WE MISS YOU, GEORGE FLOYD presentation at Twin Cities Book Festival with Shannon Gibney
October 19 @ 10:05 am – 10:45 am CST
Shannon Gibney will read from and sign copies of her forthcoming book We Miss You, George Floyd, at the 2024 Twin Cities Book Festival on Saturday, October 19. This event will take place as part of the Picture Book Showcase on the Youth & Comics Stage at 10:05 a.m.
This event is free and open to the public; free public transportation passes available through Twin Cities Book Festival. Learn more about the Festival here.
For children working through George Floyd’s murder and the police violence plaguing our country, and for the grown-ups trying to help them, this book is an invitation to open difficult conversations. With striking illustrations reflecting Floyd’s world and a child’s perspective, Shannon Gibney’s clear-eyed account offers healing and inspiration for the strength and solidarity we need to build a more peaceful and just future.
“As the illustrations signal the broader national context […] our narrator channels her grief into art, first to pay homage to those who have been killed by police, and then to imagine a better future. Readers witness the journey of a child learning to navigate her own sadness and be part of a community while just beginning to see and understand a bigger picture. This honest and stunningly accessible perspective on a pivotal moment in recent American history will speak directly to children in a wide range of ages while also resonating with adults.” —Booklist, starred review
“This moving picture book uses the point of view of a young girl to show how a generation of young people was stunned by the videotaped murder of a Black man pleading for his life. […] Strands of color weave through every spread, showing the connections between people, protest, grieving and memory and anchoring the event in the country’s collective memory. […] A very necessary book for kids who remember this event.” —Youth Services Book Review, 4.5/5 stars
“Gibney writes in simple, straightforward, and age-appropriate language[…] The illustrations, dominated by hues of purple, capture the cacophony of emotions that emerged in the aftermath of Floyd’s death. […] Heavy yet cathartic. We will not forget.” —Kirkus Reviews
