The Vintage Book of African American Poetry

KLIATT

This collection does a fine job of surveying the broad and diverse history of African American poetry. Major names are well represented, and new voices are also included, which many teachers and students may not have heard of yet, but will appreciate. There is a good balance of men and women, and I was especially impressed with the inclusion of many poets producing work before 1900. What makes special this collection special is the general introduction, along with the biographies that introduce the work of each poet. The introduction articulates clearly the history of African American poetry, and emphasizes the political and historical context of the poems. The editors then use the work of Sterling A. Brown as a model for investigating and understanding the work of each individual poet. Each biography provides basic facts and summary of the work, and also some evaluation of style, topic and form, which will help both students and teachers study and appreciate the poetry. There is no index, but there is an accessible, chronologically arranged table of contents at the beginning and a Selected Bibliographies section at the end. This is a valuable and inexpensive addition to all libraries, which will likely pique the interest of YA poets and non-poets alike. KLIATT Codes: JSA—Recommended for junior and senior high school students, advanced students, and adults. 2000, Random House/Vintage, 403p, 21cm, 99-39428, $14.00. Ages 13 to adult. Reviewer: Sarah Applegate; Libn., River Ridge H.S., Lacey, WA, July 2000 (Vol. 34 No. 4)