The Rose That Grew From Concrete

Book Description

His talent was unbounded, a raw force that commanded attention and respect.

His death was tragic -- a violent homage to the power of his voice.

His legacy is indomitable -- remaining vibrant and alive.

Here now, newly discovered, are Tupac's most honest and intimate thoughts conveyed through the pure art of poetry -- a mirror into his enigmatic life and its many contradictions.

Written in his own hand at the age of nineteen, they embrace his spirit, his energy...and his ultimate message of hope.

Customer Reviews:

Alive In More Ways Than One!!!.......2007-10-11

Your Chance to Hear The Last Panther Speak

Through music and acting, Tupac will be with us always. But leaving something behind for remembrance is the reason so many poets capture their thoughts, so that their words will live long after they are gone. That is the case here and something he was able to for see captured in the poem, "In The Event Of My Demise." What I was most struck by is, so many of the poems in this book show a side of Tupac that wasn't his public persona. Making it a must for his true fans. He's philosophical, sensitive, at times angry but what perhaps a lot of us didn't see, loving and caring in a romantic way. I was struck by some of the things he chose to write about. Marilyn Monroe receives a very touching tribute relating to her rise and demise. Nelson Mandela's imprisonment, and later release and one he called, "Sometimes I Cry." Which ends with lines that we should all be able to relate to;

The world moves fast and it would rather pass u by
than 2 stop and c what makes u cry
It's painful and sad and sometimes I cry
and no one cares about why.

I've seen a few negative reviews here that seem to think this wasn't a great book, but I am looking at it perhaps from a different perspective... He wrote all this in a life span of 25 years... (19 years if I understand where these writings came from). And for me not only did I "Get" a lot of the things he was addressing, but it came across in a conversational tone. Not the first time, but the most recent time I read it. Which is another thing about poetry. Read it, walk away, read the same thing again, and you might see something completely different than what you saw initially. Some of his messages are straight forward, some are subtle but it is clear to me, with these earlier writings why he was able to eventually receive such world wide adoration. Some of what he wasn't really showing publicly must have been coming through in ways not readily visible to most initially. But that you will see in this revealing book of who Tupac really was.

A young heart with an old soul (A line from his poem), "In the Depths of Solitude"

He really felt he was two people as he refers to it in the same poem;

"This Duo within me causes
the perfect opportunity
2 learn and live twice as fast
as those who accept simplicity"

Highly recommend, both for content and a deeper glimpse into the man he was and the legend he managed to become.

WOW!!! WOW!!!.......2007-05-31

"The Rose That Grew From Concrete" by Tupac Shakur is simply a superb book. This book of poetry gave an insight to the intelligence and understanding that the late Tupac Shakur possessed. Most people who did not follow his music or know anything about him in general, like myself, would not think that Tupac Shakur would actually sit and write poetry that is meaningful or write about what is included in the world or in the government. But I was so wrong to think that way when I did not even know the man. This just goes to show that people should never under estimate others. "The Rose That Grew From Concrete" had me wanting more each and every time I turned a page. This book covers many subjects that will have an effect on you from the beginning to the end. I strongly recommend this book for others to read, because you will most definitely learn a thing or two from "The Rose That Grew From Concrete" by Tupac Shakur. I would give this book 10 stars* if I could. Again, "The Rose That Grew From Concrete" is magnificent.

Tupac is alive.......2007-05-09

Tupac's book of poems is important in considering his life. My favorite poem is "a rose that grew out of concrete". Why, you may ask? Well, I'll tell you...it has a great metaphor about a rose and the way it is able to grow and flourish even in the worst conditions. The concrete represents Pac's experience in jail and regardless of being in jail he was able to grow as a poet. I highly recommend this book because I think especially young people growing up the way he did will be able to see the life lessons and morals he has to teach.

Beautiful Poetry.......2007-03-19

This book is so inspiring. I bought this book about 3 years ago and I read it at least once a month it's that good! I even got a tattoo that says "The rose that grew from concrete'. Definitely check this one out!!

Great condition.......2007-01-13

I bought this as a gift. It was brand new and my friend loved the book. Would definitely do business with this seller.

Phenomenal Woman: Four Poems Celebrating Women

Average customer rating:

a jewel
Be Your Own Woman!!
Uplifting Book for Women
Great as a gift or for yourself
The soothing sounds of Maya

Phenomenal Woman: Four Poems Celebrating Women
Maya Angelou
Manufacturer: Random House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Poetry | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

The Complete Collected Poems of Maya Angelou
The Heart of a Woman (Oprah's Book Club)
Wouldn't Take Nothing for My Journey Now
And Still I Rise: A Selection of Poems Read by the Author
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

ASIN: 0679439242
Release Date: 1995-01-17

Book Description

Maya Angelou, the bestselling author of On the Pulse of Morning, Wouldn't Take Nothing for My Journey Now, and other lavishly praised works, is considered one of America's finest poets. Here, four of her most highly acclaimed poems are assembled in a beautiful gift edition that provides a feast for the eyes as well as the heart. (Poetry)

Customer Reviews:

a jewel.......2007-06-17

Maya angelou is a jewel. Her poems rich deep inside your spirit. My daughter really enjoys these tapes.

Be Your Own Woman!!.......2006-02-17

Whether you are tall, thin, heavy, young, old, beautiful, ugly; we are all our own phenomenal woman!!!! Each of us has our own power within ourselves to shine and be our own wonderful person. Maya Angelou's own life, reaches within and brings us to this point with her words.

