Customer Reviews

Another America / Otra América

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
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Barbara Kingsolver's recent reprint of Another America: Otra America through Seal Press is easily the best poetry I have ever read. The enormously popular novelist of such titles as The Bean Trees and The Poisonwood Bible is also an amazing poet. Another America's poems range from powerfully political, such as "Our Father Who Drowns the Birds," to intensely intimate, as in "Refuge." Yet all of the poems are tightly woven together in this collection by ribbons of feminine strength and rebellion. Kingsolver's poetic art is further magnified by the Spanish translation provided by Rebeca Cartes, and as the introduction states, "these two languages linked give birth to a third." A third language that bypases the ears, eyes, and mind, and slowly seeps into the heart of the reader. This collection of poetry will inspire all women to look at the world, and their role in the world, in a new uplifting and powerful light with the mantra, "I remain because / the potential of my body is a universe."

I am still in awe over this fabulous collection of poetry. Never have I read poetry with such passion, craft, and art. Barbara Kingsolver has truly touched my heart with her chosen words. What I would kill to have her gift. These peoms dig deep into the heart of political struggles and triumphs of central america. And as it is said, "the political is the personal." You will read these peopms and your stomach will hurt. The very center of your soul will burn. It takes a great writer to make you feel such emotions. My favorite peom, I say that even though I could never chose a favorite, was a fabulous five part poem called The Loss of My Arms and Legs. You will cry, and if you don't, you have no heart. I am sixteen and in a residential writing school and i feel like quitting now becasue I will never write a poem like This House I cannot Leave. I give my upmost respect to Ms. Kingsolver for a true work of art.

Poems are like songs. And like songs, they should be heard. Listening to Barbara Kingsolver's soothing, lilting voice recite these personal and brilliant poems in the audio version of "Another America" made a long day's drive through the desert a deep and meaningful experience.

Her opening essay, outlining her take on how to call oneself a "poet" and how society judges poetry in terms of importance/relevance, was a thought provoking piece for anyone valuing poetry as an art or form of self-expression. Following the essay, her poems are presented in five sections, each separated by acoustic guitars playing with a south-of-the-border flair.

Through her poetry, Kingsolver gives much of her soul. It's her most beautiful writing. It ranges from trite and funny observations, "What the Janitor Heard in the Elevator," and, one of my favorites written from the perspective of a one-year-old, "Baby Blues," which made me laugh out loud, to the raw and gritty, "Street Scenes," to the deeply moving and personal. "This House I Cannot Leave," and "Ten Forty-Four," made me shake with emotion. Through these two poems in particular, she turns horror into beauty with true grace. The collection ends with "Your Mother's Eyes," which like many, was a personal dedication.

I will listen to this tape again and again and use it to share the beauty of poetry with those I love. This would make a wonderful gift for an artistic, intelligent friend.

Michele Cozzens, Author of A Line Between Friends and The Things I Wish I'd Said.

One of the things I admire about Barbara Kingsolver is her willingness to write in every genre: fiction, nonfiction, essay, poetry, short story. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to hear her read from this book from poetry, and I was enchanted at what one could express with so few words, so simply and eloquently and powerfully and emotionally. Her poems take surprising twists that gave them a staying power in my mind. If you are skeptical about poetry, as I was, read her essay that acts as the introduction to this collection. It changed the way I think and respond to poems.

These poems resonated particularly with me in two ways: as a woman and as someone who lives near the border and who has come to appreciate the history of Mexican-Americans and Latin Americans. They helped change the way I think both about myself as a woman and about this land I share with people who have been here for hundreds of years. The poems appear side-by-side in Spanish and English, which I found particularly valuable: it increased my appreciation for the beauty of the Spanish language and the beauty and power of language in general. My particular favorite is the poem "Naming Myself," which for me was a turning point in this collection. For me, it sums up everything about the power of identity, how carelessly we can give it away as young women, and how powerful it is to reclaim it. This poem applies not only to women, however, but ties in strongly with the rest of the collection, in its exploration of what it means to be an American, what the name "America" means to both Americans and non-Americans, and the disenfrachisement suffered by many when they are excluded from taking on the identity of Americans or it is demanded of them to relinquish their Latin American identities.

It's also well worth browsing the "Selected Titles from Seal Press" at the end of the book. How delightful to discover this apparently small, independent press! A number of titles by women from all over the world caught my eye.

I deeply regret that I was clueless about the richness and struggles of Latin American culture and society until I moved to Tucson and had the opportunity to experience and interact with this culture personally and firsthand. I cannot think of a more fitting title for this collection than "Another America." I encourage you to read it to gain a perspective of America through the eyes of Latin Americans. Barbara Kingsolver's writing resonates with me personally because it seems that she, too, discovered a whole new world upon moving to Tucson. It's an important perspective to have if you're an Anglo-American, to increase and broaden your awareness and deepen your appreciation for what we have and this land we share with our Latin American neighbors.

I will read anything Barbara Kingsolver writes, but this book of poetry is particularly overwhelming. Her poems are so accessible and so moving. "The House I cannot Leave" stands out as especially significant, but they are all outstanding. Even a non-poetry lover will enjoy this book of poems.

Barbara Kingsolver is a poet extrordinaire! The style of her poet is simple the subject matter is entralling, important, touching, necessary for our world. The entire book only takes about an hour to read, but days and weeks to digest. I found myself crying, laughing, calling friends in the middle of the night to share the beautiful thoughts feelings and love involved in the writings of these poems.

As with everything else from Barbara Kingsolver, you'll finish this book a better, more complete person, ready for action in this world of ours. This world that we belong to as much as it belongs to us. We belong to each other as much as we belong to ourselves. We all long for a purpose as simple and perfect as hens': laying a single daily egg, we share the horror of "Juana" who was raped by immigration officials, then deported, we know that the "wolf" deserves a meal! Read this book, this poetry will touch you, change you, make you more human, more animal.

This poetry book by Barbara Kingsolver speaks in the voice that her faithful readers have come to know and love. Her words are melodic, yet poignant and cutting when they need to be. Her sentiments are forceful, yet kind to those who might not quite get what she is trying to say. But mostly she speaks with an honesty that comes from the heart. I can't review the translations because I don't speak Spanish, but the fact that they are there in the book, side by side with each poem speaks volumes.

I have long been a lover of Kingsolver's novels and even though I don't consider myself much of a "poetry person", I love her poems, too. Great!

This book of poetry reveals the inner workings of an amazingly unique writer. These poems are about the joy and suffering of the human spirit. They show that despite pain and struggle in our lives we still survive.