From School Library Journal
Grade 6 Up-An anthology that celebrates the African Diaspora. The selections were written by teenagers and display an "awareness of parallel cultures while acknowledging a common-if distant-heritage." Individual chapters include selections about Black pride, the "...Poet as Keeper of the Oral Tradition," home and homelessness, spirituality, love, freedom, the future, and "...Our Elders." Many of the poems will have relevance to their audience and the book could be a helpful tool when approaching the genre thematically. Unfortunately, while giving young poets a place to sound their voice is important, a weak collection of poetry, no matter the nobility of its intent, is still a weak collection of poetry. This anthology suffers from the homogeneity of its voices, many sounding like imitators of Maya Angelou and Nikki Giovanni. Reading these 61 poems could give the impression that all young Black poets are exactly alike. Certainly this isn't true.
Herman Sutter, Saint Pius X High School, Houston, TX
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Herman Sutter, Saint Pius X High School, Houston, TX
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
This heartfelt collection features poems by young people, ages 13^-21, from the U.S., Canada, England, Jamaica, Haiti, Barbados, Panama, St. Thomas, and several African countries. Okutoro (who's originally from Nigeria) has grouped the poems by theme and uses works by well-known poets such as Hughes, Angelou, and Clifton to introduce each section. Although the poems vary tremendously in style and sophistication, all resonate with the passionate sincerity that teen poets can communicate so well. The book jacket is splendid: elegant and lively, with a black-and-white photo of the head of a young African American (gender ambiguous) hanging upside down to let shiny deadlocks cascade next to a marvelous poem by a 16-year-old celebrating the diverse roots of African Americans. The brief biographical notes at the end personalize the poems and may encourage many readers to try their hand at poetry. Teachers can make good year-round use of this excellent curriculum support source, and it will have special meaning during African American history month. Debbie Carton