Uplifting Book for Women.......2005-08-22

I heard Oprah recite the title poem at her workshop and had to have it. It is a great little book and would make a nice gift for a 'phenomenal woman'

Great as a gift or for yourself.......2004-11-03

What a wonderful collection of poems celebrating women. This book of four very soulful, strong, empowering poems has quickly become a favorite. I would recommend this book as a gift for any woman. Or better yet, buy it for yourself - you won't regret it!

The soothing sounds of Maya.......2001-11-06

I just wanted to let Miss Angelou know that I really enjoy her books, all of them. But Phenomenal Woman is very important poem to me because it describes what my mother and grandmother are to me and my family and hopeflly one day I will learn to be a phenomenal woman.

God's Trombones: Seven Negro Sermons in Verse (Penguin Twentieth-Century Classics)

Average customer rating:

Just Wonderful
Historical Preservation - Community Backbone
God's Trombones: Poems That Galvanize the Soul
Unfamiliar Harmony
A Priceless Cultural Artifact

God's Trombones: Seven Negro Sermons in Verse (Penguin Twentieth-Century Classics)
James Weldon Johnson
Manufacturer: Penguin Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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God's Trombones
The Books of the American Negro Spirituals
The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man (Dover Thrift Editions)
Complete Poems (Penguin Twentieth-Century Classics)
Along This Way: The Autobiography of James Weldon Johnson

ASIN: 0140184031

Customer Reviews:

Just Wonderful.......2007-07-13

My dad teaches Sunday School and was looking for this book to incorporate into his lesson plans. I found it here at Amazon and fell in love with this book. Absolutely wonderful to read and very profound. Exceptional!

Historical Preservation - Community Backbone.......2007-06-10

The title says it all: "Trombones" represents the preservation of the history of the community backbone of prayer, persistence, and strength. The poetry gives some insight to the suffering of the elders, and speaks to the continuing fight for the full parity of the AfricanAmerican community in a country that was literally built upon the bleeding, sweaty backs of my ancestors.

Amazon is to be commended for participating in this historical preservation of a works that I would recommend as mandatory reading for generations to come - regardless of religion, gender, or color.

God's Trombones: Poems That Galvanize the Soul.......2007-04-25

My soul is galvanized everytime I hear or read James Weldon Johnson's God's Trombones. I have directed student perfomances of this deeply moving African American text. "The Crucifixion," for example, tells the story of how Jesus Christ, my Lord, my Savior,my Friend, suffered death on an old cross so that I might have an opportunity to be more sensitive to the hurting. The "Prodigal Son" urges me to experience and, thus understand, that I must live with a redemptive consiousness. And, of course, I am compelled to understand, through the poem "Go Down Death" this reality: God does call His children home. Those who have suffered "long in the vineyard" are deserving of rest. For sure, God's Trombones is a poetic tribute to an experience that is Christian and African American. I thank James Welson Johnson for creating this poetic masterpiece. Let's continue to read it; let's perform it. Let's live within the context of the spirituality of the voice. Amen!

Unfamiliar Harmony.......2007-03-15

While James Weldon Johnson's theology is not always orthodox ("God thought and thought" - who could put a new thought in God's mind? unless it was God and, then, God would not be God - this insight compliments of E.V. Hill in his sermon "When Was God At His Best?"), JWJ's poetry and, especially, his Preface displays the harmonious beauty of a long tradition of African American preaching not generally known or appreciated outside of African American circles. If one really wants to become familiar with and, indeed, edified by the godly reaching of E.V. Hill (now deceased), Fred Luter, Tony Evans, Robert Smith and a host of unknowns who preach with substance and, sometimes, in the "whoop"ing style, then, Weldon's book is a must read. May Christianity never lose what God has brought forth in a substantial style which stirs heart, mind and soul.

A Priceless Cultural Artifact.......2007-02-28

When I was a youngster, we all knew of these poems. "The Creation" was, in fact, a standard part of the 10th-grade English curriculum and was one of the most often selected pieces for what was then called "dramatic recitation." (This was in Oklahoma, Alabama and South Carolina in the late 1950's and early 1960's.)

Now I cannot find anyone much under the age of 50 who has ever heard of them. This is but one of a great many tragic cultural losses of our time.

The poems evoke those trombone-like voices of Black preachers ringing with their simple themes, imaginative colorations, and powerful deliveries contrasting the pain of mortal life with the glory and joy of the eternal one. With their plaints and affirmations, their truths and contradictions, they embody a crucial aspect of the American heritage.

Moving? "Powerful" hardly expresses it. When I first acquired the book, I read to my wife the poem, "Go Down Death -- A Funeral Sermon." We were in the car on the way home from the bookstore. We had to stop at the mall for her to make a purchase, and she had to wait in the car while she dried her eyes before going in.

These poems cannot be allowed to be forgotten. They just cannot.

Average customer rating:

Our finest American poet finally properly and comprehensively collected, with corrected chronology and annotations
This guy blows me out of the water
poetry that is food for the soul......
An American Poet
Langston Hughes defies categories

The Collected Poems of Langston Hughes
Langston Hughes
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Poetry | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

The Short Stories of Langston Hughes
The Complete Collected Poems of Maya Angelou
The Ways of White Folks: Stories
The Big Sea: An Autobiography (American Century Series)
Poetry for Young People: Langston Hughes (Poetry For Young People)

ASIN: 0679764089
Release Date: 1995-10-31

Book Description

"The ultimate book for both the dabbler and serious scholar--. [Hughes] is sumptuous and sharp, playful and sparse, grounded in an earthy music--. This book is a glorious revelation."--Boston Globe

Spanning five decades and comprising 868 poems (nearly 300 of which have never before appeared in book form), this magnificent volume is the definitive sampling of a writer who has been called the poet laureate of African America--and perhaps our greatest popular poet since Walt Whitman. Here, for the first time, are all the poems that Langston Hughes published during his lifetime, arranged in the general order in which he wrote them and annotated by Arnold Rampersad and David Roessel.

