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montgomerypierce's review
challenging
4.0
It's hard to adequately review a poetry anthology, especially one that has multiple contributing poets. That said, I think this is a valuable read for anyone wanting a look at Black American poetry pre and post the end of the Civil War. The biggest takeaway is how much we've always been creating, protesting, using our voices, in spite of or as a direct result of oppression.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism and Slavery
shakespeareandspice's review
3.0
It’s difficult to rate a collection or an anthology of anything given the diversity of the material, but I’d say this collection was a solid 3 star read.
Some poets and their works were extraordinary and became some of my favorite poems of all time. However, as the collection progressed, I enjoyed some of the more Christian and religious poetry even less over time. Majority of my appreciation was for the critique of the Western civilization and what it is has done to the African cultures and its people.
If you’re looking for a place to start reading African American poetry, this is a nice read. But as a slightly more advanced reader, I wanted something more fulfilling.
A few of my favorites from the collection:
– Joshua McCarter Simpson: To the White People of America
– James Monroe Whitfield: How Long?
– Claude McKay: Enslaved, If We Must Die, and Harlem Dancer.
– By Phillis Wheatley, an all-time favorite I adore rereading: On Being Brought From Africa To America
– Another all-item favorite is Langston Hughes: I, Too and The Negro Speaks of Rivers.
Some poets and their works were extraordinary and became some of my favorite poems of all time. However, as the collection progressed, I enjoyed some of the more Christian and religious poetry even less over time. Majority of my appreciation was for the critique of the Western civilization and what it is has done to the African cultures and its people.
If you’re looking for a place to start reading African American poetry, this is a nice read. But as a slightly more advanced reader, I wanted something more fulfilling.
A few of my favorites from the collection:
– Joshua McCarter Simpson: To the White People of America
– James Monroe Whitfield: How Long?
– Claude McKay: Enslaved, If We Must Die, and Harlem Dancer.
– By Phillis Wheatley, an all-time favorite I adore rereading: On Being Brought From Africa To America
– Another all-item favorite is Langston Hughes: I, Too and The Negro Speaks of Rivers.
iceangel9's review
5.0
A wonderful collection of African American poets and their wonderful contribution to literature in America. A must read for poetry fans everywhere.
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