Tougaloo Blues (Paperback)

by Kelly Norman Ellis (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

This collection of poems explores the author's southern roots through a blues/narrative voice and revisits her Mississippi youth, while revealing the contemporary voice of a Black woman searching for place and community outside of her southern past.

About the Author

Kelly Norman Ellis is an assistant professor of English at Chicago State University.

Product Details

• Paperback: 69 pages
• Publisher: Third World Press (June 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0883782464
• ISBN-13: 978-0883782460
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 6.7 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,890,639 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars In the kitchen, April 19, 2004

By	julia beckford (Inglewood, Ca United States) - See all my reviews

Tougaloo Blues by Kelly Norman Ellis paints a razor sharp, vivid picture of Black Southern life. Reading her words made me feel like I was sitting in the Kitchen with all the women in her family soaking up good Southern sents and ancient wisdom. This book is one of the best books of poetry about southern life that I have read so far. Buy it, travel with her...you won't regret it.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars from didn't-know-I-was-a-poetry fan, November 30, 2003

By	Emily Rigdon (Kentucky) - See all my reviews

I was always intimidated and shut out of understanding verse. I heard Dr. Kelly Norman Ellis read on the documentary about Affrilachian poets and wanted to explode wildly in applause in front of the TV in my one bedroom apartment. Her poetry is pervious and spreads out like a delicious feast! You must read through this book out loud and feel the ways the words feel inside your mouth because it's delightful. I am going to use some of her poems with my second-language students because the sounds beautifully transcend the language.

4.0 out of 5 stars Give it A Try, April 19, 2004

By	ZK (DC) - See all my reviews

This warm aray of poetry will keep your mouth watering for more like a steamy plate of food. Ellis is able to share her experience of growing up and living about in the deep parts of Missippi. "He Touches" is a great poem for the soul. She exlpores a blues tradition throught her book that is couple with the experience of a Black female growing up in the South.