Alongside such famous works as "The Negro Speaks of Rivers" and Montage of a Dream Deferred, The Collected Poems includes the author's lesser-known verse for children; topical poems distributed through the Associated Negro Press; and poems such as "Goodbye Christ" that were once suppressed. Lyrical and pungent, passionate and polemical, the result is a treasure of a book, the essential collection of a poet whose words have entered our common language.

Customer Reviews:

Our finest American poet finally properly and comprehensively collected, with corrected chronology and annotations.......2007-07-24

More than the exiled Eliott, greater than Walt Whitman, consistently clearer than Ginsberg, more powerful than Pound, freer than Frost, more American than Wallace Stevens, moreso even than the mighty Merton, here at long last is our greatest American poet receiving over-due respect.

A thick tome I purchased for my English learners which will instead fill my bed and my head for many cold and lonesome months ahead. Like the collected Poe, the collected Giovanni, an essential element to any American literature shelf, here for the first time meticulously researched and reported, with promise for more should any further works emerge. This is our American voice, clear and strong. This is the consummate volume of this great American poet, the one who wrote:

"( . . .) I've known rivers, ancient dusky rivers.

My soul has grown deep like the rivers."

May we once more grow deep with him, and by him. Read him, once more, here, complete and correct. Read him, and recall our America. Read him.

This guy blows me out of the water.......2007-06-18

I prefer his earlier stuff but there are poems in this book that make the entire thing worth it. Nude Young Dancer, Minstrel Song and countless others made me want to weep and smile. What can I say, I felt this guys pain...

poetry that is food for the soul.............2007-05-04

If you haven't heard of Langston Hughes, I suggest that you purchase this, THE COLLECTED POEMS OF LANGSTON HUGHES, as an introduction to his style. Hughes was part of the definitive Harlem Renaissance Movement of the 1920s through the late 1940s, that was a very important period of time for African-Americans in the United States. For the first time, their voices were really being heard [and recognized] in the genres of music, writing, and sculpture, in this country.

This book is an amazing collection of five decades of his most powerful, intelligent and sensitive works. The poems start in 1921 through 1967. There are also several poems, written for children, that I didn't even realize Langston had penned! So beautiful and unexpected. What's more, one of his most well-known poems is featured, here, "What Happens to a Dream Deferred." Langston Hughes' views of race, society and social issues are truly timeless and compelling. For me, reading his works is like listening to a quiet, constant patter of rain on the rooftop, gradually growing with intensity, until the raindrops start flowing like teardrops from the great sky. That is how Hughes uses language. Essentially, he derives his beautiful rhythmic poetic language from an infinite river of words, he then pours them over on another and tells stories. This is truly the book to add to your poetry collection.

An American Poet.......2007-01-17

I picked this up the other day because I had money to burn on a gift card and I was curious. I have always loved his (most anthologized) poem, "Harlem", otherwise referred to as "A Dream Deferred". In his writing, he clearly expresses the sturggles of African Americans in the first half of the Twentieth Century in America. He reminds us of the many valuable contributions of African Americans to our society and culture. He reminds us of veterans who fought for freedoms that would never be extended to them. He writes of a noble and courageous people.

There may be a smattering of bitterness here and there, but his primary message seems to be peace and love of humankind. Equally powerful as his message, is the poetry itself. It gives the illusion of simplicity and begs to be read aloud. Some of it is breathtaking, none of it is boring or insignificant. If you like poetry at all, Hughes is extremely accessible most of the time. His words will help restore one's faith in humanity. This book demonstrates the importance and relevance of poetry in its ability to communicate matters of the heart and soul. This may be the best book of poetry I own I have found it to be highly inspiraitonal. Just get this book, okay?

Langston Hughes defies categories.......2006-07-29

These collected poems of Langston Hughes paint a full-bodied portrait of that amazing artist. From his simple, blues-inspired, folk refrains to his epic poems on African, American, and African-American identity, Hughes defies simple categorization.

This book is required reading for anyone who loves America, hip-hop or poetry. Because it's so readable, you can keep going back time and time again.

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Inside the heart of Tupac Amaru Shakur
A crucial historical document.
We LOVE you TUPAC!
Greatest Book In The World
Inside a Thugs Heart

Inside A Thug's Heart
Angela Ardis
Manufacturer: Kensington
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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The Rose That Grew From Concrete
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Tupac: Resurrection

ASIN: 0758207891

Customer Reviews:

Inside the heart of Tupac Amaru Shakur.......2007-04-13

Tupac Shakur was shot again on September 7th, 1996, but instead of recovering from his injuries this time, a week latter he died. In this book, "inside A Thug's Heart with original poems and letters by Tupac Shakur" you will explore the emotions, thoughts, feelings, and out looks Tupac has for Angela Ardis or `Ms. Lovely' as he calls her. When at work one late night, Angela and he co-workers are playing around. One of the co-workers asked, " If you could have a `ruffneck' who would it be?" Angela says she would pick Tupac. Everyone laughs at her choice; for at the time he was in jail and everyone also thought he was no good. So a bet was made that she couldn't get in touch with him. Well it just so happens she did. She sent him a letter that stood out from the rest, one that smelled and looked nice. Inside the letter she gave him her number so he would be able to call and a picture so he would know what she looked like. With in one day he replied to with a phone call and soon followed by a letter. Now they're writing to each other. In Tupac's letters he expresses himself in so many ways you never hear the media talk about before. He is forward and honest, plus he wrote wonderful poems. What you read in this book you would never expected from Tupac. You think by the way he raps and acts on T.V. and/or magazines is the way he acts 24-7, but its not. There's another side to him. In fact there are seven as he explains in one of his letters.

