Richetta's Reviews > We Could Fly

We Could Fly by Rhiannon Giddens is a companion to her last book Build a House. We Could Fly is a lyrical conversation between a mother and daughter. Their dialogue is musical like a Negro spiritual and has an ancestral connection. We Could Fly also speaks to the ongoing search for freedom that African-Americans experience to this day.

Ancestral Memory

There is a theme of connection to ones ancestry and ancestral memory that runs through the book. The mentioning of the grandmother throughout the book and her connection to "the old-time ways" is significant to her daughter's curiosity in the conversation. African folklore is the basis of the story as it references the story "The People Could Fly" (see below.)

"The People Could Fly" Context

I would recommend reading the story "The People Could Fly" in the book of the same name by the great Virginia Hamilton to give you some additional context. The People Could Fly is one of my favorite African-American folktales and has been since I was a child. It tells the story of those who were enslaved, but eventually escaped slavery by remembering the magic of the ancestors gifted them by flying away to freedom.

Illustrations

I love the color palette incorporated into the illustrations through most of the book. It reminds me of sunrises and sunsets. Sky imagery dominates the pages which makes sense since the story is about flying figuratively and literally.