Annotation:
Bronx teens with little love for each other discover a common bond and empathy for each other through poetry.
Justification for Nomination:
Tyrone is a high school student at an unnamed Bronx high school；he is the central character that provides a central point for readers to identify with. Each character in Mr. Ward’s English class is given a chance to do an open-mic poetry slam every week. Each poem is read by a different student, and before they read their poem, they share their internal thoughts with the reader. Though the characters start out indifferent, or overtly hostile towards each other, through the hearing of the poems they grow to respect one another’s differences.
What makes this such a great book is that there are so many characters that get to tell their story. Each person has their own quirks, things they can’t stand about themselves, and things they think will make them happy. Lupe considers getting pregnant to become happy, because she sees how happy her friend Gloria (who is a single mom) is. It is then revealed that Gloria is not as happy as Lupe thinks. Some characters like Raul are idealistic, he wants to become an artist. Others are uncomfortable with how they look, and try to fit in with the other kids. Sheila Gamberoni, an Italian wants to be black. Another student who is a mixed race African-American wishes she was darker, and had less perfect hair so she could fit in.
Each character in this book seems like a living, breathing person. They bare their soul to the reader, and then tell a poem to the class about their feelings. The teens are idealistic, searching for an identity, trying on different roles, and becoming introspective in their thoughts and poems. The book also gets points for combining poetry/verse, with internal monologues, and inter-character dialogues. The book also addresses race relations, and does so with the characters learning to respect and accept each other. By the end of the book, color has been blurred. Lastly, these teens are in an inner city school, of various ethnic backgrounds, and I think all of them are portrayed in a positive light. It is an interesting read, that doesn’t dwell on the bitterness of inner city life, and offers hope.
Suggestions for improvement:
Justification for Nomination:
Tyrone is a high school student at an unnamed Bronx high school；he is the central character that provides a central point for readers to identify with. Each character in Mr. Ward’s English class is given a chance to do an open-mic poetry slam every week. Each poem is read by a different student, and before they read their poem, they share their internal thoughts with the reader. Though the characters start out indifferent, or overtly hostile towards each other, through the hearing of the poems they grow to respect one another’s differences.
What makes this such a great book is that there are so many characters that get to tell their story. Each person has their own quirks, things they can’t stand about themselves, and things they think will make them happy. Lupe considers getting pregnant to become happy, because she sees how happy her friend Gloria (who is a single mom) is. It is then revealed that Gloria is not as happy as Lupe thinks. Some characters like Raul are idealistic, he wants to become an artist. Others are uncomfortable with how they look, and try to fit in with the other kids. Sheila Gamberoni, an Italian wants to be black. Another student who is a mixed race African-American wishes she was darker, and had less perfect hair so she could fit in.
Each character in this book seems like a living, breathing person. They bare their soul to the reader, and then tell a poem to the class about their feelings. The teens are idealistic, searching for an identity, trying on different roles, and becoming introspective in their thoughts and poems. The book also gets points for combining poetry/verse, with internal monologues, and inter-character dialogues. The book also addresses race relations, and does so with the characters learning to respect and accept each other. By the end of the book, color has been blurred. Lastly, these teens are in an inner city school, of various ethnic backgrounds, and I think all of them are portrayed in a positive light. It is an interesting read, that doesn’t dwell on the bitterness of inner city life, and offers hope.
Suggestions for improvement:
This book is great, I only wish that the teens’ self reflections were longer.
Genre: Poetry/Verse,
Genre: Poetry/Verse,
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