Blues Ain't No Mockingbird | Essays and Criticism

  • African American Dialect in Literature

    Korb is a writer and editor from Austin, Texas. In the following essay, she looks at ways in which language and dialect are used in ‘‘Blues Ain’t No Mockin Bird’’ to support the theme of respect for oneself and others.

  • Overview of 'Blues Ain't No Mockin Bird'

    Girard is a Ph.D candidate at Wayne State University who has taught many introduction-toliterature classes. In the essay below, she offers an introduction to ‘‘Blues Ain’t No Mockin Bird,’’ focusing on its qualities as a told story grounded in the African-American oral tradition.

  • Sturdy Black Bridges

    An American educator, editor, nonfiction writer, and critic, Guy-Sheftall has served as director of the Women’s Research and Resource Center at Spelman College. In the following excerpt from a longer interview, Bambara comments on her literary influences and her approach to writing fiction.