My favorite part of the book is each and every time you get to read his letters and poems. It's my favorite part because I get to see the other side of idol. I get to know more about Tupac then what the media portrays. Also get its my favorite part because when I was reading his poems and letters I could feel what was getting at. You get to take a look into a real thug's heart. To show you what mean, below is one of my favorite poems written by him called " 4 those nights when u r alone".

U ever share your love with a stranger
Only To realize he was a long lost friend?
Ever Talk 2 A Man like u talk with a woman
And share what you can't with other men?

Can u picture your love being given
2 A criminal stuck in this hell
Can u promise 2 hold off from Judging him
Until the day when you know him well

Can u close your eyes and imagine
If everything went Right
The power of passion finally possessed
After all those sleepless nights

I bet you think I'm gaming you
Just like all the men in your past
Cuz' all of them promised u heaven on Earth
But none of them seem 2 last

After All, What can I offer u?
Besides lonely nights & sweet words
Promises of pleasures 2 come
And lines you've already heard

All I, can say is have faith in me
And in Time maybe you'll come 2 c
The definition and true meaning
Of friendship can be discovered in me

In my opinion this book is one of my all-time favorites and I would most recommend it. I recommend it mostly to Tupac fans because you get to see that there is more to him then what you hear from the media. Also because when you read it, you feel as though you where there when it was written. So if your looking for a good book to read I would recommend you read this one.

A crucial historical document........2006-01-06

I feel blessed that we are able to have access to these letters between Ardis and the late Tupac A. Shakur, and I thank Afeni Shakur (the executor of her son's estate) for allowing Ms. Ardis to publish this correspondence.

Some folks will question the motivation behind releasing these letters, an understandable criticism in this age of vapid kiss-and-tell celebrity culture. What does Ardis stand to gain from this? Is she exploiting her relationship with Shakur solely for personal gain? Fair questions yes, but in light of the fact that Shakur is no longer with us, the only connections that we have to him are through the artifacts that he left behind: his music, films, and personal documents. Collecting and preserving these artifacts is important for understanding the context of Shakur's life, his profession, and the society that he lived in.

The historical significance of this correspondence between Ardis and Shakur cannot be overstated. Here, we are exposed to Tupac Shakur as a human being, away from the exploitive glare of the media spotlight, during what was perhaps the most difficult time of his life, when he was imprisoned in upstate New York for sexual abuse. Confined in a place where he had only himself and his thoughts, he is compelled to reach out to a fan who decided to send a letter to him on a dare. For those of us who think we know all there is to Mr. Shakur, the intimacy and vulnerability displayed in his letters to Ardis is a real eye-opener.

Readers see multiple sides of Pac: friendly, inquisitive, erotic, humorous, frustrated, angry, depressed, reflective, obstinate, and self-critical. He reveals himself to be what astute observers knew all along: a deeply intelligent, spiritual, and complex human being. His uninhibited communication style allows the dialogue between him and Ardis to develop fully, and these two strangers share passions and secrets that most people would conceal from close loved ones. From reading this book, I gained tremendous insight into this person who is no longer with us.

My one criticism of the book is the title. Obviously the publishers saw the marketing potential of the "thug's heart" reference, being that Shakur's public image is defined by this term. However, I do not nor have I ever believed that Tupac Amaru Shakur was a thug. This word was thrown around by Shakur, his record company, his fans, his detractors, and the media as both a term of praise and an epithet. It's loaded with so many contradictions, namely racism and hypermasculinity, and it's a label that too many young Black men are saddled with, for whatever reason. The fact that Shakur was a Black man killed in his youth makes calling him a "thug" even more egregious.

More than just a kiss-and-tell memoir, "Inside a Thug's Heart" is a strongly recommended resource for any serious student of hip-hop and American cultural history.

We LOVE you TUPAC!.......2005-12-20

I would like to thank Angela for allowing us (the readers) inside the intimate relationship that she shared with Tupac. With each letter I felt the sincerity of Tupac's words. Even though many reviewers felt she got played, I didn't feel that AT ALL! He was honest and upfront with her. Initially, she didn't set out to fall for him. BUT, who can blame her?? I was mushy after reading every letter. So many WISH they could have shared a little piece of Pac. Angela had more than a little piece of him... she had his mind. Who cares if it was temporary?

Angela, thank you sooo much for sharing.

Greatest Book In The World.......2005-10-27

This is one of the best books I've ever read in my life. Tupac is just one of the best artist. His life is so amazing. I am like In love with him!!!!! I love reading all his books and all the review's because they all speak the truth, they always have the best review's , well duh it's the best book to read!!!!!! I'm 1 in a million 14 year old girls that love him.

