Module 3 Book Reviews: Poetry

Module 3 Book Reviews: Poetry

Alyssa Payne, LSSL 5360

Enchanted Air: Two Cultures, Two Wings: A Memoir by Margarita Engle

Bibliographic Data

Engle, M. (2015). Enchanted air: Two cultures, two wings: a memoir. New York, NY: Atheneum, a division of Simon & Schuster.    ISBN 978-1-4814-3523-9

Summary

Enchanted Air is the life history of a young Jewish, Cuban-American woman, Margarita, who grows up torn between two cultures she loves with all her heart and the dichotomy that arises between them as she grows up.  Her parents come from two different worlds-Cuba and America-and can barely understand one another, yet they found each other and overcame the immense differences between their cultures.  Margarita grows up in Los Angeles but spends a great amount of time in her mother’s home, Cuba, a place she writes of her deep love for.  While she loves both of her “homes”, she feels torn between their vastly different cultures, a feeling that is only amplified when conflict arises between America and Cuba in the Cold War.  This compilation of poetry of the author’s life experience follow her through the conflicting emotions and internal struggle that arise when you come from more than one culture, especially during a tumultuous time in world history.       

Critical Analysis

Ms. Engle weaves together a rich tapestry of her family’s history and unique life experience in her Verse Novel Memoir.  It begins with the heartwarming tale of how the author’s parents met, fell in love, and became engaged in a brief introduction titled Love at First Sight.  The remainder of the novel is told in non-rhyming verse, following Margarita throughout her younger years of life as she experiences life in both America and Cuba.  Her distinct voice is clearly conveyed through the poems.  The book’s greatest strengths are the use of imagery and emotion.  Her use of sensory words and description of lush Cuba make you feel as if you are standing on the island with her.  She does an excellent job of portraying the stark contrast between her two worlds, particularly in how she describes her deep emotional connection to her beloved Cuba.   Engle’s writing style clearly expresses the toll the Cold War and conflict between her two “homes” takes on her.  As the narrative unfolds, Enchanted Air captures the readers’ emotions more and more, and you feel as if you have walked a mile in her shoes.  This is a wonderful book that celebrates diversity, and I highly recommend it.     

Awards and Review Excerpts

Pura Belpre Award Winner, 2016

The Walter Dean Myers Honor Award for Outstanding Children’s Literature, 2016

"A deeply personal memoir-in-verse filled with Engle’s trademark intricately woven lyricism."  Source: School Library Journal, May 2015, STARRED REVIEW

Connections

My Name is Aida by Aida Waserstein

All the Way to Havana by Margarita Engle

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

The Poet Slave of Cuba: A Biography of Juan Francisco Manzano by Margarita Engle

We Are America: A Tribute from the Heart by Walter Dean Myers

Bibliographic Data

Myers, W.D. (2011). We are America: a tribute from the heart. Ill. by Christopher Meyers. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers.    ISBN 978-0-06-052308-4

Summary

We Are America is a heartfelt collection of poems written as a tribute to America after the horror that took place on September 11, 2001.  Each poem highlights a strand of history of the American people and critically examines various aspects of what their “American experience” must have been like.  There are featured poems about Native Americans, slavery, the immigrant’s experience, industrialization, etc.  They effectively define what it is to be American both in the past and present, like a poetry timeline of what built this country up to what it is now.     

Critical Analysis

This heartfelt collection of poems was written by Mr. Meyers in response to the terrorist attacks that took place on America on September 11, 2001.  When our country was broken, he wanted to do his part to contribute to the collective grief and healing the United States would be experiencing.  We Are America, a tribute to America and its unique history, was his offering.  I would classify this book as an Individual Poet Compilation, since every poem is written by the same author and centers around one central topic-America.  The illustrations excellently compliment and convey the meaning of the text.  Each picture is a feast for the eyes, a true work of art.  Mr. Meyers’ style of poetry is clearly established through the text.  None of the poems follow a rhyming scheme or particular formula.  Each poem is a separate, unique work while adding to the overall theme of the compilation.  Overall, the poems convey the author’s distinctive voice clearly and achieve Mr. Meyers’ goal of saluting all that America is, was, and will be.  At the end of the book, there are artist notes about the illustrations and explanations for each of the poems, an effective addition that sets this book of poems apart.     

Awards and Review Excerpts

“The Myers team shares their heartfelt and stirring vision of an America flawed but filled with promises and dreams.”  Source: Kirkus Review July 7, 2017.

