Bookfoolery : National Poetry Month

I'm quite happy with my April reading -- a little less thrilled with my reviewing rate but I did manage to catch up on all of the reviewing I needed to do for March. Only 5 of the books without links to reviews, above, are from publishers so hopefully I'll be finished with those, soon. I actually have read more than 61 books, this year, but some of the children's books I still need to review are so shy on words that I didn't feel right listing them as books read. I might list them in May, just to create a convenient place to link back to them.

Itch Rocks, Tooth and Claw, How to Lose a Lemur, When the Cypress Whispers and The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry are the books I still need to review for publishers. I either liked or loved every single one.

The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga is from my home library. It's a fascinating book about a man who is part of the servant class in India. He is able to get a better than average education and training to become a driver. But, even working for a fabulously wealthy man, he's still poor and very much aware of his place in society, so he decides he must take charge in order to lift himself out of the poverty chain. A strangely upbeat book with a sinister undercurrent, The White Tiger is a fascinating read. I really enjoyed it. I don't think I'll review it separately, though. This is it.

The same goes for Femininity by Susan Brownmiller and Birds of America by Lorrie Moore. Heck, I'll just do one paragraph for each:

Femininity is a book about how women are viewed, both by men and other women. It has sections on the body, hair, and clothing, among others. While parts of it were quite dated, it's still a terrific feminist read because it makes you think about what's changed, what hasn't and why.

Birds of America is Lorrie Moore's award winning collection of short stories and I was kind of stunned at how disappointing I found it. She's a sharp writer with a witty sense of humor so you can't help but admire her clever sentences; but, I found it very difficult to relate to, like, or understand the characters in a way that made me feel like the stories were in some way meaningful or fulfilling. The final story is an exception. "Terrific Mother" is both painful and beautiful, the story of a woman who blames herself for a baby's death when the bench she's sitting on while holding her friend's baby breaks. I loved "Terrific Mother" because if was one of the few stories that ended with the ray of hope I always seek in short stories.

And a wrap-up of my reading for National Poetry Month:

I read 4 poetry books: Ode to Childhood, Poetry for Young People: Robert Frost, Poetry for Young People: African American Poetry and Grace Paley's last volume of poetry (and final work), Fidelity. Of the 4 books, 3 were set aside at some point. So, while I already know myself to be a moody reader, this month I came to the realization that poetry can be even trickier when it comes to timing. And, incidentally, I loved them all. Naturally, there were some poems that meant more to me or which I liked more than others but in general I really loved the reading and came out of it thinking that I need to work harder at injecting more poetry into my reading life.

Fidelity by Grace Paley was given to me by my lovely daughter-in-law and I don't know if I'll bother reviewing it but I definitely recommend it. Since she was nearing the end of her life when she wrote the book, Paley's poetic reflections were a mixture of sadness for her losses, love of family, reflections on life and humorous looks at being old or being a writer. Fidelity is a lovely little book.

I think there must be a Star Trek line or phrase that applies to every facet of life. This, for example, is about the distance to the bottom of my TBR pile:

At least, it feels that way. So, I'm back in catch-up mode and ignoring review requests. No idea how long that will last, this time. How was your reading month?

©2014 Nancy Horner. All rights reserved. If you are reading this post at a site other than Bookfoolery or its RSS feed, you are reading a stolen feed. Email bookfoolery@gmail.com for written permission to reproduce text or photos.

Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Poetry for Young People: African American Poetry, ed. by A. Rampersad and M. Blout, illus. by K. Barbour

Poetry for Young People: African American Poetry, ed. by Arnold Rampersad and Marcellus Blount, Illustrated by Karen Barbour
Copyright 2012
Sterling Children's Books - Poetry
Source: Sterling

Brief synopsis:

An anthology of African American poetry from as early as the 18th century, including both well-known poets and some not as widely read. Includes an introduction describing the evolution of African American poetry, intros to each poem, and vocabulary that explains the usage of some of the words in the context shown. Children's picture book sized, 48 pp.

My thoughts:

I was totally excited to see an anthology of African American Poetry in the envelope Sterling sent me because I enjoy passing on children's books to schools and my youngest son's girlfriend is currently teaching in the Mississippi Delta, where the children are mostly African American and resources are appallingly limited. They can use any book but I think this one will be especially meaningful to the children.

Poetry for Young People: African American Poetry is worth buying for the introduction alone, as it is truly eye-opening. Editor Arnold Rampersad (from Princeton University) beautifully describes the history of African American poetry, its influences (poverty, slavery and racism as well as everyday life), its writers and how some were able to write as early as the years of slavery, even though teaching a slave to read was against the law. I loved the learning experience as well as the poetry itself. I had no idea, for example, that a volume of poetry by an African American (Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral by Phillis Wheatley) was published as early as 1773.

The editors have done a fabulous job of selecting poetry and placing it in chronological order, earliest to most recent. The illustrations are bold and colorful but I must admit I didn't love them. They remind me a little of both Eric Carle and primitive art but they're a little flat for my taste, yet definitely well-suited to the individual poems. "Apollo", shown below, is one of my favorite poems. This is not my favorite spread for illustration but the one I liked best didn't turn out -- the battery died on my camera and I had to use a lower-quality camera. Will try to replace the image and update later; there are definitely better examples of the illustrations.

The intro to "Apollo":

[Elizabeth Alexander] is a professor at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. She is also a graduate of Yale, Boston University, and the University of Pennsylvania, where she earned a doctorate in literature. An acclaimed writer, she was chosen by President Obama to read one of her poems at his inauguration in 2009. Her poem "Apollo" takes us back to July 20, 1969, when men landed on the moon for the first time. The U.S. spacecraft Eagle touched down with Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, Jr. Eager to watch the event on television, an African American family traveling by car stops at a roadside restaurant frequented by white customers. For a moment, the drama on the screen seems to put racial tension in its proper perspective.

And, the poem (in case you can't view it by enlarging):

Apollo

by Elizabeth Alexander

We pull off

to a road shack

in Massachusetts

to watch men walk

on the moon. We did

the same thing

for three two one

blast off, and now

we watch the same men

bounce in and out

of craters. I want

a Coke and a hamburger.

Because the men

are walking on the moon

which is now irrefutably

not green, not cheese,

not a shiny dime floating

in a cold blue,

the way I'd thought,

the road shack people don't

notice we are a black

family not from there,

the way it mostly goes.

This talking through

static, bounces in space-

boots, tethered

to cords is much

stranger, stranger

even than we are.

Highly recommended - A fabulous anthology with an exceptionally informative introduction, a great selection of poetry, terrific intros to each poem and some vocabulary words. My only quibbles with Poetry for Young People: African American Poetry are minor. I thought a couple of the definitions were good descriptions of the author's meaning without strictly defining in a dictionary sense. The fact that they weren't dictionary definitions bothered me a tiny bit but that choice is arguably correct because usage trumps definition in poetry. While he illustrations are not a style I like all that well, I do love the eye-popping color. Another great book for teaching, I think it would be especially wonderful to use as a reference during Black History Month because, being an anthology, it goes beyond talking about the better-known poets. I've heard some complaints from youngsters about having to study the same African Americans over and over, again, during their years of schooling. Variety is a very fine thing.

©2014 Nancy Horner. All rights reserved. If you are reading this post at a site other than Bookfoolery or its RSS feed, you are reading a stolen feed. Email bookfoolery@gmail.com for written permission to reproduce text or photos.

Poetry for Young Children: Robert Frost, ed. by Gary D. Schmidt

Brief note:

A few days after my computer problem was allegedly fixed, I am still having difficulty with sluggishness and occasionally getting suspicious pop-up messages asking me if I want to add files with strange names. So, unfortunately, this isn't probably going to be the productive week I hoped it would but I want to review the poetry books I've read before April ends.

I adore April for National Poetry Month, an excellent reminder to read more poetry. Poetry is a form of writing I don't indulge in as much I should.

Poetry for Young People: Robert Frost, ed. by Gary D. Schmidt, illus. by Henri Sorensen
Copyright 2014 (reprint, originally published in 1994)
Sterling Children's Books - Poetry
Source - Sterling

Brief synopsis;

A collection of poetry by Robert Frost with an introduction describing his life and poetry as well as intros to each individual poem. Children's picture book sized, 48 pp.

From the cover flap:

Meet Robert Frost -- one of the best-loved American poets. The winner of four Pulitzer Prizes, he is most known for his ability to capture the beauty of nature and his surroundings in evocative, yet uncomplicated language.

My thoughts:

When I was contacted by a Sterling rep about the Poetry for Young Children series, I replied saying I'd be happy to review any they wanted to send without specifying any particular author or book. So, the two books I received were selected by the publicist. When I opened the envelope, I was excited to see Robert Frost's collection. I'm a nature lover and I like what I've read of Frost but haven't read enough. You don't have to be a youngster to enjoy the added benefit of an introduction describing Frost and the brief intros to each poem.

Intro to "After Apple-Picking":

Apple picking can be slow work. Each apple must be picked by hand, while you hold yourself secure on the ladder with your legs. Any apple that falls or is dropped will bruise and then rot, spoiling any other apples that are stored with it. In this poem, the weather is starting to turn wintry -- there is already ice on the water trough -- and Frost is looking forward to a long winter's sleep.

The poetry in Poetry for Young Children: Robert Frost is divided by seasons and beautifully illustrated with watercolor paintings that are topical, not just generic images of nature.

I read Poetry for Young Children: Robert Frost on the patio with a light breeze blowing, birds and bumblebees flitting around then slowing in the gathering darkness -- definitely the best way to read Frost. Occasionally, I read a poem aloud (quietly, because it was the weekend and the closest neighbors were outside, as well) and I listened to the actor Robert Lansing reading "Birches" (which is included in this collection) on YouTube. Although my intent was to locate a video of Robert Frost reading his own poetry and I failed at the time, I've since discovered there are a few; I must have chosen the wrong search terms.

Highly recommended - I love everything about this book: the selections, the illustrations, general introduction and intros to each poem. Great for teaching a unit about Robert Frost, to give to a poetry-loving child, to supplement your own education if you feel it's lacking or to read aloud to younger ones you want to acquaint with poetry.

©2014 Nancy Horner. All rights reserved. If you are reading this post at a site other than Bookfoolery or its RSS feed, you are reading a stolen feed. Email bookfoolery@gmail.com for written permission to reproduce text or photos.