Inside a Thugs Heart.......2005-09-24

I agree with most of the other people that commented on this book, Angela was definitely played. I think the book would have been much better without all of her comments (fantasies.) It was nice to see another side of Tu Pac through his letters to her.

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Beauty from Horror.
A Poet for all people!!!
Hughes is Pure
He, too, sang America
Dreams Deferred

Selected Poems of Langston Hughes
Langston Hughes
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The Collected Poems of Langston Hughes

ASIN: 067972818X
Release Date: 1990-09-12

Book Description

With the publication of his first book of poems, The Weary Blues, in 1926, Langston Hughes electrified readers and launched a renaissance in black writing in America. The poems Hughes wrote celebrated the experience of invisible men and women: of slaves who "rushed the boots of Washington"; of musicians on Lenox Avenue; of the poor and the lovesick; of losers in "the raffle of night." They conveyed that experience in a voice that blended the spoken with the sung, that turned poetic lines into the phrases of jazz and blues, and that ripped through the curtain separating high from popular culture. They spanned the range from the lyric to the polemic, ringing out "wonder and pain and terror-- and the marrow of the bone of life."

The poems in this collection were chosen by Hughes himself shortly before his death in 1967 and represent work from his entire career, including "The Negro Speaks of Rivers," "The Weary Blues," "Still Here," "Song for a Dark Girl," "Montage of a Dream Deferred," and "Refugee in America." It gives us a poet of extraordinary range, directness, and stylistic virtuosity.

Customer Reviews:

Beauty from Horror........2007-06-30

Langston Hughes' poems makes my knees knock. There is a little thrill with each poem, like I'm landing in a vat of buttermilk, and splashing happily about. With the subject matters he dares tackle one would think it'd be more realistic to walk away from a deluge of his work in deep depression.

Not so.

Instead I walked away with a dreamy smile and knocking knees. His ability to cull the beauty from the horror is...is...is

I'm wordless.

A Poet for all people!!!.......2005-11-23

The SELECTED POEMS of LANGSTON HUGHE by Langston Hughes is exactly what is implied by the title. Absent from these "selected poems" are the more radical and controversial poems written by Hughes in the 1930s. After Hughes was forced to testify before the anti-Communist committee to defend himself, he shied away from the radicalism that so entranced him and other Afro Americans who saw socialism as an better alternative to Jim Crow.

In this selection of his poetry, there is no chronological order to the poems. Rather, they are divided into sections representing a specific theme. Here, Hughes was trying (?) to imitate Walt Whitman in arrangement. "Afro-American Fragments," "Feet of Jesus," "Shadow of the Blues," "Sea and Land," absent is the poem written for the Jamaican sailor Ferdinand Smith, SAILOR ASHORE, "Distance Nowhere," "After Hours," "Life is Fine," "Lament over Love," "Magnolia Flowers," "Name in Uphill Letter," "Madam to You," "Montage of a Dream Deferred," and "Words Like Freedom."

The last section of poems reveal Hughes as a patriot which he actually was in life. Hughes believed in idea of the real USA and what the nation could be without prejudice. The poems I,TOO, DEMOCRACY, AFRICA, CONSIDER ME, REFUGEE IN AMERICA, FREEDOM TRAIN, THE NEGRO MOTHER and so on in this section are indicative of a patriotism despite injustices.

For those interested in a more comprehensive ouvre of Hughes poetry, I strongly recommend the COLLECTED POETRY OF LANGSTON HUGHES edited by Arnold Rampersad and associate editor David Roessel. It contains the most up to date work by Hughes and "all" his "known and published" poems. I purposely emphasized "known and published" because according to some academics there is said to exist unpublished poems of Hughes written to a black male lover that has yet to surface.

Langston Hughes is the poet of black America. His work captures the aspirations, hope, joy, tragedy, anger, and pride of many blacks past and present. But, he is also a poet for the working class man, black and of any race. There is a reason his poems have been translated into many languages and continue to inspire. The other reviews here capture some the essential essence of Hughes spirit.

Hughes is Pure.......2003-03-19

I had read several Hughes poems before buying this book, but I will admit that I had no grasp on the extent of his talent. These vivid poems were chosen by Hughes personally before his death in 1967.

They do so well to paint a picture of the time he lived -- of the blues, of love, of passion, of choices. He writes about faith and protest in a way that will move you.

I have read all of the poems exactly as they are placed in the book several times. I think I keep going back to them because this is poetry free of pretense -- it is grounded in reality and in sorrow.

Independent of age, of your ethnicity, and of your literary grasp, you will enjoy these poems. Simple and superb -- read them out loud.

He, too, sang America.......2001-10-15

"Selected Poems of Langston Hughes" is a rich selection from several decades of this poet's work. Hughes (1902-1967) is a poet of many moods and voices. His work is at times mournful, humorous, sensuous, or ironic. Many poems capture the rhythms of African-American vernacular speech. A number of narrative poems tell stories of Black life, and a number of his best poems feature female speakers. He also writes poems of social protest that deal with the anti-Black violence that has plagued the United States for so much of its history.

The poems in this book are divided into several sections. One of my favorite such sections, "Feet of Jesus," contains poems which evoke the prayers, preaching, and religious songs of African-American churches. "Madam to You" contains a number of poems in which Alberta K. Johnson tells her story. A strong-willed entrepreneur who often challenges authority figures, "Madam" is one of the most delightful characters in African-American literature.

The other sections of the book contain many of Hughes' most memorable poems: the sensuous "Midnight Dancer" ("Lips / Sweet as purple dew"), "Mother to Son" ("Life for me ain't been no crystal stair"), "Theme for English B" ("I am the only colored student in my class"), and "I, Too" ("I, too, sing America. / I am the darker brother").

