The 100 Best African American Poems [Hardcover]

Nikki Giovanni (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2010

Hear voices contemporary and classic as selected by New York Times bestselling author Nikki Giovanni

Award-winning poet and writer Nikki Giovanni takes on the impossible task of selecting the 100 best African American works from classic and contemporary poets. Out of necessity, Giovanni admits she cheats a little, selecting a larger, less round number.

The result is this startlingly vibrant collection that spans from historic to modern, from structured to freeform, and reflects the rich roots and visionary future of African American verse. These magnetic poems are an exciting mix of most-loved classics and daring new writing. From Gwendolyn Brooks and Langston Hughes to Tupac Shakur, Natasha Trethewey, and many others, the voice of a culture comes through in this collection, one that is as talented, diverse, and varied as its people.

African American poems are like all other poems: beautiful, loving, provocative, thoughtful, and all those other adjectives I can think of. Poems know no boundaries. They, like all Earth citizens, were born in some country, grew up on some culture, then in their blooming became citizens of the Universe. Poems fly from heart to heart, head to head, to whisper a dream, to share a condolence, to congratulate, and to vow forever. The poems are true. They are translated and they are celebrated. They are sung, they are recited, they are delightful. They are neglected. They are forgotten. They are put away. Even in their fallow periods they sprout images. And fight to be revived. And spring back to life with a bit of sunshine and caring.
-Nikki Giovanni

Read

• Gwendolyn Brooks
• Kwame Alexander
• Tupac Shakur
• Langston Hughes
• Mari Evans
• Kevin Young
• Asha Bandele
• Amiri Baraka

Hear

• Ruby Dee
• Novella Nelson
• Nikki Giovanni
• Elizabeth Alexander
• Marilyn Nelson
• Sonia Sanchez

And many, many, more

Nikki Giovanni is an award-winning poet, writer, and activist. She is the author of more than two dozen books for adults and children, including Bicycles, Quilting the Black-Eyed Pea, Racism 101, Blues: For All the Changes, and Love Poems. Her children's book-plus-audio compilation Hip Hop Speaks to Children was awarded the NAACP Image Award. Her children's book Rosa, a picture-book retelling of the Rosa Parks story, was a Caldecott Honor Book and winner of the Coretta Scott King Award. Both books were New York Times bestsellers. Nikki is a Grammy nominee for her spoken-word album The Nikki Giovanni Poetry Collection and has been nominated for the National Book Award. She has been voted Woman of the Year by Essence, Mademoiselle, and Ladies' Home Journal. She is a University Distinguished Professor at Virginia Tech, where she teaches writing and literature.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Go-to poet and reigning literary activist Giovanni admits in her introduction that she “cheated”: she just couldn’t keep to that nice round number in the title. And who can blame her. As Giovanni enthuses in her peppy introduction, “Poems are like . . . two scoops of chocolate ice cream . . . something everyone can enjoy.” Her vivid and affecting selections add up to a complexly pleasurable anthology. The delight is in the musical, inventive, and vivid language; the astute insights and humor, passion and tenderness. But these are poems born of suffering and injustice, even as they reach for truth and wisdom. Margaret Walker Alexander’s “For My People” sets the tone in its embrace of African American history, and well-known poets such as Gwendolyn Brooks, Lucille Clifton, Robert Hayden, and Kevin Young follow, along with many new voices, all treated equally, since no poet biographies are included. Langston Hughes asks, “What happens to a dream deferred?” Georgia Douglas Johnson answers, “Dream your dream anew.” Poets and other performers read 36 poems on the accompanying CD. --Donna Seaman

About the Author

Nikki Giovanni is an award-winning poet, writer, and activist. She is the author of more than two dozen books for adults and children, including Bicycles, Quilting the Black-Eyed Pea, Racism 101, Blues: For All the Changes, and Love Poems. Her children's book-plus-audio compilation Hip Hop Speaks to Children was awarded the NAACP Image Award. Her children's book Rosa, a picture-book retelling of the Rosa Parks story, was a Caldecott Honor Book and winner of the Coretta Scott King Award. Both books were New York Times bestsellers. Nikki is a Grammy nominee for her spoken-word album The Nikki Giovanni Poetry Collection and has been nominated for the National Book Award. She has been voted Woman of the Year by Essence, Mademoiselle, and Ladies' Home Journal. She is a University Distinguished Professor at Virginia Tech, where she teaches writing and literature.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Sourcebooks MediaFusion; 1 Har/Com edition (November 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1402221118
• ISBN-13: 978-1402221118
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 6.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #109,544 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #96 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Anthologies & Literary Collections > Poetry

