Poetry Review - Poetry Speaks Who I Am edited by Elise Paschen

Poetry Speaks Who I Am
Ed by Elise Paschen
Sourcebooks
March 2010
176 pgs ARC
5 stars

My Thoughts

Poetry Speaks comes with a CD that includes poets reading their own works.  The table of contents lets you know which poems are on the CD, since only about half of them are included.  The ARC also included a little 1/2 sheet with the selections listed on it.  That was really helpful since I didn't have to turn back to the beginning to check on a poem, I could just consult the sheet I was using as bookmark.  The poems looked like I might have typed them out on recycled paper and then added a design.  Spare but creative and encouraging.  Not a normal standoffish type of poetry book at all. There are even lines in the back to write your own poems.

I am not a huge poetry fan but this book spoke to me.  I loved the mix of contemporary and classic poets, the mix of ethnicities, the well-known with the not-so well known.  We had works from Langston Hughes, Edgar Allen Poe, Maya Angelou, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Sherman Alexie and Billy Collins. Some of my favorites were SEDNA by kimiko hahn, WHAT YOUR MOTHER TELLS YOU NOW by mitsuye yamada, and

MEDIATION
kim stafford

At the dinner table, before the thrown
plate, but after the bitter claim,
in the one beat of silence
before the parents declare war

their child, who had been temporarily
invisible, but who had from school
a catechism, speaks: "Would you like me
to help solve the conflict?"  Silence.

They can't look at each other.  A glance
would sear the soul.  A wall of fire seethes,
Maginot line through the butter plate,
split salt from pepper, him from her.  Silence.

So the child speaks: "Three rules, then:
One--you have to let each other finish.
Two--you have to tell the truth. Three--
you have to want to solve the conflict.

If you say yes, we will solve it.
I love you.  What do you say?"

Another one I enjoyed

POETRY SLALOM
mary jo salter

Much less

the slam

than the slalom

gives me a thrill:

that solemn, no-fuss

Olympian skill

in skirting flag after flag

of the bloody obvious;

the fractional

lag,

while speeding downhill,

at the key

moment,

in a sort of whole-

body trill:

the note repeated,

but elaborated,

more touching and more

elevated

for seeming the thing 

to be evaded.

You can read these for fun as well as teach them.  So many terms you can define: metaphor, simile, enjambment, litote, rhythm, rhyme scheme, free verse, etc.  I think both teachers and students will love this.  I already bought some for our school library! I give this 5 stars because it's not one to be read in a normal lit circle but to put in your pocket and carry around with you.  My only issue is they printed it in hardcover. This needs to be paperback for portability and usability. 

Review - The Greatest Moments in Sports by Len Berman

The Greatest Moments in Sports
Len Berman
Sourcebooks/Jabberwocky
Nov. 2009
138 pgs and CD

Readin'
I reviewed this book because we have a fair number of sports fans at our middle school. In our 6th grade nonfiction classes about a third of the students wanted to do some sort of sports-related research paper. This should be popular even if it doesn't have any snow- or skate- boarding.

Writin'
Each "moment" has a 2-page spread title page that includes a large picture of the subject. The text is in a box with a white background and superimposed over the background picture spread. The next 4 pages cover the "moment". There are several pictures and call-out boxes including captions and a Fast Fact. The book covers 1932 - 2008, so it's fairly up-to-date. There are 25 "moments" in the book and 10 of those are included on CD.

Each CD "moment" has an introduction, the original broadcast, and a follow-up. Berman also included an introduction and post-script.

The book is a nice size, hefty. The table of contents is laid out nicely and lets you know which moments are on the CD. The font is clear and easy-to-read. The graphics are colorful and over-sized. This edition includes a jacket but it's not needed since the cover looks like it's been library bound. Top-notch presentation!

Rithmetic'
Berman includes many of the obvious "moments": Micheal Phelps, Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan, Babe Ruth, Wayne Gretzy, and others. He also includes some moments by lesser known stars such as Nadia Comaneci and Roger Bannister.

Berman's passion comes through in the writing. It's as if you were sitting there talking to him as he relived the event. He tells you why he chose that moment and then goes on to describe what happened on that day and doesn't repeat everything that's on the CD. Like any good non-fiction book - you don't have to read this in order.