The lines I quoted from "I, Too" may call to mind Walt Whitman's great American poem "Leaves of Grass." Indeed, I consider Hughes to be one of the great 20th century poetic heirs of Whitman, and "Selected Poems" is a magnificent testament to Hughes' passion and vision.

Dreams Deferred.......2001-07-16

Langston Hughes wrote poetry of exquisite pain and beauty throughout his life. His poetry can be sparse and rhythmic. It evinces visions of cities, the south, churches and deep muddy rivers.

Hughes touches on every subject important to life in 20th century America: family, friends, race, religion,love, music, prejudice and poverty. Each poem sparingly provides an image in words. Together these poems represent the great work of a true artist of the American Poetry.

One of his most popular and poignant poems is Harlem. It contains such beauty in his phrase - "a dream deferred" and such power in his words or does it explode?

Book Description

The poet's journey begins in the heart. Here is a memoir from a poet that reminds us to pursue writing as much as love.

Moving beyond the loss of both his father and brother, E. Ethelbert Miller tells the story of how love survived in his family. When Miller was about ten years old, his father told him how he could have left his mother. Years later, now a writer and a father, Miller looks back on that simple remark and how it shaped him. In Fathering Words, Miller explores his development as an African American writer, the responsibility of his chosen career, and his ambitions to raise the consciousness of black people. Gradually, Miller comes to see that when his father told him he could have left his mother that he was attempting to raise his consciousness. In his own way, his father was warning Miller not to take things for granted, that one's own world could easily and quickly change. And in his quiet way that he loved him.

Miller's poetry often relies on the voices of women. Here in Fathering Words, Miller has chosen to write his memoir in two voices. He places his sister's voice on the page next to his own. The result is a wonderful duet that tells two stories woven together into one.

Fathering Words is Miller's moving tribute and a powerful memoir.

Customer Reviews:

Fathering Grief and Discovering Love.......2003-03-25

Fathering Words portrays the grief and loss one man feels when his father and brother suddenly die within two years of each other. Their deaths cause Miller to recall how seldom he and his father spoke, and yet, he always knows his father loves the family. That singular way one person cares for and remembers another is at the spiritual core of this book. What does a son inherit from the men in his family when there are few conversations? Miller compares his life and his dreams to that of his older brother, and maps out the goals for his own future as he marries, has his own children, and embarks on his career as a poet. He punctuates the story with the gracious voice of his older sister, Marie, as he imagines how the family might have looked to her. Marie carries the secrets and stories that filter down to the younger son as rumors and tales. She becomes a source of information and verification of the family history. Using a network of subtle references to religion, classical and jazz music, basketball and baseball, as well as motifs from literary works, Miller provides a number of avenues by which a broad spectrum of readers will be able to enter and inhabit his poignant text.

For those who want to write about their own lives, the book provides a model for creating scenes in small vignettes that become interconnected by the end of the chapter, as opposed to providing a direct narrative path from the beginning of a life to the present. For writers who aspire to become published, and perhaps even famous, Miller chronicles the encounters he has with a number of writers, revealing the history of African American literature in the past thirty years.

I teach Fathering Words in a senior-level college course on autobiography at the University of Southern Indiana. ...

Fathering Grief and Discovering Love.......2003-03-25

I teach Fathering Words in a senior-level college course on autobiography at the University of Southern Indiana. Readers who want more information about the author might start with his website ....

A gift from heaven.......2002-06-18

If I had received this book five years ago, it would have saved me five years of pain and confusion. Fathering Words is the tangible witness of a man's journey into and through his writing life. Unlike many writing memoirs, it is not a how to, or even a how, but a detatched narrative of his life as a poet. He is eerily objective about the mistakes and choices he has made, and uses occasional passages from his sister to broaden the view he gives the reader.

I learned more about the writing process, more about the yearning that true writers feel, and more about the lack of understanding that non-artists have about the whys and wherefores. If you know an African-American man who yearns to "father words", buying this book for him will be the best show of support you can give him.

Remarkable.......2001-06-04

Fathering Words is a deeply moving memoir. Ethelbert Miller's description of his father will remain with the reader for a very long time. His decision to write the book using both his and his sister's voice is unique and it works.It's definitely a keeper.

Poetic Fathering.......2000-11-01

This book is so beautifully written, so touchingly direct that I called Howard University to search out the author and tell him what a compelling book he had written. Anyone who is a father, about to be a father or contemplating being a father (whether African-American or not) will find this book touching in what it says about the frequently mute love between fathers and their sons. African-Americans families are often love mutes like Mr. Miller's-- too busy working, too focused on the quotidien to express love outside provision of food and shelter. Out of such silent, seemingly fallow ground, E. Ethelbert Miller heaps up words of love and power, fathering not only his own father, but his whole family in some of the most poetic prose you will ever read.

The Big Sea: An Autobiography (American Century Series)

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"Sometimes life is a ripe fruit too delicious for the taste of man."
Must read
The journies of a Hero
Great!!!!
A wonderful memoir

The Big Sea: An Autobiography (American Century Series)
Langston Hughes
Manufacturer: Hill and Wang
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0809015498

Book Description

Introduction by Arnold Rampersad.

