Module 4: Book Review 12-Biographical Poetry

 How I Discovered Poetry

Bibliography

Nelson, M., & Hooper, H. (2014) How I Discovered Poetry. New York: Dial Books. ISBN 9780803733046

Summary  

In this beautifully written story by poet Marilyn Nelson, readers embark on a ten-year journey of her younger self and her discovery of poetry.  In the ten years, readers share in some of Nelson’s life lessons on friendship, fears, loss, moves, and race. Through simple, yet skillful poetic pieces, Nelson gives her audience snapshots of family life and cultural change during the Civil Rights era and how she dealt with being the first or only African American student in her class.  Through these poems, readers begin to experience the change of Nelson into becoming the poet that she is today. 

Analysis

In the book How I Discovered Poetry, there are fifty unrhymed sonnets that share the story of a poet and how she came to be.  Told by a “speaker,” and not specifically Nelson, the sonnets talk about a life like hers.  Each one, when read, has the voice of a young girl describing a specific time in her life that is important to her.  Throughout the story, readers can make connections to times in Nelson’s life that were important and memorable.  For example, the poem Pink Menace shares about the speaker’s good luck charms and how they help with no tragic catastrophes, with a catastrophe being a hydrogen bomb.  Memories like those are shared in this story because readers have had similar experiences to those.

All the sonnets in the story have familiar and relatable childhood experiences, which makes this book ideal for kids, ages 8 to 11.  There are laughs and challenging situations within this book that can be relatable to kids and kids of color, but overall, the reader develops growth.  Throughout the book, each page has a short story that adds to the whole.  Readers begin to grow and understand life just as Nelson did in this book.  Connections are important in this story because that is what makes it appealing to the audience.  This book is a great read and flows naturally.  Experience growth in a ten-year span with Nelson through her poems and enjoy the beauty of the language. 

This is a fantastic book to share with students.  It is a remarkable American story about growth through one of the most difficult eras.  Readers learn so much about one poet and how she became the writer she is today. 

Excerpt

Pink Menace

The Bomb Drill bell is not the Fire Drill bell
or the Tornado bell or the Recess
bell or the bell that says Time to Go Home.
Everybody's motto is Be Prepared,
so we practice Tragic Catastrophes,
hoping they won't come. (Keep your fingers crossed.)
My many secret good-luck rituals seem to be working okay. (Knock on wood.)
I never step on cracks in the sidewalk:
America’s safe from The Red Menace.
I touch a finger to the car window
whenever we drive over railroad tracks:
the Menace turns pink and fuzzy. At night,
I'm asleep before the end of my blessing list. 

Use

This poem can be used with a show and tell day.  Allow students to bring in an item that is a good luck charm or an item that keeps them safe.  Give students the opportunity to show and talk about their item they brought in and how and when they use it.  Allow discussion with one another when everyone has shared.