A Is for Affrilachia

Walker, who coined the term Affrilachia, celebrates the concept’s past and present in this abecedarian accounting of, per back matter, “the spiritual and emotional home for everyone left out of the definition of Appalachia that requires whiteness as a prerequisite for membership.” Spanning from the titular phrase to “the Zzzzs you can catch dreaming about all of Affrilachia you’ve just seen,” loosely grouped pages feature celebrated advocates, entertainers, and poets as well as storied events and locations. H, for example, “is for the Hawk’s Nest Tunnel tragedy. The Highlander Center, Huntsville, and Harpers Ferry, where John Brown made History”; K stands “for King Hedley II, Kinfolks, Karida Brown’s scholarship, and Amythyst Kiah’s chords and keys”; and Y “is for all of Y’all.” Throughout, Davis’s vibrantly hued illustrations, which have an airbrushed feel, generally foreground one figure or object per spread against stipple-textured backgrounds: a quilt (“which sometimes had secret maps for Harriet Tubman’s passengers”) represents Q, while an image of 5¢ scrips from the “Twirled Moustache Mining Company” stands in for S. Though additional context is limited to a detailed glossary, this emphatically affectionate love letter offers a springboard for learning more. Ages 6–12. (Feb.)