(Book Cover: McKissack, Patricia M. 2006. New York: Random House. Ill. Andre Carrilho. Photo Source: Barnes and Noble Online Catalog. http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Porch-Lies/Pat-McKissack/e/9780375836190, accessed September 14, 2008.)
1. BIBLIOGRAPHY: McKissack, Patricia. 2006. Porch lies: tales of slicksters, tricksters, and other wily characters. Ill. André Carrilho. New York: Random House. ISBN-13: 978-0-375-83619-0 (trade). ISBN–13: 978-0-375-93619-7 (lib. bdg.).
2. PLOT SUMMARY: This book is a collection of tales that the author affectionately refers to as porch lies. These are exaggerated tales that might be heard told on any front porch in the deep South. These are African American tales that have been drawn from the stories told by the author’s grandfather. They are derived from the “myths, legends and historical figures” that appear in African American lore (McKissack 2006, xi). Each individual story has its own plot. Each story involves one primary character (the slickster, trickster or other wily character) who is using trickery to meet his or her desires. In the beginning of the book, Pete Bruce tricks “Mama” into serving him all of her cream pie without paying a dime for it (McKissack 2006, 1). The second story finds Mingo Cass never paying for anything because he only has a $100 bill and no one can break it to give him change (McKissack 2006, 8). Another story finds the protagonist fighting off the devil (McKissack 2006, 18) and another keeps the demons at bay using an “earth bone” which is nothing but a rock (McKissack 2006, 108).
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS: The stories in Porch lies have a moral to them and many have some religious aspect to them. They have “good guys” and “bad guys” and the good guys always win. Some show how sly people can be while others show how people thought to be “bad” might actually be "good".. The thing that brings all these stories together is the African American culture that is brought forth in every story told. The characters in these stories are all African American. They are all very dynamic characters who do much more than serve as symbols for the representation of good or evil. Each story has a protagonist that is truly a slickster, trickster or wily character.
These stories are narrated through the characters and language of African Americans living in places such as Alabama, Georgia, Arkansas and Tennessee. These characters are very much the stereotypical African Americans living several generations ago. The stereotypical aspect of Porch lies is very strong. For example, Ms. McKissack includes a great deal of stereotypical slang, such as “Why you call yo’self such a name?” and “cause I whups little boys what skips school” (McKissack 2006, 101). This language is so strong throughout that some people from non-African American ethnic and cultural backgrounds might find reading these stories aloud to an audience uncomfortable. On the other hand, for African Americans, these stories may strike a very familiar chord and bring back memories of their own families, particularly grandparents or great-grand-parents who lived during the times these stories allegedly took place.
The style of the book takes a bit of getting used to. Each story is prefaced with words from the author about the background of the story, where it came from and who might have told it. Some of these prefaces were interesting and flow easily into the beginning of the tale while others seem disjointed and fail to lead the reader into the story. Ms. McKissack, however, did an overall good job of making the reader feel like they could be sitting next to her on a front porch of a house in Tennessee listening to these tales.
The illustrations done by André Carrilho are beautiful. Except for the book jacket art, all artwork in the book is black and white. Each story has only one illustration. The illustration is strategically placed within the context of the story so that the words and the illustration mirror each other. After reading a few stories, the reader anticipates seeing what the next story’s illustration will be. The single illustration per story is somewhat like only getting to eat one piece of candy per day. You can’t wait to eat that piece and to savor its taste. These illustrations are something to be savored!
Overall, this book would be wonderful for anyone learning African American culture. It is a good book for young people becaus the stories provide good moral lessons and demonstrate the goodness of character in people.
4. BOOK REVIEW EXCERPT(S):
THE HORN BOOK, 82, no. 5, (Sept./Oct. 2006): 592-93: “Grandly melodramatic black-and-white illustrations capture the mood of the stories and the flavor of the period.” (Source: Book Review Digest Plus, WilsonWeb database, accessed via TWU Library Online)
BULLETIN OF THE CENTER FOR CHILDREN’S BOOKS, 60, no. 2 (Oct. 2006) 84-5: “The collection would also make a great curricular tie-in with units on African-American history and folklore, or trickster tales generally." (Source: Book Review Digest Plus, WilsonWeb database, accessed via TWU Library Online)
BOOKLIST (05/15/2006): “History is always in the background (runaway slaves, segregation cruelty, white-robed Klansmen), and in surprising twists and turns that are true to trickster tradition, the weak and exploited beat powerful oppressors with the best lies ever told.” (Source: Book Index with Reviews database, accessed via TWU Library Online)
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL (09/01/2006): “Carrilho’s eerie black-and-white illustrations, dramatically off-balance, lit by moonlight, and elongated like nightmares, are well-matched with the stories.” (Source: Book Index with Reviews database, accessed via TWU Library Online)
5. CONNECTIONS IN A SCHOOL LIBRARY SETTING:
* During Black History Month (February), these stories could be read aloud to students and discussion could be had about the historical topics that are referenced in the stories such as the underground railroad, runaway slaves and the Ku Klux Klan.
* The librarian could invite storytellers, or perhaps grandparents of students, to come into the library to share their own porch stories.
Other Related Items:
McKissack, Patricia C. 1992. The dark thirty: southern tales of the supernatural. Ill. Brian Pinkney. New York: Knopf.
Miller, E. Ethelbert, ed. 1994. In search of color everywhere: a collection of African-American poetry. Ill. Terrance Cummings. New York: Stewart, Tabori & Chang.
Greenfield, Eloise. 1978. Honey, I love: and other love poems. Ill. Diane and Leo Dillon. New York: HarperCollins.
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