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summerjohnson521's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
katiez0314's review against another edition
4.0
Beautiful collection of Black poetry on subjects of love, turmoil, resilience, nature, and beauty.
hereistheend's review against another edition
5.0
This is an anthology of black poets, and it’s stunning. My library copy is full of post it’s, and i need my own copy now!
I just noticed the editor is white. This disappoints me.
I just noticed the editor is white. This disappoints me.
miocenemama's review against another edition
5.0
One of my first reactions to this book was one of anger. Why were more of these poets not familiar to me? This is a wonderful anthology of poetry by African American writers. It is aimed at young adults, but the depth and power of the poetry are moving at any age. The original edition was released in 1968. This updated version includes female poets that were not in the original. It also has notes on some of the poems and brief biographies of the poets. I was familiar with some of the writers, Langston Hughes, Richard Wright, Maya Angelou, but many were new to me despite having written in the 20s and 30s. The poems cover a wide breadth of the African-American experience, family, music, work, joy, hope, and the horrors of slavery and lynching. One of the poems, If We Must Die by Claude McKay, was quoted by Winston Churchill to urge the United States to join forces in WWII. I wondered why Churchill was familiar with the poem but I don't remember hearing it in my literature classes. These are poems that need to be taught and shared, especially now when we need more insight into the lives of those around us. These poems are a small window into the experience of being Black in America.
nylorac88's review against another edition
5.0
My copy is from 1968, the second printing of this anthology. While I understand it was 1968, the anthology featured three black female poets. I hope the newer editions feature more black women, and especially black trans poets.
This copy was an ode to Langston Hughes. He, too, sang America.
This copy was an ode to Langston Hughes. He, too, sang America.
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