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

Nikki Giovanni (Editor)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up

Nikki Giovanni created this book by asking her friends--people like Gloria Naylor, Gwendolyn Brooks, and Maxine Hong Kingston--for their stories and recollections of their grandmothers, then to a group of writers in their ninties for their thoughts. Grand Mothers celebrates those special women in every culture who preserve heritae and prepare the future.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

GRAND MOTHERS: Poems, Reminiscences, and Short Stories About the Keepers of Our Traditions Edited by Nikki Giovanni. Holt, $7.95 ISBN 0-8050-4903-7. "While contributions from established authors act as lures, the real treasures here are offered from relatively unknown authors," said PW of this "diverse and moving tribute." Ages 11-up.
Copyright 1996 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. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Paperback: 168 pages
• Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) (September 15, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805049037
• ISBN-13: 978-0805049039
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 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: #342,825 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.