Langston Hughes, born in 1902, came of age early in the 1920s. In The Big Sea he recounts those memorable years in the two great playgrounds of the decade--Harlem and Paris. In Paris he was a cook and waiter in nightclubs. He knew the musicians and dancers, the drunks and dope fiends. In Harlem he was a rising young poet--at the center of the "Harlem Renaissance."

Arnold Rampersad writes in his incisive new introduction to The Big Sea, an American classic: "This is American writing at its best--simpler than Hemingway; as simple and direct as that of another Missouri-born writer...Mark Twain."

Customer Reviews:

"Sometimes life is a ripe fruit too delicious for the taste of man.".......2007-09-30

Published when Hughes was 38, the subject of The Big Sea is the period of his life from 1902-1939. It covers a wide variety of episodes in Hughes' life, with key elements being his travels as a youth, his relationship to his father, and the Harlem Renaissance.

I knew his poetry, of course, from all those years as an English major. I have not had the occasion to read any of his prose, and decided to pick this up after reading the collected works of Nella Larsen.

There was a lot to engage with in The Big Sea. I particularly liked Hughes' description of the Harlem Renaissance. His tone when he talked about it was affectionate and wistful, but still acknowledged the limitations that it had as a lasting solution. There were many great stories ("never hit a woman") and fascinating details-- reproductions of the whist party invitations, for example.

I also really was interested in the way that Hughes discusses his father and the issue of the race. His father left the US (first to Cuba, then to Mexico) in order to avoid race prejudice. His father had nothing but scorn for people of color who stayed in the US and subjected themselves to the inevitabilities of race and class limitations. The anger that this self-imposed exile cost him comes out in his dealings with his son and the way in which he engages with the world around him.

At points, it is as though Hughes is meditating on all the different ways that people around him (including him) have used to address the race problem. It is not the most uplifting of sketches, since none of the various paths seem (according to Hughes) to be a good or lasting solution.

Well-written, interesting, and with many pointers to further reading.

Must read.......2007-05-12

I read this as an assignment in college and found it wonderfully painful in its realism and truth. A must read for every American, regardless of what ethic origin.

The journies of a Hero.......2006-07-17

"On a radio show, he (Hughes) defended the right of trumpeter Louis Armstrong, who had long faced the white world with a broad grin, to vent his racial anger."

Like Armstrong, Hughes also faced the same world with his broad smile. Throughout the BIG SEA and I WONDER AS I WANDER, there in the texts of both autobiographies is the ever smiling Hughes. Other than the people he met and the foreign lands he visited---all making for great and entertaining reading--- very little is revealed about the man he was. His larger than life personae masked a man who was only 5'4 in stature, closeted gay
because being open would have meant a short career and ostracism, especially in the African American community who was a refuge from a racially hostile world and who Hughes loved with an unmatched passion back in his day, and, according to the late Gwendolyn Brooks who had known Hughes since the age of 16 wrote in a New York Times article that when Hughes was subjected to offense and icy treatment because of his race, he was capable of jagged anger - and vengeance, instant or retroactive. She has letters from him that reveal he could respond with real rage when he felt he was treated cruelly by other people.

Both autobiographies do a great job at documenting the world in Hughes' day. The most fascinating thing about the first book of his life is the Harlem Renaissance and the people who moved in it during its illustrious height. Till this day, the BIG SEA provides one of the best sources of this important period in American culture. Few people realized that if not for best friend Arna Bomtemps the autobiography may have never been written. Bontemps encouraged Hughes to write the book. Up to that time, few blacks, especially black males, had seen and done what Hughes managed to do. Plus, the book challenged stereotypes about black America in general. The challenge he had in writing the book was how to write for two audiences, white and black. Characteristically, Hughes did not pander to the white audience, "I do not hate `all' white people," nor did he distance himself from and sacrifice the racial pride his grandmother taught him to have for his people, who he primarily wrote for. In the second autobiography, Hughes is on the road again and much more time is given to his travels, especially in the then Soviet Union. Absent are his communist sympathies. Like many blacks of the day, socialism was preferable to segregation. Blatant is the unspoken critique that in the absence of capitalism, everyone man is "equal." As far as romance is concerned, scholars have noted Hughes'rather perfunctory and insincere rendezvous with the very few woman he talks about in these autobiographies. Quite understandably, Hughes attempts to pass himself off as having all the accoutrements of straight men. His situation with the over zealous Russian woman who he does not portray favorably in I WONDER AS I WANDER is interesting. She is portrayed as the Duboisian woman whose association with black men destroys them. Plus, Hughes did not favor interracial marriage so it is peculiar that he proffered the idea in the text of bring the Russian woman home as a wife as she wanted.

The above quote was from Volume 2 of Arnold Rampersad's biography of Hughes. What made Hughes' defense of Armstrong so intriguing is that Hughes also reveals much about himself and what lied behind the mask he wore. The readers of the BIG SEA and I WONDER AS I WANDER will not see the man behind the mask. They are largely presented surface, a fleeting glimpse of Hughes here and there. A scholar said to really understand Hughes, one must read Rampersad's two biographies. This scholar was partially right. But, don't dismiss these autobiographies! They are worth the read and are a enjoyable read. Time and interest permitting, do read LANGSTON HUGHES Vols. 1 and 2 by Rampersad for balance also read Faith Berry's LANGSTON HUGHES: BEFORE AND BEYOND HARLEM. Reading these latter biographies with the two autobiographies by Hughes, one will be presented the man Langston Hughes was: proudly African American, gay, brave, smart, ambitious, often very angry, and often lonely.

