York City in 1958, working as a museum receptionist, cost accountant, and nightclub singer, while she pursued her dream of being a published writer. She studied fiction writing at the New School for Social Research under Hiram Haydn, one of the founders of Atheneum Press.

It was also in New York that Virginia met poet Arnold Adoff. They were married in 1960. Arnold worked as a teacher, and Virginia was able to devote her full attention to writing, at least until daughter Leigh was born in 1963 and son Jaime in 1967. In 1969, Virginia and Arnold built their "dream home" in Yellow Springs, on the last remaining acres of the old Hamilton/Perry family farm, and settled into a life of serious literary work and achievement.

In her lifetime, Virginia wrote and published 41 books in multiple genres that spanned picture books and folktales, mysteries and science fiction, realistic novels and biography. Woven into her books is a deep concern with memory, tradition, and generational legacy, especially as they helped define the lives of African Americans. Virginia described her work as "Liberation Literature." She won every major award in youth literature.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Meet Virginia Hamilton, April 2, 1998

By 

Mary Z. Cox (Tallahassee, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Her Stories: African American Folktales, Fairy Tales, and True Tales (Coretta Scott King Author Award Winner) (Hardcover)

The first time I met Virginia Hamiliton was when I read "Sweet Whispers, Brother Rush." I thought, this author rivals Toni Morrison with her vivid language, but she writes for children. How wonderful! "Her Stories : African American Folktales, Fairy Tales, and True Tales" is a illustrated collection of folk stories that any child would enjoy. Parents could read the tales to a young child to introduce Hamilton's work. Then later the child could begin to read some of the easier Virginia Hamilton stories such as "Cousins." Virginia Hamilton has written books that appeal to elementary, middle, and high school students. A student who finds her early will have a fine author to befriend him/her from kindergarten to high school.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful collection for any girl OR boy, July 7, 2003

By 

Reginald D. Garrard "the G-man" (Camilla, GA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Her Stories: African American Folktales, Fairy Tales, and True Tales (Coretta Scott King Author Award Winner) (Hardcover)

Here is another fantastic anthology from Virginia Hamilton, the award-winning author of "House of Dies Drear" and "The People Could Fly". This volume, also featuring the wonderful illustrations of Leo & Diane Dillon, is an eye-opener for those only familiar with European folktales.

Hamilton's book is divided into five sections: (1) Her Animal Tales, (2) Her Fairy Tales, (3) Her Supernatural, (4) Her Folkways and Legends, and (5) Her True Tales. Each section contains an average of four stories, accompanied by informative and entertaining background historical data.

Young readers will love the author's prose and the illustrators' beautiful paintings. Older readers and parents will gain a greater appreciation for a culture that has been too long ignored.

These stories are as valid and fanciful as any of their more familiar European counterparts.

The book ends with a list of valuable resources where one can find other examples of African-American folklore.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful compilation of African American folklore!, April 10, 2004

By 

Monika "equestrienne_23" (Davis, California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Her Stories: African American Folktales, Fairy Tales, and True Tales (Coretta Scott King Author Award Winner) (Hardcover)

Note: This review refers to the book "Her Stories" and NOT "Second Cousins," though for some reason reviews of both books appear on both product pages.

"Her Stories" is a delightful collection of nineteen stories from African American culture, retold by award-winning author Virginia Hamilton. The stories are divided into five categories: Her Animal Tales, Her Fairy Tales, Her Supernatural, Her Folkways and Legends, and Her True Tales. Each story focuses on a female, African American protagonist, and is about 3-4 pages in length. Hamilton's writing is vivid and colorful, yet remains simple enough that younger readers should have no trouble. The stories would also be great to read aloud. While Hamilton has translated the tales into contemporary language for easier understanding, she leaves a few conventions from Creole, Gullah, and other forms of speech that are best read aloud for full effect.

The book is also a great study in African American literary and oral tradition, and is suitable for adults as well as children. Each story is followed by commentary from the author, providing the history of the tale, how it reflects African American heritage, explanation of any unusual aspects of the story, and any additional points of interest. Some of the stories are based in history, and others are entirely ficitonal. Some bear likenesses to more familiar tales as well - "Catskinella" is an alternative form of the popular Cinderella story, and "Little Girl and Buh Rabby," comes from the tradition of Brer Rabbit stories.

"Her Stories" is also beautifully illustrated, bringing out the best in each tale. At the end of the book Hamilton has included some reflections on her own childhood, and how her mother influenced her decision to compile stories about strong African American women. This book is perfect for anyone, young or old and of any culture, interested in reading traditional folklore.