41 pages • 1 hour read
J.D. and the Great Barber Battle
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Background
Authorial Context: J. Dillard and J.D.
J.D. and the Great Barber Battle, J. Dillard’s first novel, is also a fictionalized retelling of his childhood in a small Mississippi town. After a long, successful career as a barber, Dillard now uses his influence and fame to cut hair and to write for children, all in service of his personal goal to inspire others to follow their dreams. His J.D. the Kid Barber series falls under the genre of chapter books, which is primarily aimed at elementary-school-aged kids. Chapter books act as a bridge between illustration-heavy picture books and middle grade fiction and offer young readers a text-based experience that is augmented by vibrant drawings to immerse them more fully in the story. Writing for this age group allows Dillard to reach children of the same age he was when he first discovered his calling as a barber. By using his past experiences as a guide and setting the story in his hometown, Dillard gives the series a sense of authenticity while adding a dramatic flair to captivate readers. In the second book, J.D. and the Family Business, J.D. joins forces with his sister when her hair tutorials start to gain an online following. As this new development evolves, J.D. is challenged in novel ways as he seeks to increase his own following and find a way to collaborate successfully with his sister. The stakes are raised yet again in the third installment, J.D. and the Hair Show Showdown, when J.D. is invited to a hair show in Atlanta and discovers that the world of hair styling is far more complex than he ever could have imagined.
Cultural Context: J. Dillard’s Approach to Supporting Diversity
As a Black author in the chapter book genre, J. Dillard helps to fill a crucial hole in representation. The J.D. the Kid Barber series is one of very few books in this genre that feature a primarily Black cast and show Black culture in an uplifting and motivational setting. While titles like From the Desk of Zoe Washington, in which Black characters face racism, segregation, and oppression from an unfair system, have been popular for a long time, stories like J. Dillard’s series, which feature Black children who are just living their lives and having adventures, are newer. Such books depict realistic Black characters following their dreams, accomplishing great things, and being members of society.
J. Dillard also promotes diversity within his cast of characters. While J.D. and his friends all play football, each of them has other interests, such as different sports, hairstyles, and video games. In particular, Jessyka shows Black girls playing sports alongside boys while also having traditionally feminine interests. Dillard also promotes Black culture and narratives by creating characters who look up to such icons as Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson and Michael Jordan. By doing so, Dillard also highlights the accomplishments of real-life Black figures, showcasing how those figures have succeeded and creating a world in which the ambitious J.D. follows in their footsteps and discovers his own form of success and happiness. As a result, the J.D. the Kid Barber series is designed to appeal to readers across racial and cultural boundaries, as the mostly true story of an eight-year-old kid who becomes a famous barber offers children hope for their futures.
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