Hank Aaron - The Greatest Moments in Sports does a good job introducing Hank Aaron and talks about his excellence in football that led to a scholarship. Berman tells how Aaron received hate mail for trying to break Babe Ruth's record and how Aaron decided to keep the letters as inspiration. He also mentions the introduction of the Hank Aaron Award. These are all things I didn't know.

CD excerpt - About the Author Len Berman is a veteran sportscaster and creator of “Spanning the World,” a monthly collection of sports bloopers, which was a 20-year staple on NBC’s Today Show. Berman is the recipient of eight Emmy Awards and is a six-time winner of New York Sportscaster of the Year. His daily Top 5 email is featured in The Huffington Post and is received by thousands around the country. www.thatssports.com I give The Greatest Moments in Sports by Len Berman, 5 stars. I'm sure it will be checked out constantly! Book provided by Sourcebooks/Jabberwocky. Amazon Associate link...

Review - I'm Down by Mishna Wolff

I'm Down
Mishna Wolff
St. Martins Press
272p (3 1/2 hrs)
July 2009


Mishna grew up in a poor black neighborhood in Seattle. Her parents divorced when she was young and she and her sister Anora were raised by her dad. Her mom left - she had to go find herself. But the weirdest thing about 2 girls being raised by a single, dad in the 'hood? Being white. "White, white, white, white, white, white, white, white. I think it's important to make this clear..." (1) And so begins one of the funniest, most heartbreaking, memoirs I've read in a long time.

I'm always skeptical of memoirs...but Mishna Wolff's story had me at hello.. .or was it when she said her dad "believed he a was a black man...It wasn't an identity crisis.." (1) Wolff tells the story of trying to fit in, and make friends and be cool. Learning how to "cap" on people (sassy putdowns) and deciding on her future: "Solid Gold Dancer, Capper, Anesthesiologist, Governor, Assasin". (32) She takes us throough her father's romances, usually with beautiful women and him trying to remodel the house, himself. Mostly leaving things undone. Meeting Zwena, who at 10 years old, was the "Julia Child of the food stamp set." (42) Zwena could cook up a mean fried, bologna sandwich. Ah...I remember those days...so much of what Mishna Wolff was describing reminded me of my childhood. I grew up in a poor, black neighborhood and she captured all the humor that helps you not only survive but thrive!

Once Mishna goes to IPP, she feels as if she doesn't fit in anywhere anymore. Always the outcast, the different one. Wolff tells us how she coped, what she did for attention, the tough decisions that seemed to be made for her... She worries herself into tension headaches trying to figure out what is going to happen to her the rest of her life...she was twelve at the time. Trying to find the security that she wasn't getting at home. Through it all, she just wanted her dad's acceptance, wanted him to think she was "down", too.

I loved this book. I put aside everything, I didn't even stop for dinner. I was mesmerized, completely and totally engrossed. Wolff's voice brought her story to life and I was right there, living my own version of trying to be down. It was painful towards the end but well worth the time. It left me with a Wow! It was truly awesome! I could read it again right now!


Other Links
Mishna Wolff's website - check out the pic in the more down section.

Other Reviews
Creative Loafing Review - I'm Down by Mishna Wolff
Citypaper Review - I'm Down by Mishna Wolff

PS: Although this memoir is marketed at adults - YAs could definitely read and understand and discuss it! I will be buying it for our library! Just gotta decide which teacher I'm going to hound to use it...:)

Also, I would like to thank Ben Rubinstein at Macmillan Library for tracking down a copy of this book and sending it to me!!!

Blog Tour - Dear Mom by Melody Carlson

Dear Mom: Everything Your Teenage Daughter Wants You to Know But Will Never Tell You
Melody Carlson
WaterBrook Press (div of Random House)
March 2009

As I hinted at before, I've been on a roller coaster ride with my 13 yo since her birthday. I was looking forward to reading and reviewing this book since I first heard about it and it was worth the wait.

