Why a good book is a secret door

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*Creative Title*

*Creative Title*

Sorry my brain is not on a creative level right now… Lol

 

I am reading Brown Girl Dreaming and my initial thought was “WTF is going on”– so yes I was a little confused. The poems are each their own individual story, and I didn’t know this at first. I kept trying to link the previous poem with the next ones and  try to find some chronological order, but I failed. However, once I gave up trying to do this the book became much more enjoyable. It was like I was reading each one with an open mind which gave me a new experience each time. I believe when using this in a classroom it would be a good idea to maybe pick through a couple of poems at first. Let them have the open mind of each individual poem without having them be confused on whether or not it’s in chronological order. Then, read it front to back– maybe as a whole class. It is an interesting book in that it has the possibility to bring up a lot of issues, such as segregation, racism, and family problems. I would definitely suggest this book for a middle school to high school class. I believe the form/structure  also contributes to making it a higher level reading. The lines weren’t too long and didn’t rhyme, but I found myself reading the poems over and over again, or even just reading super slow. But I think that’s just how all poems are supposed to be read!

 

 

Cento by me:

We call him Daddy

This is what our mother calls him

“Ya’ll know how much I love you?”

Do all the preaching and praying you want

but no need to do it for me.

and now coming back home isn’t really coming back home at all.

 

Even the silence has a story to tell you.

Just listen, listen.

One Reply to “*Creative Title*”

  1. What’s happenin’ my blog partner in crime, long time no see your lovely post.

    It sounds like we both had to adjust a tad to the whole poetry-novel situation. I had not read a poetry novel either and definitely felt my brain adjust to the different structure. I am interested in the fact that the poems in your book were not in chronological order yet still conveyed a collective story. It says something to the talent of an author when they are able to take you through a whole new experience with their short sentences and heavy words. I am definitely interested in the book and would like to read the tales turned into poems you speak of… most likely reading it over and over, faster and slower as well.
    I appreciated the common theme in both of our books that allowed the reader to see inside the lives individuals in our society dealing with segregation, racism, and family problems. They are both books that share understandable perspectives on the troubled realities of some of our peers, or the historical struggles in their family line.
    These books definitely has use in the classroom. Along with the social cultural aspects they bring to light, it could expose students to an entirely new form of writing, and possibly, a new prospective on poetry. Perhaps if someone had shown us these thoughtfully created novels then, we would have been able to immediately enjoy their story now; rather than slightly struggle in adjusting the brain waves.

    Your cento is really badass as well. I feel like I can see into some major themes of the book from it. The end kills it for me:
    “even the silence has a story to tell you
    just listen, listen”

    ¡Bravo Señorita!

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