Grand Mothers: Poems, Reminiscences, and Short Stories About The Keepers Of Our Traditions [Hardcover]

Nikki Giovanni (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up

"This ... captivating collection is built around the figure of the grandmother--caretaker, disciplinarian, holder of memory.... It ultimately proves a diverse and moving tribute." --Publishers Weekly

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This sometimes captivating collection is built around the figure of the grandmother-caretaker, disciplinarian, holder of memory. While contributions from established writers like Maxine Hong Kingston, Gloria Naylor and Gwendolyn Brooks act as lures, the real treasures here are offered by relatively unknown authors. Native American novelist Susan Power's mythic "The Roofwalker" explores the role of grandmother as guide ("Grandma Mabel told me that life is a circle, and sometimes we coil around on ourselves like a drowsy snake"). Another standout, Anna Esaki-Smith's sparkling "Ba Chan," introduces a young woman who reconciles her feelings about her two grandmothers, one good and one bad, after one of them dies. Young readers may not grasp the full meaning of some of the pieces, like Sharon Dilworth's moving "A Loss in Detroit," about a young woman coming to terms with an unwanted divorce, or Kingston's "The Magical Grandmother," about a Chinese grandfather who longs for a daughter in a culture where girls are considered ill omens. Elsewhere, various entries collapse into dry genealogies. But when this collection is good, it is very good, and it ultimately proves a diverse and moving tribute. Ages 11-up.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 6 Up-Giovanni claims that this book is not balanced, as she says of the authors, "We are mostly Southern, pan Asian, and black." But balance is not the issue here: it's the impressive span of these stories by and about grandmothers-from the Civil War to the present-from Asia, Africa, majority and minority America, in all sizes, colors, and ages. Most impressive are the short stories by well-known writers such as Maxine Hong Kingston and Gloria Naylor, some who have yet to achieve public acclaim. The "Warm Hearth Writers" Workshop, a group of writers at a retirement center, is also represented, with reminiscences and reports about their own grandmothers. The quality of these reports is uneven, but the lives included are interesting nonetheless. While this inconsistency may be disconcerting to some, the personal qualities of the narrators and the intent of the book-to celebrate grandmothers in a direct, outspoken way, warts and all-makes it a first purchase.
Ruth K. MacDonald, Bay Path College, Longmeadow, MA
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR); 1st edition (August 15, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805027661
• ISBN-13: 978-0805027662
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #432,485 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A terrific, tender book, March 22, 2001

By 

Laura Minges - See all my reviews

This review is from: Grand Mothers: Poems, Reminiscences, and Short Stories About The Keepers Of Our Traditions (Paperback)

This book is a well-organized and convincing look at Grandmothers. Told through the voices of well-known authors, it is an engaging, funny, and poignant mix of fiction and personal experience. The role of Grandmother as both disciplinarian and comforter shines through brilliantly, serving to portray the women in all their complexity. There are many more essays and stories than poems, however, and readers who want more poetry may not find it to their liking. In my opinion, the poems provide strong insight and solid transition from one theme to another. As with all good writing, the themes are not explicitly stated. This allows the reader to draw their own conclusions and reflect on their own experiences. Even as discipline and disagreements are discussed, respect and love for older women is evident throughout. Although this is a fairly good book for teens fourteen and up, adults may find it speaks more fully to their experience and perspective.