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow! November 13, 2010

By R. Fulton

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I received my copy of "100 Best African American Poems" edited by Nikki Giovanni, recently and went to town reading and reviewing it. I was amazed and memories of reading some of my favorite poems came flooding back. This is an important piece of work for all African-Americans and for non-African-Americans alike. It contains a very diverse group of poets. There is an omission for whatever reason of a couple of my favorite poets but overall they are not missed.

I noticed the advertisement for the book stated that there was a CD that contained some of the poems being read and I thought I would have to purchase that separately, and I was willing to do it. To my surprise the CD is included with the book and I am loving the spoken word. I agree with the other review that this will make a great gift.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Voices of the Journey November 13, 2010

By John Green TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

'The 100 Best African-American Poems' compiled by Nikki Giovanni is a very fine work, a kaleidoscope of images, emotions and observations of the Black Experience in America. It's an anthology of some of the works by various poets including titans like Amiri Baraka, Paul Laurence Dunbar, Sonia Sanchez, Langston Hughes and Giovanni herself. Such collections are always subjective- you'll always wonder why something was left out, and I noticed a couple of absences myself- but that's part of the fun, and I discovered a few gems I'd never seen before such as Old Lem, Mercy Killing, Freedom Candy and those Winter Sundays, as well as the immortal standards Harlem, Nikki-Rosa, Lift Every Voice and Sing and of course Giovanni's own magnum opus- Ego Tripping (There May Be A Reason Why), which I will always consider to be one of the finest examples of not only African-American but American culture ever created. The cd is a treat- readings of about a third of the selections done by the authors themselves and notables like Ruby Dee and of course, Giovanni.

It's an excellent collection of poetry and very much a time travel device, taking you for a look back to those days when... though sometimes they don't seem all that distant. This would be a wonderful gift for anyone of any age or race but especially to African-Americans. Like singing in the cotton fields it's a chorus of bright, strong voices from our past to lighten the load a little and help guide the way as you ease on down the road.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A Poet's Anthology of African American Poetry February 15, 2011

By Robin Friedman HALL OF FAMETOP 50 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

African Americans have made large contributions to the literature of the United States especially in poetry. The award-winning poet Nikki Giovanni has selected for this volume 100 (or so) of the best poems written by African Americans. The book is accompanied by a CD of readings of 36 of the poems.

As Giovanni recognizes, it isn't possible for anyone to pick out the 100 "best" of a large, complex genre. Few informed readers would agree on the choice of 100 "best" poems. Furthermore, any anthology of poetry will involve considerations of subjectivity -- personal preference -- and inclusiveness -- offering works from a variety of authors, styles, and time periods -- in making the selections. So it is with this anthology. Giovanni's book includes both personal favorites and attempts to capture part of the large range of African American poetry. Her selection is broad and fascinating. It includes many outstanding poems together with some that did not work for me and that may not appeal to every reader.

The poems are not organized in the collection on the basis of chronology or poet. They are presented in a collage-like fashion; although the opening two poems, "The Aunt" by Mari Evans and "For my People" by Margaret Walker set the tone for the volume. Evans' poem is about family and individuality while Walker's poem is more communal and political. The earliest poet included is Paul Laurence Dunbar. He is represented by two works, including a poem in dialect, "A Negro Love Song" and his most famous poem, "We Wear the Mask." Langston Hughes has the largest number of individual poems in the collection with at least eight works, including "The Negro Speaks of Rivers" and Gwendolyn Brooks is also well represented with seven poems including "We Real Cool".... Other famous poets whose works are represented include Sterling Brown, Countee Cullen, Robert Hayden, James Weldon Johnson (including "Lift every Voice and Sing"),Sterling Brown, Amiri Bakara (LeRoi Jones), and more. There are six poems included by Giovanni herself, including the concluding poem of the volume "Ego Tripping". Richard Wright, better known as a novelist, is represented by an early sharply-written poem, "Between the World and Me". The Harlem Renaissance writer Waring Cuney is represented by his wonderful poem, long one of my favorites, "No Images."

