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Jesse C. Jackson

ジェシー・C・ジャクソン

Jesse C. Jackson

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
Columbus, Ohio, United States
Died
age 75
Nationality
United States
Languages
English

Career

Occupations
novelist, children's/young adult author, biographer
Active Years
1945-1983

Awards

Carter G. Woodson Book Award
1975
Work: Make a Joyful Noise unto the Lord: The Life of Mahalia Jackson
Organization: Carter G. Woodson Book Award (organization unspecified)
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Call Me Charley

1945 Young adult fiction

The story of the only black boy in a white school; a realistic, experience-based portrayal addressing race and assimilation.

raceassimilationchildhood

Anchor Man

1945 Young adult fiction

A young adult work published in the 1940s. Specific plot details are not well documented in available sources.

coming-of-agecommunity

Room for Randy

1957 Young adult fiction

A children's/young adult story focusing on friendship and family relationships.

friendshipfamily

Charley Starts from Scratch

1958 Young adult fiction

Considered a follow-up in tone to Call Me Charley; detailed information is limited in available sources.

self-reinventiongrowth

Tessie

1968 Children's/Young adult fiction

Published in the 1960s; depicts human relationships through the perspective of children or young people.

growthrelationships

The Sickest Don't Always Die the Quickest

1971 Literary work (novel)

Published in 1971; addresses themes of life, fate, and mortality as suggested by the title.

life and deathfate

The Fourteenth Cadillac

1972 Literary work (novel)

Published in 1972; thought to explore African-American experiences and social themes.

racesocial issues

Black in America (with Elaine Landau)

1973 Non-fiction

A non-fiction work (co-authored) addressing the history and condition of Black people in America.

Black historysocial history

Make a Joyful Noise unto the Lord: The Life of Mahalia Jackson

1974 Biography

A biography of gospel singer Mahalia Jackson, addressing the intersections of music, faith, and Black culture.

musicfaithBlack culture

Bibliography

  • Call Me Charley (1945)
  • Anchor Man (1945)
  • Room for Randy (1957)
  • Charley Starts from Scratch (1958)
  • Tessie (1968)
  • The Sickest Don't Always Die the Quickest (1971)
  • The Fourteenth Cadillac (1972)
  • Black in America (with Elaine Landau, 1973)
  • Make a Joyful Noise unto the Lord: The Life of Mahalia Jackson (1974)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
realistic depictionexperience-based narration
Recurring Motifs
race and assimilationchildhood and coming-of-agemusic (in biographical works)

Legacy

Jesse C. Jackson, particularly through his children's and young adult works, realistically portrayed the perspective of Black boys and contributed to multicultural and young adult literature in the United States. Call Me Charley is often cited as a book that changed young readers' attitudes about race.

In Popular Culture

  • Call Me Charley is sometimes referenced by educators and reading advocates as a resource to deepen young people's understanding of race.

Quotes

  • "In 1945 Jesse Jackson wrote Call Me Charley, the story of the only black boy in a white school. Mr. Jackson did not write primarily to deliver a message on race relations. He simply wrote a book out of his own experience. It had the ring of reality, and twenty years later the book’s editor would hear a woman tell how she had read a book in the fifth grade that changed her life, her whole attitude about people. The book was Call Me Charley."
    Source: Gladys M. Hunt, Honey for a Child's Heart (2002)

Trivia

  • Born in Columbus, Ohio in 1908; his family lost their home in the 1913 Scioto River flood.
  • Won the Carter G. Woodson Book Award in 1975 for Make a Joyful Noise unto the Lord.