Grand Rapids — When author Varian Johnson walked into the library at GRPS University, Sibley Elementary fifth-graders Itzel Perez and Aubrie Brown whipped their heads around, dropped their jaws and stared in disbelief.
“Is that him?” Itzel whispered to Aubrie, who, wide-eyed and mouth agape, silently nodded yes.
Itzel and Aubrie, along with more than 1,200 other Grand Rapids Public Schools fifth-graders, recently finished reading Johnson’s book, “Playing the Cards You’re Dealt,” as part of the One Book, One City reading program. The program is a partnership between GRPS and the Grand Rapids Public Library, and it unites district fifth-graders by giving them all copies of a selected text and having them read the book at the same time.
Itzel, Aubrie and their fellow Sibley classmates were at GRPS University alongside counterparts from other elementary schools for the program’s much-anticipated culminating event: a presentation by Johnson to the students who’d just finished his book.
‘If they get something from it, then I’m doing my job.’
— author Varian Johnson
Student Insights
Once Johnson arrived, Itzel and Aubrie could focus on little else, but just before his entrance the fifth-graders were telling SNN about what they loved most about the book. It tells the story of 10-year-old Anthony “Ant” Joplin, who enters a spades tournament with the aim of impressing his father and upholding the Joplin family tradition of excelling at the card game.
Ant ultimately uncovers some uncomfortable truths about his father’s alcohol and gambling addictions, and has to reckon with the weight of those revelations as he considers whether to keep them to himself or tell the rest of his family.
“I like how they talk about real-life stuff,” Aubrie said. “Ant didn’t know that his dad was drinking and gambling. He caught his dad drinking and then he had to keep a big secret from his mom.”
“Some people have problems in life and they don’t explain it to other people, but (the characters) in this book had a problem and they told other people,” added Itzel, noting that the book contains valuable lessons about communication and honesty.
Before presenting to students, Johnson told SNN he was impressed with the insights Itzel and Aubrie shared.
Though the book deals with issues like toxic masculinity, addiction and the pressure of living up to familial expectations, Johnson said he’s always keen to learn what other themes young readers might find in the text.
“It’s always interesting: when I write a book, while I have ideas in my head about what I think it’s about, I try not to push that too hard on the reader,” he said. “My goal is to put lots of things into the book and to ask questions, and then for readers to bring whatever they have to the story — their background, things they’ve read, things they’ve experienced — and to try to see what they pull from the story.”
In the book Johnson tackles some serious topics, but he said he strived to do so in a way that would be fun and palatable for young readers.
“I don’t want the book to be all heavy all the time,” he said. “I think you need places of levity, I think you need places of humor.”
Johnson said he hopes students see themselves in his writing, and that the stories he tells reflect their experiences.
“I hope students get whatever they get out of it,” he said. “Seeing someone go through what Ant’s going through — dealing with a parent with addiction — it may resonate with them. It may create empathy for someone else they know. … If they get something from it, then I’m doing my job.”
In his presentation, Johnson talked about his creative process, the ups and downs of his career, and the importance of exposing kids to literary works by authors who look like them, with characters that reflect their experience.
He said students might think his success is out of their reach, but he wants to show them that’s not really the case. Though few of them are likely to become authors, Johnson said, “I want them to become something, and if they see someone else working hard and going through mistakes and pitfalls in order to reach some type of success, then hopefully they can do the same as well.”
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