Wikipedia

James Haskins

For the politician and cabinet minister from Botswana, see James G. Haskins.

James/Jim Haskins (September 19, 1941 – July 6, 2005) was an American author; he wrote more than 100 books for both adults and children. Many of his books are about the achievements of African Americans; they cover the history and culture of Africa and the African American experience. The biographical subjects include Lena Horne, Hank Aaron, Scatman Crothers, and Malcolm X. Most of his writings were for young people. He wrote on a great variety of subjects which introduced them to the language and cultures of other continents, especially Africa.

James Haskins
Born(1941-09-19)September 19, 1941
Demopolis, Alabama, U.S.
DiedJuly 6, 2005(2005-07-06) (aged 63)
Manhattan, U.S.
OccupationNonfiction writer
EducationGeorgetown University (BA)
University of Alabama (BS)
University of New Mexico (MA)
GenreBiography, Children's literature, Young adult fiction
Notable worksThe Story of Stevie Wonder
Lena Horne
Count Your Way series

Biography edit

Haskins was born in Demopolis, Alabama; he grew up in a family with many children. He received his high school education in Boston.[1] He received a B.A. degree in psychology from Georgetown University in 1960, a B.S. degree from Alabama State University in 1962, and a M.A. degree from the University of New Mexico in 1963.

After graduation before becoming a teacher, Haskins moved to New York City working as a stock trader on Wall Street. He taught music and special education classes in Harlem. His first book, Diary of a Harlem Schoolteacher, was about these experiences.[1] He was a professor of English at the University of Florida and lived in New York City.

Haskins died in 2005 of complications from emphysema.[1]

Early life edit

Haskins was born in Demopolis, Alabama and he grew up in a loving community with his aunts and uncles. He experienced segregation in the public school system. He made the best of what he could with scarce academic and financial resources. Haskins' family bought supermarket encyclopedias to help him quench his thirst for knowledge. His parents' Caucasian boss let Haskins use her library card to borrow books. When Haskins was twelve years old he and his mother moved to Boston, many of his teachers were Harvard University professors. Harvard is prestigious and Haskins was one of twenty-five African American students which attended the college. He developed a love for teaching in Boston; he played the trumpet and had a passion for music as well.

Haskins obtained his education from many institutions in Alabama, Boston, Washington D.C., and New Mexico. While in Alabama Haskins attended school at Alabama State University during 1959-1960. Haskins became involved in social activism. He participated in sit-in demonstrations to protest for African-American rights. Later Haskins helped Rosa Parks publish her book and he was the co-author of her book. He has recordings from his interview with Rosa Parks; he and his fellow peers were called rabble-rousers for attempting to sit in the white-only section of lunch rooms. Haskins and others were expelled for these actions. He left ASU because he was granted a scholarship to Georgetown. After graduating he returned to Alabama State University to complete another bachelor's degree (this one studying art and history). He went to the University of New Mexico and earned a master's degree in social psychology.

Later years edit

Later Haskins lived in New York and was a stock trader which was something he did not enjoy. He later began teaching in the borough of Harlem; he kept a diary of his encounters as a teacher and then published it. It was titled, "Diary of A Harlem School Teacher". Leaving Harlem he became a professor at Staten Island Community College. Seven years had passed and around this time Haskins had decided to teach at the University of Florida as an English professor. He always preferred to be labeled a teacher over being called a writer, He achieved several literary awards for his novels.

Writing edit

Haskins' picture books, with many brightly colored pictures and few words, were geared to young children just learning to read. They are about the achievements of African Americans in society. The characters in the stories cover the gamut of African American role models, from Rosa Parks to the black members of the Hannibal Guards, a military organization in Pittsburgh during the Civil War.[2]

Haskins' 1977 picture book The Cotton Club, featuring gangsters, jilted love, and pre-prohibition gangsters, was used as an inspiration for the 1984 film of the same name.[1]

In 1998, his young adult book African American Entrepreneurs was published by Jossey-Bass in English. The book follows the success of his first work, Voodoo and Hoodoo: The Craft as Revealed by Traditional Practitioners, published about 20 years prior.

Published works edit

Haskins was a very articulate author. He wrote books for children and young adults. He worked alongside many activists such as Rosa Parks, Nat King Cole, Richard Pryor, and others. Many of his novels focused on educating African Americans about the history of many influential activists and idols who paved the way for African Americans. This is a list of the books he has published for children and adults.

thriftbooks.com/a/james-haskins/201322/

Awards edit

Haskins won many awards. Several of his books won the Coretta Scott King Award including The Story of Stevie Wonder, which won the award in 1976 and Lena Horne, which won the same award in 1984. Bricktop was chosen by the English-Speaking Union as a Book-Across-the-Sea to read in 1983. Black Music in America won the 1988 Carter G. Woodson Book Award of the National Council for the Social Studies. His four-book Count Your Way series (Arab World, China, Japan, and Russia) won the Alabama Library Association Award for best work for children in 1988. In 1994, he was presented the Washington Post Children's Book Guide Award.

Selected bibliography edit

  • Diary of a Harlem Schoolteacher (Grove Press, 1969)
  • Profiles in Black Power (1972)
  • Pinckney Benton Stewart Pinchback (Macmillan Publishing, 1973)
  • The Story of Stevie Wonder (1975)
  • Pele: A Biography (1976)
  • Scott Joplin: The Man Who Made Ragtime (1978)
  • Voodoo and Hoodoo: The Craft as Revealed by Traditional Practitioners (1978)
  • James Van DerZee: The Picture Takin' Man (1980)
  • Bricktop (1983)
  • Lena Horne (1983)
  • Black Music in America: A History Through Its People (1987)
  • Count Your Way series (1987)
  • Mr. Bojangles: The Biography of Bill Robinson (Morrow, 1988)
  • I Have a Dream: The Life and Works of Martin Luther King, Jr. (1992)
  • One More River to Cross: The Stories of Twelve Black Americans (Scholastic Corporation, 1992)
  • The March on Washington (1994)
  • From Afar to Zulu: A Dictionary of African Cultures (with Joanna Biondi) (1995)
  • African American Entrepreneurs (Jossey-Bass, 1998)
  • Black Stars: African American Military Heroes (1998)
  • Great Ghost Stories (Morrow, 1998) (Compiled by Peter Glassman, Illustrated by Barry Moser)
  • Rosa Parks: My Story (with Rosa Parks) (1999)
  • Conjure Times: Black Magicians in America (with Kathleen Benson) (2001)

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d Watkins, Mel. "James Haskins, an Author on Black History, Dies at 63," New York Times (July 11, 2005). Accessed April 28, 2009.
  2. ^ Children's Literature: Meet Authors & Illustrators[permanent dead link]

https://doi.org/10.2307/4443231 "Review: Diary of a Harlem School Teacher, by Jim Haskins". The American Biology Teacher. 32 (8): 503–503. doi:10.2307/4443231. ISSN 0002-7685.

Bibliography

External links edit

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