Hughes doesn't reveal much of himself, but his autobiographies are still 5 star ratings because like his work they continue to inspire and for everyone, especially young blacks in the inner city, let them know that they can overcome any obstacle in life so long as the desire and determination is there.

Great!!!!.......2005-09-27

Even though my book got lost in the mail, I was still able to get my money back. Thank you very much. I hope I have the chance to buy another book from you.

A wonderful memoir.......2003-12-04

Langston Hughes was a wonderful poet and story teller so it is not surprising that his autobiography/memoir is a joy to read. He tells the story of his life by giving us delightful episodes that each read like short stories. Each chapter has the structure of a short story with a beginning, a middle, and an end. Along the way, the reader has to be amazed at the texture and breadth of his life adventures. He lives for a short time in Mexico with his father, in several cities with his mother and other relatives, and then his wonderful sea going adventures in Europe, Africa, and also his stay in Paris. The reader also gets a first hand glimpse of what it was like to be "Negro" in America as well as in other places in the world. The writing is bright and energetic and the book is very difficult to put down. I highly recommend it to anyone who might be thinking about writing an autobiography or memoir.

Discrepant Engagement: Dissonance, Cross-Culturality, and Experimental Writing (Modern & Contemporary Poetics)

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Discrepant Engagement: Dissonance, Cross-Culturality, and Experimental Writing (Modern & Contemporary Poetics)
Nathaniel Mackey
Manufacturer: University Alabama Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0817310320

Book Description

Discrepant Engagement addresses work by a number of authors not normally grouped under a common rubric--black writers from the United States and the Caribbean and the so-called Black Mountain poets. Nathaniel Mackey examines the ways in which the experimental aspects of their work advance a critique of the assumptions underlying conventional perceptions and practice. Arguing that the work of these writers engages the discrepancy between presumed norms and qualities of experience such norms fail to accommodate, Mackey highlights their valorization of dissonance, divergence and formal disruption. He advances a cross-cultural mix that is uncommon in studies of experimental writing, frequently bringing the works and ideas of the authors it addresses into dialogue and juxtaposition with one another, insisting that parallels, counterpoint and relevance to one another exist among writers otherwise separated by ethnic and regional boundaries.

Average customer rating:

Unbelievable.
no vice in owning this book...
Vice with Virtue
political, entertaining, brilliant
winner of the 1999 national book award

Vice: New and Selected Poems
Ai
Manufacturer: W. W. Norton & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0393320189

Amazon.com

You know the age-old question: Suppose you could handpick a cast of living or dead characters and have them all to dinner. Who would you ask? In this searing collection, Ai does the difficult work of choosing for us. She invites a whole host of often less-than-presentable guests, including presidents ("I have a deep affection for my wife, / but also for sweet, big-haired girls... who never complain of tired jaws"), paparazzi ("I am there for you, / a friend, not an enemy, / stalkerazzi, or a tabloid Nazi"), and prurient priests ("Lord, I crave things"). Elsewhere, Ai gives voice to Lenny Bruce, a grief-stricken Marilyn Monroe, and the spurned lover who confesses "A man could never do / as much for Imelda / as a pair of shoes." Donning the mask of our most famous (and infamous) politicians and celebrities, as well as our most vilified antiheroes, she gives new life to the dramatic monologue. And in poems "by" rapists, murderers, looters, hit men, and stalkers, she puts words in the mouths of the thoroughly muzzled. Like Whitman, she writes from the conviction that every voice--no matter how despicable or seemingly insignificant--deserves the chance to be heard. --Martha Silano

Book Description

Winner of the 1999 National Book Award for Poetry. Collected here are poems from Ai's previous five books--Cruelty, Killing Floor, Sin, Fate, and Greed--along with seventeen new poems. Employing her trademark ferocity, these new dramatic monologues continue to mine this award-winning poet's "often brilliant" (Chicago Tribune) vision.

Customer Reviews:

Unbelievable........2006-03-16

Ai writes dramatic monologues, and persona poems. Thematically, her poems will break your nose, knock your teeth out, and leave you feeling slightly off kilter...her unflinching honesty, imagination, and sheer brutality are unsettling, maddening, and ultimately a mark of brillaince...

no vice in owning this book..........2002-03-19

one of the strongest, most dynamic poetic voices i've ever encountered. i love writers that go into the dark without fear. ai finds america in many voices; he strongest assets are her knack for imagery and details. she also knows how to create personas that cause you to become engrossed in their lives even if you don't like them. critics who claim ai's poetry isn't " poetic enough " are helplessly bound to their own rigid definitions of poetry. this woman " goes there " over and over again...

Vice with Virtue.......2002-01-10

Narrative, unique, and some of the best poetics being written today. Ai proves once again she's a force to let sweep over you. An work of infinite virtue & genius.

political, entertaining, brilliant.......2001-06-29

Of course these hard, odd, daring poem-stories make people mad. They're about real things and real people, not just the poet thinking deep-thoughts-with-metaphors at her studio window. Ai sympathises with bad characters, has no patience for prettified lyrics or faux deep-thinking, talks fast and colloquially, with intrusions of odd syntax. The imagery is full of startle and reality; the language is harsh, the poet's heart big. This poetry is a whole other world, outside of anything anyone else is doing. If you don't like this stuff you really don't like poetry.

winner of the 1999 national book award.......2001-04-10

winning the national book award alone is good enough reason to pick this collection up. "Child Beater" is another. Ai's early poems are without a doubt her best work. as she got older, her poems just lost most of the skill she exhibited in her earlier collection.

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