19 Varieties of Gazelle: Poems of the Middle East

Rating:
Summary: subtle stories
Review: this book was recommended to me by a friend, so i wasn't sure what to expect. i am really glad to have bought it, the poems are like little stories someone tells you on the porch while it's getting dark. very vivid, i felt as if i knew these people...fathers, mothers, grandmothers, schoolchildren, old arab men selling crafts...

Rating:
Summary: subtle stories
Review: this book was recommended to me by a friend, so i wasn't sure what to expect. i am really glad to have bought it, the poems are like little stories someone tells you on the porch while it's getting dark. very vivid, i felt as if i knew these people...fathers, mothers, grandmothers, schoolchildren, old arab men selling crafts...

Rating:
Summary: "There's a place in this brain where hate won't grow."
Review: This collection is a perfect example of the ability of a gifted poet to communicate hard truths simply. Each piece is a work of art and sings in the voices of immigrants and immigrants' children and with the rhythms of life in the Middle East. Don't buy this book expecting to find a treatise on terrorism or the events of September 11. Buy it to see through another's eyes and sing in another's voice. This is a fantastic book in its own right and a great introduction to the talent and skill of Naomi Shihab Nye.