Reviews

Harlem Shadows: Poems by Claude McKay

sandsing7's review against another edition

challenging emotional medium-paced

laileanah's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective slow-paced

5.0

I quite enjoyed this 

greenej's review

5.0

Fascinating to read this book of poetry by Claude McKay that helped kick off the Harlem Renaissance. In addition to the several famous ones, there are many that evoke the time and are quite powerful. The best known is "If We Must Die," and it is useful to see that classic poem alongside the others. But most of these were written during the "red summer" of 1919, with its race riots, racism, but also the degree of fighting back against oppression by African Americans, and many of the poems capture that spirit.

geminix1312's review

challenging reflective slow-paced

3.25

guinness74's review against another edition

4.0

A delicate collection of what I would call ‘Psalms of Harlem’ focusing on love, passion, injustice, longing, and death. McKay’s writing hearkens to another era, this collection being published a little under a century ago, but many of the poems have a timeless feel, even if the language and rhyme seem a bit awkward at times.

historyofjess's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective fast-paced

4.0

I had not been familiar with Claude McKay before coming to this book and I'm so happy to have discovered it. His poems are beautiful and lyrical and a welcome shift from a lot of the poetry I've consumed over the years.

yoanna7's review

challenging emotional reflective

3.25

kiannaw's review

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

3.75

schnurln's review against another edition

reflective medium-paced

5.0

Favorites:
- "To One Coming North"
- "Alfonso, Dressing to Wait at Table"
- "On Broadway"
- "The Plateau"
- "Harlem Shadows:
- "The White City"
- "In Bondage"
- "I Know My Soul"
- "If We Must Die"
- "Absence"
- "Summer Morn in New Hampshire"
- "A Red Flower"
- "To O.E.A."
- "Romance"
- "Flower of Love"
- "Flirtation"
- "Futility"

salomecanread's review

inspiring relaxing medium-paced

5.0