My family and I have been at home sweltering in the summer heat so I haven’t been posting lately. But I recently read a new nonfiction picture book that blew me away. I needed to write about it.
Dreams to Ashes: The 1871 Los Angeles Chinatown Massacre is written by Livia Blackburne, illustrated by Nicole Xu and published by Carol Rhoda Books. The illustrations are bold, breathtaking and ferocious. Worthy of this beautiful picture book’s words that inform, educate but also illicit power in its fiery text.
It begins with questions: “What sparks a fire in a young California city? What ignites those flashes in time that force humankind to pause? To question? To mourn and reflect?”
Immediately I was drawn in and was taken to the recent wildfires in LA. But that’s not the story. This is about the LA Massacre of 1871.
What I found so riveting about the pictures is that I have never seen what LA looked like before it was full of homes and buildings. It was like rifling through a history book or watching an old film. One can learn so much just by viewing the illustrations.
It also felt like Blackburne was telling my family’s story as Asian immigrants traveling on a ship to the US for a better life. It imbues a sense of compassion and empathy for all immigrants-the desire to work hard for freedom and opportunity. At a time, when immigrants are scapegoated, these words were like water for a nation that desperately needs to read it.
On one of the pages, there are only two sentences. “As immigrants. Humans.” There is a spotlight on these powerful words.
Dreams to Ashes brings an element of humanity to these events while also teaching history. It’s shocking to read that this occurred so long ago. You could easily read these passages of resentment and attack on Chinese immigrants as happening today.
Blackburne doesn’t just tell a story well, however, she constantly beckons reader’s to ask critical thinking questions like, “What kinds of people bring about humanity’s greatest horrors? Criminals and drifters? Or upstanding citizens?”
When three Chinese men’s lives are threatened the illustrations are dark blue and black, the lines like you might see in a Marvel movie. It conveys action, but more importantly deep cinematic emotion.
Towards the end of her story, Blackburne leaves readers again with questions. Explaining not only that history can repeat itself, but that hope lies in remembering stories like these and doing better. The back matter is full of more information that is appalling, shocking and yet makes sense in the time we are living in.
This is a picture book to keep on your bookshelf.