There are many poems of varying themes by African American women. I enjoyed Georgia Douglas Johnson's short poems, "Trifle" and "The Heart of a Woman", Naomi Madgett's personal, "Woman with Flower" , Gloria Oden's "The Carousel", Lucille Clifton's "Homage to my Hips" and June Jordan's "If you saw a Negro Lady." None of these poems were earlier familiar to me. I was especially pleased to get to know Gwendolyn Brooks' extended poem, "A Bronzeville Mother Liters in Mississippi, Meanshile, A Mississippi Mother Burns Bacon", a ballad about the murder of Emmett Till.

Poetry should be heard and read aloud to be appreciated, and the CD accompanying this book adds a great deal. The poems are well-selected and are read with drama, passion, and spontaniety. Some of the readings are drawn from historical recordings and feature Gwendolyn Brooks and Robert Hayden reading their own poems. Giovanni and Sonia Sanchez, and Marilyn Nelson also read their own works. Most of the readings were done at Virginia Tech under Giovanni's supervision by an enthusiastic group readers including Ruby Dee and Virginia Tech's president, Dr. Charles Steger. The readings are done with spirit and offer an excellent gateway to the poems and to the art of reading aloud.

This book is a fine anthology of African American poetry including both familiar and unfamiliar selections in a variety of styles and voices. Readers who love poetry or African American literature will enjoy this book and CD.

Robin Friedman Read more ›

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Very Good Book January 17, 2011

By Jean

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Many of the poems I had not read in several years. It brought back many memories. I enjoyed reading the work of some poets I had not heard of prior to this book. I highly recommend it.

5.0 out of 5 stars a great anthology June 15, 2013

By doc peterson VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

I love poetry, and I am especially enamored by the power, wit and emotional depth in African-American poetry. In _The 100 Best (but I cheated) African-American Poems_ Nikki Giovanni has compiled a simply delightful range of poems that speak not only to the African-American experience, but also to what it is to be human and alive.

Among my long-time favorites are Margaret Walker's "For My People" :
...For my people lending their strength to the years, to the
gone years and the now years and the maybe years,
washing ironing cooking scrubbing sewing mending
hoeing plowing digging planting pruning patching
dragging along never gaining never reaping never
knowing and never understanding ..."

Langston Hughes' "A Negro Speaks of Rivers" : "I've known rivers:
I've known rivers ancient as the world and older than the
flow of human blood in human veins.
My soul has grown deep like the rivers. ..."

And James Weldon Johnson's "Lift Every Voice and Sing" (the "African-American National Anthem). What I particularly like about this anthology, though, is its inclusion of poems and poets that are less familiar than Lnagston Hughes, Nikki Giovanni, Alice Walker and Gwendolyn Brooks. Poems like Lucille Clifton's "Homage to My Hips" made me smile:
"These hips are big hips.
They need space to
move around in.
They don't fit into little
petty places. These hips
are free hips.
They don't like to be held back. ..."

"That And Some Mo" by DJ Renegade show contemporary African-American poets as musicians, the anthology also including spoken word poems like "The Untitled Superhero Poem" by Tonya Matthews (a new favorite):
"I have SUPERPOWERS.
Yes. Yes, I do....
Faster than lazy welfare house hoes
more powerful than non-voting Negroes
able to relate to unsuspecting White Folk in a single / conversation ..."

It is easy to see why Giovanni "cheated" and included more than 100 poems - there are simply so many that qualify as "the best" that it is difficult (even with a subjective measure like "the best") to be limited to only 100. An added bonus to this powerful, beautiful collection of poetry is a CD in which the poems are read - sometimes by the poet themselves, sometimes by others. Highly recommended. Read more ›