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“Come
gather ‘round the fire and listen to Lorenz Graham’s stories from
the Bible! You may have heard them before, but he has made them
new, a rediscovery of the tales. Lorenz Graham admired the way
in which the West Africans’ speech transformed the English language.
As a teacher in a mission school in Monrovia, Liberia, he responded to
the cadence and original grammar of their spoken English. This
inspired him to write these Bible stories in the West African
voice."
Ashley Bryan
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Lorenz
Graham’s beautiful collection of Bible stories told in the idiom of
West Africa,
How God Fix Jonah, is available once again in an expanded 2000 edition
illustrated by
Ashley Bryan. The
original book, which was published in 1946, contained 21 stories.
The new edition includes two stories never before published.
Lorenz Graham retells the stories of Jonah, Daniel, and Ruth in the
lyrical West-African vernacular that highlights the simplicity and humanity of these Bible
tales. The descriptive titles, such as “God Wash the World and Start
Again” (Noah) and “Wise Sword Find True Mommy” (Solomon) will
give readers fresh insights into these timeless narratives.
These wonderful read-aloud story-poems capture the essence of the oral traditions of African storytellers.
The
oral tradition resonates through these stories, as in the following
excerpt: |
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Jonah was a
prophet.
God put Him hand on Jonah
But Jonah head be hard.
Jonah head be hard too much.
Lord God Almighty can fix the thing.
Hear how He fix Jonah.
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The
Horn Book, in its 2001 review of How God Fix Jonah wrote,
“The most unusual
and
captivating
book returning this season is How God Fix Jonah by
Lorenz Graham."
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The
Family review notes:
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The words have the rhythm of drums and they
are best enjoyed when read out loud. Bryan captures the heart of the
story in his dramatic black and white illustrations. This book is
destined to become the book handed down from generation to generation.
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The Foreword of the new edition is by Effie Lee Morris, former
Coordinator of
Children’s Services in the San Francisco Public
Library. Of the book, she
writes:
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How God Fix Jonah is an important
historical representation of the language and culture of Africa and has
a place with other interpretations of the Bible.
How delighted I am that this important book, with its original
preface by Dr. W.E.B. Du Bois and art by Ashley Bryan, is being reissued
for the pleasure of current and future generations.
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Commencement Speech features Every Man Heart Lay Down
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When
Abilene Christian
University awarded 273 degrees on December 10, 2004, Honorary
Doctorate recipient Marsha Harper delivered the commencement address.
Harper emphasized the importance of making connections and encouraged
the class to "make your tapestry as beautiful and as functional as you
can."
“I hope there will be times when you just look on the Lord and your
hearts be laid down,” Harper said after reading the book Every Man
Heart Lay Down (Lorenz Graham's poignant story of the Nativity)
to the graduating class and guests. |
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