Dirt Road Home [Paperback]

Cheryl Savageau (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Savageau is of Abenaki Indian and French Acadian ancestry, and her poems explore the multistranded tensions of growing up poor in a family of mixed heritage. From her father, the poet inherited a love of nature, especially the primeval landscape of New England, which has been all but erased by industrial blight and urbanization. Her poems about birds, trees, and landscapes sing with a sensuous appreciation of the natural world. Other poems pay affectionate tribute to members of Savageau's extended family, who, though burdened by poverty and ethnicity, survive, for the most part, with spirit and dignity. Savageau has a storyteller's gift and an imagist's eye; her language is clean and sure: "my mother, red-haired,/who lived with my father/forty years.../watches the feathered dancers/and says, so that's/what real Indians look like./I wrap the shawl around my shoulders,/and join the circle." The hard truths out of which these poems spring are tempered by a magnanimous spirit and an acceptance of life's complexities. Recommended for contemporary poetry collections.?Christine Stenstrom, Brooklyn P.L.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

French/Canadian/Native poet Cheryl Savageau's poems tell of poverty, mixed ancestry and alliances, and strong family ties in a sweep of visions which trace both the progress of her life and influences and those of her family and friends. Lyrical, personal free verse. -- Midwest Book Review

Product Details

• Paperback: 78 pages
• Publisher: Curbstone Books; 1st edition (July 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1880684306
• ISBN-13: 978-1880684306
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,072,982 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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5.0 out of 5 stars REVIEW QUOTES, September 14, 2001

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Curbstone Press, Jantje Tielken, Editorial As... - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dirt Road Home (Paperback)

Cheryl Savageau writes of poverty, mixed ancestry, nature, and family in poems that are simultaneously tough and tender, and salted with a rich folk humor from her Abenaki and French Canadian ancestry.

"Engaging, emotionally open and honest, and, most importantly, interesting, the poems in this collection are the words of a woman who means to speak her mind." --Sojourner Magazine

"Savageau carries forth the poetic pulse of Merrill..." --Indianapolis News

"DIRT ROAD HOME is a collection of rich and refreshing voices; it provides connections for the unconnected, stories that are untold, and bridges between dual worlds. In a world of mixed-bloods, multi-identities, and multi-experiences, Savageau speaks as an individual of this varied world." --North Dakota Quarterly