They Shall Run: Harriet Tubman Poems (English and English Edition) [Hardcover]

Quraysh Ali Lansana (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2004 | ISBN-10: 088378257X | ISBN-13: 978-0883782576

The spirit and voice of Harriet Tubman is captured in this verse. The poems traces the journeys of Tubman and her fugitives through the backwoods of America while taking a look at the cruelty of slavery.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Because we know the story of Harriet Tubman as well as we know the story of Moses, to whom she is so often and aptly compared, Lansana's songlike poems conjure up familiar, even sacred images of runaway slaves, seekers of freedom, negotiating rough terrain in the dark of night. The opening poem in this evocative cycle pays homage to artist Jacob Lawrence, who also found inspiration in Tubman's spiritual valor, and like Lawrence, Lansana keeps his forms simple and strong. Spare yet resonant, his poems, most in Harriet's voice, convey all the danger and hope of the underground slave revolt, and offer a graceful paean to a great American hero. Donna Seaman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

"Harriet Tubman is one of the heroines of African American history and many of us are familiar with the outlines of her story as told in numerous historical and biographical tracts. Lansana tells us about Tubman, the woman, who though a warrior, was also a person with human needs and inner conflicts. Lansana wisely adds flesh and bones to the myth of Harriet Tubman."  —Calvin Forbes, author, The Shine Poems

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 56 pages
• Publisher: Third World Press (January 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 088378257X
• ISBN-13: 978-0883782576
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,262,087 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Harriet Tubman's language and heart, May 12, 2007

By 

Barbara Gibson (Olympia, WA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: They Shall Run: Harriet Tubman Poems (English and English Edition) (Paperback)

These poems, by the previously unknown to me writer Quaraysh Ali Lansana, are a skillful and vivid reconstruction of this important woman in American history. He uses the black "dialect" of the time with dignity and empathy. The portrait of Harriet Tubman, known to John Brown as "The General," (apparently Brown always referred to Harriet as "he"), is heartbreaking. And redemptive. Inspiring.