Stopping for Death: Poems of Death and Loss [Hardcover]

Carol Ann Duffy (Editor), Trisha Rafferty (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 11 and up

"The subject could be morbid, but these poems from all over the world lift the spirit with their truthful feeling and words that sing." --Booklist

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 6-9?More than 80 poems explore the universal tragedy of death. "There is no vocabulary for this, the no-language of grief...so the world says it for me." These words, from "The Baffling Dead" by Irene Earis, encompass one emotion and viewpoint presented here. Classic poets such as Emily Dickinson and Anne Sexton are included, as are contemporary poets such as Alice Walker. The words are different; the pain they express rings true. There is a vision in these poems that gives readers a deeper understanding of the impact of loss. Black-and-white sketches, like symbols, provide just enough imagery to enliven the words. The collection is not all grim; there are evocations of paradise, hope, and memory here. Duffy's anthology addresses an often-avoided subject in a conscientious way, and readers will gain from it a healthy understanding of the ways to deal with and move on from loss.?Sharon Korbeck, Waupaca Area Public Library, WI
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 7^-10. The subject could be morbid, but these poems from all over the world lift the spirit with their truthful feeling and words that sing. The anthology doesn't have the immediate appeal of Duffy's I Wouldn't Thank You for a Valentine (1994); some of these poems are difficult, especially a few of the contemporary pieces. In fact, the classics are the most accessible, poems such as W. H. Auden's "Funeral Blues" ("Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone" ), Christina Rossetti's "When I am dead, my dearest," and Wilfred Owen's "Anthem for Doomed Youth." Audre Lorde's "Girlfriend" speaks with an understated natural voice, and Juliette de Bairacli-Levy evokes the archetypal images of grief ("His chair at the table, empty" ). The arrangement is alphabetical, and many readers will enjoy starting with the funny old anonymous piece "The worms crawl out and the worms crawl in," but they'll also be moved by Sykes' poem ("How can you write a poem when you're dying of AIDS?" ), which is a shout of pain. Hazel Rochman

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 11 and up
  
• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) (June 15, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805047174
• ISBN-13: 978-0805047172
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 2.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,242,221 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)