Melody Carlson
I've read Melody Carlson's fiction and really enjoyed her Diary of a Teenage Girl series - especially the Chloe books. The students, and my daughter, can't get enough of the True Colors series. Each book tackles a teen issue, such as cutting, jealousy, weight management, depression in a manner teens can relate to. I've used Deep Green and Bitter Rose in book clubs as requested by the students. I love how the books have a Christian bent but you don't feel as if Ms. Carlson is preaching to you. Learn more about Ms. Carlson and the variety of books she's written, here.

Melody Carlson is the award-winning author of more than one hundred books for adults, children, and teens, with sales totaling more than three million copies. Beloved for her Diary of a Teenage Girl and Notes from a Spinning Planet series, she’s also the author of the women’s novels Finding Alice (in production now for a Lifetime-TV movie), Crystal Lies, On This Day, These Boots Weren’t Made for Walking, and A Mile in My Flip-Flops. A mother of two grown sons, Melody lives in central Oregon with her husband and chocolate lab retriever. She’s a full-time writer and an avid gardener, biker, skier, and hiker.

Dear Mom
Told from the perspective of a teenage girl, this book helps you remember what it's like to be a teenager. What it's like to want people to like you, no matter what. How it feels to have people put you down, especially in front of your friends. Why it's hard to know what's right when there is so much conflicting information out there.

"...here's the deal, Mom: I don't want to base my decisions on my parent's convictions...I want to know what I believe..."

Melody walks us through tough topics such as clothing (girls dress for other girls), friendships (even though they hurt us, we don't want to be loners), and boys (do guys really think about sex 24/7), as well as other tough topics. She uses humor and a clear voice to get her point across without lecturing - we don't want to sit through them, why do we think they do?
"When you go on and on without allowing me to comment, it is a lecture."

We don't want our children to make the mistakes we made, we want them to have a better life, we want to be able to communicate with our daughters better than our mothers communicated with us. If you see yourself, or a friend, in this statement, get this book. I was going to give it away but I can't I know I will need it again. There are these great charts:

Ten Ways to Humiliate Me 7. Try to act cool around my friends, like you're just one of the girls. Ways We're Alike We both try to cover up our insecurities Ways to Totally Alienate Me From You Snoop in my room under the guise of putting laundry away.

This is one of the best books I've read on parenting teenagers. It is so direct and I love how it's divided. The chapters make sense and I could actually "hear" my daughters voice as I was reading! Phenomenal! I would recommend this to anyone with a teenage daughter, especially if they are just starting down that path. Having this book on hand will increase your confidence in understanding what your child is going through. It doesn't give you any easy answers - we know teens are complicated - but it brings you back to what it was like when you were that age. The times have changed but the issues remain. It makes me pause before I respond and we have just a little more harmony. Well worth it, well worth it! 5 stars!

In addition to Dear Mom I received:

Mama's Got a Fake I.D.: How to Reveal the Real You Behind all That Mom
Caryn Dahlstrand Rivadeneira
WaterBrook Press (div Random House)
March 2009

Formula for identity loss:
1. Take one multifaceted, intriguing human being.
2. Bless her with a child.
3. Mix with today’s cultural assumptions.
4. Add the demands of motherhood.
5. Presto! All identity except Mom disappears.


For every woman wondering what happened to the unique combination of gifts and abilities she was known for before kids came along, Caryn Dahlstrand Rivadeneira has good news: in Mama’s Got a Fake I.D., Rivadeneira helps moms reclaim their full identity as creative beings, gifted professionals and volunteers, loving friends, children of God—and mothers.

This inspiring and practical guide shows women how to break free from false guilt, learn a new language to express who they really are, and follow God’s lead in sharing their true self with others. After all, motherhood doesn’t have to mean losing one’s identity. Instead, being a mom makes it possible for a woman to discover a more complete identity as the person God made her to be.

Caryn Rivadeneira
The former managing editor of Marriage Partnership and Christian Parenting Today, Caryn Dahlstrand Rivadeneira has been a trusted voice writing and speaking to women for more than a decade. Today she is the managing editor of GiftedForLeadership.com, an online community for Christian women in leadership. Rivadeneira works from home in the Chicago suburbs, where she lives with her husband and their three children.

Each book can be purchased by clicking on the book covers!

Other posts:
MUD Splats
Books and Needlepoint
Thoughts and Reflections from a Canadian Ladybug
Suzie Eller - interview with C. D. Rivadeneira