Entertainment

Book Review- “Ticktock Banneker’s Clock”

Published

8 years ago

October 12, 2016

Your favorite toy came apart yesterday.

That’s okay, though; it snapped right back together. It’s made to come apart, in fact; it’s one of those things you can build with and you like doing that anyhow, which is why it’s your favorite.

And in the new book “Ticktock Banneker’s Clock” by Shana Keller, illustrated by David C. Gardner, you’ll see how one really interesting project can lead to another.

There wasn’t much to do on that fall day near Chesapeake Bay. Once Benjamin Banneker had harvested his crops and prepared his farm for winter, there was plenty of time for thinking and dreaming.

A friend had recently given Banneker a pocket watch and Banneker was quite fascinated with it. He’d never seen one before and while he knew his friend would want the watch back, Banneker also knew that he could take it apart, if he was careful.

And that’s what he did that winter. He disassembled the watch to see the tiny little parts so he could understand how they worked together, and how each gear ran the other gears.

He studied them and drew diagrams – partly because he knew he’d have to put the watch back together again, and partly because he wanted to make a timepiece of his own. It “was a challenge and he loved challenges.”

But the pocket watch was made of metal. Metal was expensive. How could Banneker make a watch without any metals?

The answer arrived the following spring, right in front of him, right on his farm! He had plenty of wood and wood should’ve worked fine, but when he started carving, it split. Banneker had to figure out how to keep his project from being ruined.

It took much of the summer but he finally realized that he knew all along how to cure wood so it wouldn’t splinter.

And so that next winter, Banneker carved and drew. He figured and thought some more, and he dreamed. Could a man make a working clock from scraps and scratch?

I’m sure you can surmise the answer to that, but what makes it remarkable is included in on the last page of “Ticktock Banneker’s Clock.”

In her Author’s Note, Shana Keller explains a bit more about the real Benjamin Banneker and his life and times, which felt to me like I’d happily come upon a little-known corner of history that needed the light of day to fully appreciate.

For the far end of the audience (kids up to 10 years old), that fresh information may spur them to learn more about this brilliant self-taught inventor.

Children on the lower end of the age-target (children in kindergarten and first grade) will learn, too, but may initially get more from the artwork by illustrator David C. Gardner.

Overall, I think this is one of those unexpected gems from history that kids may find fun to learn about, and that parents will like, too.

For any reader looking a new hero to emulate, “Ticktock Banneker’s Clock” is a book to make time for.

“Ticktock Banneker’s Clock” by Shana Keller, illustrated by David C. Gardner, c. 2016, Sleeping Bear Press, $16.99; 32 pages.

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Related Topics:Book review David C. Gardner Shana Keller Terri Schlichenmeyer The Bookworm Sez Ticktock Banneker’s Clock

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Oakland Post: Week of December 18 – 24, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of December 18 – 24, 2024

Published

2 days ago

December 20, 2024

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Arts and Culture

Promise Marks Performs Songs of Etta James in One-Woman Show, “A Sunday Kind of Love” at the Black Repertory Theater in Berkeley

“The (show) is a fictional story about a character named Etta, aka Lady Peaches,” said Marks. “She falls in love with Johnny Rhythm, leader of the Rhythm Players Band and headliners of Madam G’s Glitta Lounge.” Marks channeled the essence of Etta James, singing favorites such as “Sugar on the Floor” and “At Last.”

Published

4 days ago

December 18, 2024

Oakland Post

Photo Courtesy Of Promise Marks.

Special to the Post

It was “A Sunday Kind of Love” at the Black Repertory Group Theater in Berkeley on Saturday night, Dec. 7. The one-woman musical based on the music of Etta James featured the multi-talented singer Promise Marks

Marks, who wrote and directed the musical, also owns PM Productions.

Marks channeled the essence of Etta James, singing favorites such as “Sugar on the Floor” and “At Last.”

In between her soulful songs, Marks narrated impactful moments of the love story and journey of blues and forgiveness.

Marks sultry voice carried the audience back to an era that echoed with the power of Black music and a time of great change.

Marks said James shared love for the Black community by singing at gatherings during the Civil Rights Movement uplifting the people.

“She spoke to the movement, spoke to the people, and let her music speak for itself,” Marks said.

Backing the musical’s monologues, images and videos of Etta James are projected for the audience to view. While the production is fictional, Marks infused script with the unfairness and heartbreak James experienced while performing.

Marks performed gospel artist Donnie McClurkin’s “We Fall Down” as she narrated acts of reconciliation and forgiveness among the characters at Johnny Rhythm’s deathbed.

Marks, who regularly sings for the Miss America Pageant, was asked to perform as Etta James last year. “(At the event) a lady yelled out to me: ‘You’re Etta James!’ And then the audience went crazy. I said to myself, ‘I may have something here,’” she said.

Within 12 months, Marks created the musical production, which featured a dozen songs honoring “the great legacy of Etta James,” she said.

Marks says she was saddened to see how Etta James was often judged by the struggles in her life and wanted to offer attendees a more layered view.

“Etta’s life was so big. I want people to know that she was more than her drug addiction,” said Marks. “We can’t make that her legacy. Her catalog is too amazing. You can’t just be that and have the catalog that she (created). I don’t want the addiction to be the focus: I want her music, her element, her sassiness, and what she brought to be the focus – her woman-ness, that she was strong, and I wanted to honor that.”

Set Designer Nora Burnette says she created the set segments to mirror James’ life story. A set designer for BRG since 2016, she explained that her process of researching the scenario and the character serve as her inspiration for her design.

“I try to design a set as close to real life as possible so that the actress can deliver the performance sincerely,” said Burnette. “By creating the right setting, it helps the actors release the true essence of a character.”

The set brought the story to life and absolutely floored Marks. “Once Promise (Marks) saw the actual set, she understood my vision: ‘Wow, you get me. You get it,'” Marks told the designer.

Born Jamesetta Hawkins, Etta James, began her career in 1954 and gained fame with hits such “At Last” and “I’d Rather Go Blind.” She faced a number of personal problems, before making a musical comeback in the late 1980s with the album “Seven Year Itch.”

Co-producer and BRG Development Director, Sean Vaughn Scott, works with Overseer Production. According to producer Pamela Spikes, “Marks talent truly does Etta’s life story justice.”

Pam Jacobs of Hercules, a friend of Marks’ mom, Jackie Smith, said, Marks “was fabulous and sang all of those songs flawlessly.”

“I’m so proud of my daughter,” said Smith.

Marks, who has served as an instructor for BRG, will return on Feb. 21- 23 for an encore run of the musical.

“It’s an honor to be a part of the BRG (Black Repertory Group) family and continue our executive director Dr. Mona Vaughn Scott’s vision for the Black Repertory Group theater,” said Marks.

The Black Repertory Group Theatre is located at 3201 Adeline St., Berkeley, CA 94703. For information, visit: BlackRepertoryGroup.com