Connections

The Poetry of US: More than 200 Poems that Celebrate the People, Places, and Passions of the United States by J. Patrick Lewis

Coming to America: The Story of Immigration by Betsy Maestro

America: A Patriotic Primer by Lynne Cheney

Jazz by Walter Dean Myers

Heroes and She-Roes by J. Patrick Lewis

Bibliographic Data

Lewis, J.P. (2005). Heroes and she-roes: Poems of amazing and everyday heroes. Ill. by Jim Cooke. New York, NY: Dial Books for Young Readers, a division of Penguin Young Readers Group.    ISBN 0-8037-2925-1

Summary

Heroes and She-Roes is a collection of poems all about everyday heroes in the world, both from the past and present.  It features well-known figures, such as Hellen Keller, Martin Luther King Jr., and Gandhi, but it also features heroes all around us like firefighters and teachers.  Each poem is written with a rhyming scheme and includes a factual explanation of its historical connections.  

Critical Analysis

Heroes and She-Roes is classified as a Thematic Collection that centers around the theme “everyday heroes”.  It would be an excellent addition to supplement Social Studies curriculum, particularly in grade levels that teach about famous world figures, i.e. 3^rd grade.  Each poem follows the same rhyming scheme, which make it more approachable for readers.  One valuable feature in this book is the historical context that accompanies each poem.  Both this explanation and the illustrations work together beautifully to convey the collection’s message.  The illustrations are a true highlight of the book with their bright, colorful, eye-catching artistry.  They are sure to draw readers in.  One critique I have for this collection is the poem The Bareback Rider, which is about Lady Godiva.  The content of the poem and especially the illustration of the naked woman make an otherwise wonderful book inappropriate for young readers, which is a shame since it would complement 3^rd grade Social Studies curriculum so well.  Unfortunately, because of this oversight, a teacher would have to pick and choose the poems to share with her class rather than having this as an available resource for students to access whenever they want.  Still, in spite of that one poem, this collection would be a valuable addition in the library as a teacher resource.       

Awards and Review Excerpts

“This is an important title that will inspire young people and perhaps encourage them to look more deeply into the lives of others as well as their own.”  Source: School Library Journal, May 1st 2017

Connections

Herstory: 50 Women and Girls Who Shook Up the World by Katherine Halligan

I Am Gandhi (Ordinary People Change the World) by Brad Meltzer

I Am Martin Luther King, Jr. (Ordinary People Change the World) by Brad Meltzer

I Am Helen Keller (Ordinary People Change the World) by Brad Meltzer

I Am Gandhi: A Graphic Biography of a Hero (Ordinary People Change the World) by Brad Meltzer

Under the Mesquite by Guadalupe McCall

Bibliographic Data

Garcia McCall, G. (2011). Under the Mesquite. New York, NY: Lee & Low Books, Inc.    ISBN 978-1-60060-429-4

Summary

Lupita is a Mexican-American teenager who finds herself facing a world of adult burdens when her mother is diagnosed with cancer.  Lupita’s mother and father travel to America to receive treatment for her cancer.  In their absence, Lupita must step-up and take their place, becoming a surrogate parent for her younger siblings.  She must also try to manage the household, all while juggling her high school coursework.  When it all becomes too much to bear, Lupita takes refuge under a mesquite tree and finds the release she needs through words and poems.        

Critical Analysis

This poignant, coming-of-age memoir, based on the author’s real-life experiences, is told through novel-in-verse and follows the story of Lupita through a difficult season in her life.  Under the Mesquite peels back the veil of the Mexican-American immigrant’s struggle and exposes the unique experiences they might face.  The poems stand on their own two feet and are lovely in their own right, as verse novels often are.  With poems like “Quincenera” and “Las Telenovelas”, Under the Mesquite offers a glimpse into the lives of a Mexican family and highlights many facets of Mexican culture.  I enjoyed this glimpse into a life experience and culture that is vastly different from my own.  It is sure to be popular among middle and high school students, as they can identify with the everyday typical teen struggles, while the exposure to the grandiose adult problems Lupita faces will effectively teach them empathy.  The poems tell a narrative through the author’s unique voice and perspective, and you feel as if you personally know Lupita.   

Awards and Review Excerpts

“A resilient Mexican-American girl copes with familial obligation and loss in this free-verse novel…With poignant imagery and well-placed Spanish, the author effectively captures the complex lives of teenagers in many Latino and/or immigrant families…A promising, deeply felt debut.”  Source: Kirkus Review, August 3, 2011, Starred Review

Connections

Cool Salsa: Bilingual Poems on Growing Up Latino in the United States (Spanish Edition) by Lori Marie Carlson and Oscar Hijuelos

Yes! We are Latinos: Poems and Prose About the Latino Experience by Alma Flor Ada