When most people think of swimming, they have positive thoughts. Many people remember sitting at the pool, having fun, and splashing their friends. However, Johnnie Christmas tells a slightly different story in his new book Swim Team by exploring a new avenue of thinking.
Christmas is a
#1
New York Times best-selling graphic novelist. Having worked in the industry for over half a decade, Christmas has published some familiar titles, such as Alien 3, Firebug, and Angel Catbird. With the book Swim Team, Johnnie Christmas breaks into the middle-school literature scene with his extraordinary writing.
In Swim Team, Christmas sets the main character up as Bree, a black girl who moves from Brooklyn, New York to Florida with her father, Ralph. As her father gets busier and busier managing a day job while studying computer science at night, Bree has a lot of tough decisions to make at school. When she finally has to pick her classes in school, she discovers that every elective is full- except for Swim 101, forcing her to confront her fear of water.
Swimming proves to be a key challenge for Bree. She must learn how to swim and fit in with all her school friends. However, with the help of her newfound swim coach Etta, she slowly begins to accomplish all of this and more.
Throughout the book, Christmas sets up many critical historical premises and ideas. For example, the author reveals that he was also unable to swim until adulthood due to almost drowning as a kid, which left him with a fear of water. Using his own experiences, Christmas was able to write a perfect tale, elaborate on how they got over their fear of water, and accurately describe the experience of almost drowning.
Christmas also sets up the essential historical premise of segregation. Although it may not seem like it, segregation is still everywhere in our daily lives. Christmas informs us about how African Americans and other minorities are less likely to have access to a swimming pool or instructor, decreasing the likelihood of somebody knowing how to swim.
It all comes to a breaking point in his book when Bree disastrously says, “But Black people aren’t good at swimming.” Coach Etta, Bree’s coach and her mentor, has a conversation with Bree about the history of past segregation. It’s not black people aren’t good at swimming, it’s the system that set them up to fail.
How people view many sports, including swimming, is determined based on memories. Most people have had a good time in water, as they enjoy having a blast with friends. We must be aware of every side of the issue and understand the other perspective, for everybody’s experience is different. What is perfect for us may not be perfect for someone else.
Sources:
https://s3.amazonaws.com/appforest_uf/f1659267119308x646044209426348560/%E2%80%9CSwim%20Team_%20Small%20Waves%2C%20Big%20Changes%E2%80%9D%20by%20Johnnie%20Christmas%20-%20The%20New%20York%20Times.pdf
https://quillandquire.com/review/swim-team/
https://www.cbc.ca/books/johnnie-christmas-s-graphic-novel-swim-team-is-buoyed-by-themes-of-community-perseverance-and-overcoming-fear-1.6520770
https://johnniechristmas.com/
Christmas is a
#1
New York Times best-selling graphic novelist. Having worked in the industry for over half a decade, Christmas has published some familiar titles, such as Alien 3, Firebug, and Angel Catbird. With the book Swim Team, Johnnie Christmas breaks into the middle-school literature scene with his extraordinary writing.
In Swim Team, Christmas sets the main character up as Bree, a black girl who moves from Brooklyn, New York to Florida with her father, Ralph. As her father gets busier and busier managing a day job while studying computer science at night, Bree has a lot of tough decisions to make at school. When she finally has to pick her classes in school, she discovers that every elective is full- except for Swim 101, forcing her to confront her fear of water.
Swimming proves to be a key challenge for Bree. She must learn how to swim and fit in with all her school friends. However, with the help of her newfound swim coach Etta, she slowly begins to accomplish all of this and more.
Throughout the book, Christmas sets up many critical historical premises and ideas. For example, the author reveals that he was also unable to swim until adulthood due to almost drowning as a kid, which left him with a fear of water. Using his own experiences, Christmas was able to write a perfect tale, elaborate on how they got over their fear of water, and accurately describe the experience of almost drowning.
Christmas also sets up the essential historical premise of segregation. Although it may not seem like it, segregation is still everywhere in our daily lives. Christmas informs us about how African Americans and other minorities are less likely to have access to a swimming pool or instructor, decreasing the likelihood of somebody knowing how to swim.
It all comes to a breaking point in his book when Bree disastrously says, “But Black people aren’t good at swimming.” Coach Etta, Bree’s coach and her mentor, has a conversation with Bree about the history of past segregation. It’s not black people aren’t good at swimming, it’s the system that set them up to fail.
How people view many sports, including swimming, is determined based on memories. Most people have had a good time in water, as they enjoy having a blast with friends. We must be aware of every side of the issue and understand the other perspective, for everybody’s experience is different. What is perfect for us may not be perfect for someone else.
Sources:
https://s3.amazonaws.com/appforest_uf/f1659267119308x646044209426348560/%E2%80%9CSwim%20Team_%20Small%20Waves%2C%20Big%20Changes%E2%80%9D%20by%20Johnnie%20Christmas%20-%20The%20New%20York%20Times.pdf
https://quillandquire.com/review/swim-team/
https://www.cbc.ca/books/johnnie-christmas-s-graphic-novel-swim-team-is-buoyed-by-themes-of-community-perseverance-and-overcoming-fear-1.6520770
https://johnniechristmas.com/
