Bibliography Hopkins, Lee Bennett. 1995. Been to Yesterdays: Poems of a Life. Ill. by Charlene Rendeiro. Honesdale, Pennsylvania: Wordsong. ISBN 1563974673 Review & Critical Analysis This book of poetry is a memoir of Lee Bennett Hopkins' childhood. Growing up in the 1950s, he faced painful events like his parents’ divorce, living in near poverty, and having an unstable home life. Through it all the love and memory of his grandmother and his desire to be a writer, kept young Hopkins going. These poems are emotional and full of personal, deep stories. Even though this title was published in 1995, the depth of its emotion speaks volumes to Hopkins work and provides a background that only enhances his success as a writer. Each of the poems in this book follow the story of young Lee Bennett Hopkins’ life. They are full of meaning and emotion, leaving a lasting impact on the reader. The book starts off with “Smile,” depicting the happy family of five having their picture made. The family packs and moves, and eventually Hopkins’ parents divorce, leaving his mother to care for him and his two younger siblings. The rhythm and rhyme is simple, but meaningful, creating a clear picture of the feelings Hopkins carried with him through his childhood, including the sadness he feels looking at his weary mother and missing his loving grandmother. The poems feel natural and are short enough to keep the reader’s attention while still creating a very vivid picture of Hopkins’ childhood. Even though the experiences in the poems may not be familiar to all readers, Hopkins does a wonderful job of using language and imagery that creates a realistic feeling. I kept returning to the “twenty-nine cent butter dish” from “Woolworth: Downtown Newark,” the gift Lee so greatly desired to give his mother. Every reader can relate to that feeling, desiring so greatly to make someone you love happy. Lee also learns about the power of words from his grandmother in “Clutching.” This book touches on multiple themes including racism, poverty, and death. Lee Bennett Hopkins is considered to be one of the prolific writers/editors and experts on poetry for children. This collection of poems by Hopkins himself is a powerful memoir. They are arranged in a way that tells the story of his childhood in an accessible, yet deeply personal way. Another feature of this book is the simple illustrations provided by Charlene Rendeiro that are used throughout the book. Hopkins also includes an index of all the poems at the end. Overall, this book is a wonderful memoir and collection of poems that tells the story of Lee Bennett Hopkins' childhood. As much as I enjoyed this title, the cover art is unappealing for young readers, as are the illustrations throughout. I understand the importance of Hopkins’ picture on the front, but it is just not enticing and does not match the wonderful, deep poems inside. If a reader can overlook that one small detail, a treasure of a memoir awaits, full of turmoil, heartbreak, and hope. Spotlight Poem JUST When everything seems to go along just fine Life comes by and throws you its line. This poem, on page 30, is very striking. Everyone can relate to this feeling and can draw on an experience that reflects this. It is short and simple, but the simplicity of the lines is not lost on the complexity of the feeling underneath. I would introduce this poem to students be reading it aloud. I would then give students a copy of the poem so they can see the simplicity of Hopkins’ lines. I would use this poem to discuss with students a time when life threw them a curveball. I would then read them the poem, “To,” found on page 62, where Hopkins ends his book by saying “To make this world a whole lot brighter, when I grow up I’ll be a writer.” Even when negative experiences happen to us, we can cling to our hopes and dreams. I would ask the students to reflect on positive ideas that can help them through times when they feel discouraged.
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Bibliography Koertge, Ron. 2001. The Brimstone Journals. Somerville, Massachusetts: Candlewick Press. ISBN 9780763617424 Review & Critical Analysis In The Brimstone Journals, Koertge uses the perspectives of fifteen different students from the Branston High School Class of 2001 to tell the story. Told in six parts, the story follows the students as they deal with family, relationships, finding their identity, and finding themselves. Branston High School, nicknamed “Brimstone” in reference to fire and brimstone (i.e. Hell), has its fair share of drama with this senior class. The poems are short and simple, the longest poem covering two pages and the shortest only one line. Koertge uses free verse to allow his characters to share their thoughts in a journal format. There is no formal organization to how the story is told. The poems jump from narrator to narrator at random. Each narrator does have a distinctive voice, and even though the poems are short, the background and feelings of the narrators comes through clearly. The narrators range from Boyd, the white supremacist neglected by his alcoholic father who is planning a school shooting to Meredith, the “easy” girl at school who sees college as her chance to start over to Tran, who is trying to live up to the expectations his Vietnamese immigrant parents have for him. Each of the fifteen narrators bring up thoughts and feelings that teenagers will easily relate to. The most striking part of this novel in verse is the controversial topic of school shootings. Boyd, one of the narrators, is planning a shooting throughout the book, creating a list of those he plans to kill, and recruiting other narrators to join him. This topic may be sensitive for younger readers, so the recommended audience for this title would definitely be high school. Even with such a sensitive topic in the background throughout the book, Koertge does a wonderful job of building tension and resolving the story in a satisfying way. As I mentioned before, the poems are laid out, journal style, and switch from character to character. Even though there are fifteen narrators, all of their stories blend together to create tension and it was interesting to see the different stories begin to intertwine as the story developed. Even though the arrangement is random, it is easy to follow once you begin reading. Koertge includes a list of the characters/narrators at the beginning of the book, which can be used as reference while reading. One caution I would make for readers, besides the topic of school shootings, is that the book contains a lot of cursing. As a high school librarian, this doesn’t surprise me, but it could cause some readers to be taken aback. I would make sure to assess the level of the student’s maturity before recommending this book. The Brimstone Journals was an entertaining and thought-provoking read. It provides insight into the inner workings of a teenager’s mind and allows the reader to easily immerse themselves into the story. It moves quickly and will keep the interest of high school age readers who can easily connect to the characters and will find the major topics and themes of the poems interesting and engaging. Spotlight Poem Tran In my religion, we believe in ghosts, people who cannot go on to paradise, but cannot be reborn either. Hungry ghosts have insatiable appetites and thirst nothing can satisfy. Buddhist hungry ghosts are ugly, with skinny necks and bloated stomachs. American ghosts are attractive but still insatiable: Damon longs for greater strength, Rob for more conquests, Neesha for revenge, Kelli for autonomy. Even Joseph, who seems so virtuous, craves recognition. And me? Haunted by my father’s memories, I am an anthology of ghosts. This poem, found on page 37, was one of my favorites for many reasons. I really liked the way Tran described the “ghosts” of his classmates and himself. It made me stop and think about what others see in us based on the way we act around them. I also appreciated that Tran summarized some of the key characteristics of the other narrators, even if it is just a handful of them. My favorite part of this poem is the last line “I am an anthology / of ghosts.” It is a great summarization of Tran’s character and the pressure he feels to live up to his father’s expectations. I would introduce this poem with students by first having them read it silently. I would then read it aloud and ask students what they thought Tran meant when he said “American ghosts are attractive / but still insatiable.” What does he mean when he says they are insatiable for those intangible things? What examples have they seen of the “ghosts” of these characters so far in the book? As a further reflection, students could write in their reflection journals about what “ghosts” they feel follow them. This would also be a great poem for our peer mentors to use when opening dialogue with new students. |
AuthoRMy name is Mrs. Scott and I'm a secondary Media Resource Specialist (librarian) in Texas. This blog was created as part of my graduate coursework at Texas Woman's University. All reviews and opinions are my own. Archives
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