Stories I Ain't Told Nobody Yet: Selections from the People Pieces [Paperback]

Jo Carson (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In one of the most powerful poems in this 96-page collection, a mother asks her grown child to come home while she is still alive: "I could fill you up with stories, stories I ain't told nobody yet. . . . When I am dead, it will not matter / how hard you press your ear to the ground." Like the voices in the oral histories collected by Studs Terkel, these monologues and dialogues from east Tennessee and the Appalachian region "all come from people," and while the poems "remain true to the speaker's thoughts and rhythms of speech," they are Carson's "distillations." Haunting and funny, full of folk wisdom and unflinching honesty, the characters seem spotlighted on a stage. Many poems presume an adult perspective and understanding, but all reflect Carson's sensitive and unsentimental awareness of her characters' lives and language. A Richard Jackson Book. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 9 Up-- As Carson points out, the 49 poems in this collection are "distillations," reconstructions of monologues and dialogues from east Tennessee and the Appalachian region. The pieces, written in colloquial English, are short and untitled and appear in broad groupings. The designation "juvenile poetry" seems a misnomer since most of the pieces deal with adults and their concerns: a woman describes being beaten by her husband; a dyer worries about toxins in the factory; a newly married man throws his mother-in-law out of the house. Not only is the subject matter adult; so is the language, which is strong yet appropriate in context. Nonetheless, some young adult readers would respond to their wry humor and authentic "down home" tone. A speaker describes a neighbor as "tryin' to slip Jesus Christ a couple of dollar bills/ for the free gift of salvation." A terminated worker notes that some "will not look at me/ because somehow fired and failed/ are too close together." And the denizen of a small town observes that everyone there "made their decision/ once or twice/ about whether you was right/ or wrong." A few poems sound preachy. About a third of the selections appeared previously in literary magazines. --Ellen D. Warwick, Robbins Junior Library, Arlington, Mass.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Theatre Communications Group; 1st TCG Ed edition (January 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1559360275
• ISBN-13: 978-1559360272
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 0.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #520,146 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Solid rural poetry, July 9, 2001

By 

Robert P. Beveridge "xterminal" (Lakewood, OH) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Stories I Ain't Told Nobody Yet: Selections from the People Pieces (Richard Jackson Book) (Library Binding)

Jo Carson lives and works in East Tennessee, and her work, in this book, has been taking overhard conversations around her, modifying the language into something that approximates folk poetry, and writing it down. Normally, this is a recipe for disaster. However, Carson's ear is finely-tuned enough that what comes out more often than not does resemble both rural dialect and poetry. And that in itself is more than enough reason to consider this a noteworthy book. But every once in a while, the stories she tells are the kind that tug at the heart without the naked appeal of obvious emotional manipulation (though there's certainly some of that here, too; if you go into this not expecting to find the cliched "boy, I wish people wouldn't treat East Tennessee folk like hicks," you're going to be disappointed-- but Carson does amnage to keep it to a minimum). A good, solid volume that's worth a quick read. ***

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring, truthful poetry, October 28, 2011

By 

Denice E Hicks - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Stories I Ain't Told Nobody Yet: Selections from the People Pieces (Paperback)

Jo Carson's poetry is funny, touching and thought provoking, honoring folks that are too frequently overlooked. She refines our humanity into succinct poetry and that is a priceless gift. Within this book you'll find the voices of friends and relatives that you never knew before but will never soon forget.

5.0 out of 5 stars Carson stories, August 8, 2010

By 

J. Ferguson "book lover" (Dallas) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Stories I Ain't Told Nobody Yet: Selections from the People Pieces (Paperback)

I am so glad to have discovered this author. This one and several more of her books and stories will be used in our volunteer senior story telling group. We're from the South, so the accent is not difficult for us!