''Motown and Didi'' is a realistic fiction novel by

Walter Dean Myers Walter Dean Myers (born Walter Milton Myers; August 12, 1937 – July 1, 2014) was an American writer of children's books best known for young adult literature. He was born in Martinsburg, West Virginia, but was raised in Harlem. A tough childho ...

. It was first published in 1984 by

Viking Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...

. It is centered on two African-American lovers living in

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street (Manhattan), 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and 110th Street (Manhattan), ...

, New York City, as they navigate

ghetto A ghetto, often called ''the'' ghetto, is a part of a city in which members of a minority group live, especially as a result of political, social, legal, environmental or economic pressure. Ghettos are often known for being more impoverished t ...

life and their romantic relationship.

Main characters

Motown - One of the main character in the story. He is Didi's lover, a loner, and named after the record company,

Motown Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''moto ...

. Didi - The other main character in the story. She dreams of moving from Harlem using her scholarship offerings and grades. Like Motown she is a loner. She takes care of her younger brother who later dies of a

drug overdose A drug overdose (overdose or OD) is the ingestion or application of a drug or other substance in quantities much greater than are recommended.

Awards

Coretta Scott King Award The Coretta Scott King Award is an annual award presented by the Ethnic & Multicultural Information Exchange Round Table, part of the American Library Association (ALA). Named for Coretta Scott King, wife of Martin Luther King Jr., this award rec ...

References

*http://www.plcmc.org/readers_club/reviews/tresults.asp?id=1058

External links

GoodreadsWalter Dean Myers Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Motown And Didi 1984 American novels African-American young adult novels American young adult novels Coretta Scott King Award-winning works Harlem in fiction Novels by Walter Dean Myers Novels set in Manhattan

Main characters

Awards

See also

References

External links