nappy edges [Paperback]

Ntozake Shange (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 15, 1991

Completely repackaged, this spirited celebration of the African-American soul breathes new life in the rhythmic poetry of beats and movements for which she is renowned. Winner of the Tony Award and the Obie Award for For Colored Girls Who Have Con-sidered Suicide/When the Rainbow Is Enuf, Ntozake Shange`s poetry is considered some of the most influential in African-American culture.

Editorial Reviews

Review

& She Bleeds
& Then
Advice
Between A Dancer & A Poet
Chicago In San Francisco & You
Closets
Cross Oceans In My Heart
De Poems Gotta Come Outta My Crotch?
Ego
Elegance In The Extreme
Expiriese Girl Wanted
Fame On All Fours
Five
Flying-song
For All My Dead & Loved Ones
For Marian
Frank Albert & Viola Benzena Owens
Get It & Feel Good
Hands & Holding
I Had Five Nose Rings
I Live In Music
I Talk To Myself
I'm Not Very Communicative
In Honor Of Yr Poise In The Face Of Hungry Lions
Inquiry
An Invitation To My Friends
Its Happenin/but You Dont Know Abt It
Just As The Del Vikings Stole My Heart
Latin Night Is Monday
Lotsa Body & Cultural Heritage
Love & Other Highways
Lovin You Is Ecstasy To Me
Marine Instruction
My Father Is A Retired Magician
Nappy Edges (a Across Country Sojourn)
Night Letter #3
No Gusts Of Wind Tickle Me
Oakland In February
Odessa
An Ol Fashion Lady
The Old Men Meet
On Becomin Successful
One More Poem For Dolphy
Resurrection Of The Daughter
Senses Of Heritage
Serious Lessons Learned
Several Propositions In The Middle Of The Nite
The Suspect Is Black & In His Early 20's
Takin A Solo - A Poetic Possibility - A Poetic Imperative
Telephones & Other False Gods
Things I Wd Say
This Woman Thinks We're De Beavoir & Jean Paul
Tropical Dance
Where The Mississippi Meets The Amazon
Whispers With The Unicorn
Who Am I Thinkin Of
Who Is Setting These Priorities?
With No Immediate Cause
Wow - Yr Just Like A Man!
-- Table of Poems from Poem Finder®

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin (July 15, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312064241
• ISBN-13: 978-0312064242
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,679,141 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Ntozake Shange, poet, novelist, playwright, and performer, wrote the Broadway-produced and Obie Award-winning For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow Is Enuf. She has also written numerous works of fiction, including Sassafras, Cypress and Indigo, Betsy Brown, and Liliane.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My favorite book in the entire world, January 19, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: nappy edges (Paperback)

Ntozake Shange is a genius, a goddess, but above all else, a poet. This book revolutionized the way I viewed poetry. As she says, "A poem shd fill you up with something/ make you swoon, change yr mind or make it up/a poem shd happen to you like cold water or a kiss." My favorite poems in here are "Advice," "Between a Dancer and a Poet," and "An Invitation to My Friends." She makes connections between music and poetry and I came away (never really away- the book is always in my soul) with new spirit and passion that was inside me all along, but then it resonated, "Yes, yes, yes."

4.0 out of 5 stars Spoken word artists must peep this..., October 8, 2004

By 

The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers (RAWSISTAZ.com and BlackBookReviews.net) - See all my reviews

This review is from: nappy edges (Paperback)

NAPPY EDGES by Ntozake Shange is a collection of poetry written during the
Seventies on a myriad of issues in the poet's trademark style. Shange creates
a rhythm that leaps from the page and lyrically dances around the room. The
words beg to be spoken aloud, and the emotions implore you to feel them.

Shange's message is often pro-woman as she deftly builds phrases that
sometimes seem unrelated to form a heavy lesson. Also included in this
collection is a speech that she gave to a conference in which she discussed the
poet's right to individual expression. She challenges readers to know their
poets and to know what their individual sound or flow is like.

It's hard for me to pick one favorite poem from this compilation. Each poem
speaks to a different place and a different time. Nonetheless, this is a
volume of poetry that needs to be on the shelves of all verse lovers and on
the lips of all those who strive to express themselves lyrically.

Reviewed by Diane Marbury
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers