Scan barcode
jeanettesonya's review against another edition
5.0
Poetry that was not written for me, and yet, I can still deeply appreciate it.
skersh68's review against another edition
5.0
This is an excellent poetry book by Langston Hughes. If you have never read anything by Langston Hughes this is a great place to start. This book of poetry takes the reader back to what it was like during the Jim Crow era. He uses jazz and black folks' rhymes in his poetry that makes it easy for any African American to relate to. Some of my favorite poems in this collection are " Mother to Son"," The Weary Blues"," Po Boy Blues", "The Negro Speaks of Rivers", and last but not least" A Daybreak in Alabama".
mrswhiteinthelibrary's review against another edition
5.0
Beautiful collection showcasing Hughes' range, from his jazzy classics to more "traditional", European-inspired pieces on longing and magic.
christinemark's review against another edition
5.0
I love Hughes' poetry so much. It's raw and angry, passionate and perfect. It gives me goosebumps.
courtneydoss's review
5.0
I've been having trouble staying motivated to read lately, so I decided to pick up a book of poetry - something that could be thought provoking without the time commitment of a larger book. These poems were beautiful, and it was only after I read through a good chunk of them that I realized they were intended for children.
A few of them are simplistic, of course. Targeted at children, they would have to be. But there is a profoundness to several of his poems that transcends youth. The words are simple, the style is simple, but there is nothing simple about the messages. This book tackles hard topics like death and racism, slavery and the suffering black people have long endured. So many of these poems are stunning, and the most pleasantly surprising thing I got out of this book was a better understanding of the black Southern connection with Jesus and Christianity.
There has been a move away from Christianity in the black communities since the era of Civil Rights, the idea that it is the religion of the oppressor making it hard for modern folks to understand why formerly enslaved people and their descendants would cling to it so hard. In a single poem, Langston Hughes shows the reasons. He shows that Jesus suffered his whole life, that he endured hardship and he never got reprieve. His life ended in hardship, and yet he found heaven with his death and helps others find heaven too. For someone whose earthly life is as miserable as enslaved people's were there is a connectedness with the Christian messiah that white people might not relate to. As a white person, my relationship to Jesus was always as someone who suffered so that I didn't have to, whereas Langston Hughes shows that the black Jesus is someone who suffers alongside you. Who doesn't leave you alone in your pain, but joins you in it and promises an end to it. I didn't expect to get such a powerful theological lesson from a book of children's poetry, but it speaks to the skill of Hughes that it was able to occur.
While the topics in this book are a little dark for a young kid, I highly recommend it to any adult or parents wishing to teach their children about black history and racism.
A few of them are simplistic, of course. Targeted at children, they would have to be. But there is a profoundness to several of his poems that transcends youth. The words are simple, the style is simple, but there is nothing simple about the messages. This book tackles hard topics like death and racism, slavery and the suffering black people have long endured. So many of these poems are stunning, and the most pleasantly surprising thing I got out of this book was a better understanding of the black Southern connection with Jesus and Christianity.
There has been a move away from Christianity in the black communities since the era of Civil Rights, the idea that it is the religion of the oppressor making it hard for modern folks to understand why formerly enslaved people and their descendants would cling to it so hard. In a single poem, Langston Hughes shows the reasons. He shows that Jesus suffered his whole life, that he endured hardship and he never got reprieve. His life ended in hardship, and yet he found heaven with his death and helps others find heaven too. For someone whose earthly life is as miserable as enslaved people's were there is a connectedness with the Christian messiah that white people might not relate to. As a white person, my relationship to Jesus was always as someone who suffered so that I didn't have to, whereas Langston Hughes shows that the black Jesus is someone who suffers alongside you. Who doesn't leave you alone in your pain, but joins you in it and promises an end to it. I didn't expect to get such a powerful theological lesson from a book of children's poetry, but it speaks to the skill of Hughes that it was able to occur.
While the topics in this book are a little dark for a young kid, I highly recommend it to any adult or parents wishing to teach their children about black history and racism.
dfparizeau's review against another edition
5.0
It is so striking that these poems were meant to be shared with children. I wish more poets these days had the same passion for sharing themselves and their words with younger audiences that Hughes had.