Acolytes
Nikki Giovanni
Author: Giovanni, Nikki
A new collection of eighty poetic works by the award-winning author of Quilting
the Black-Eyed Pea features intimate and spare language that shares the writer's
perspectives on such subjects as her family, the deaths of heroes, and the Hurricane
Katrina disaster.
New York: William Morrow, 2007, 144 p.
Publishers Weekly Review: The extraordinarily popular Giovanni got that way
as a black militant during the 1970s, known for her inspirational, fiery live
and recorded performances. This first volume since her 2003 Collected Poems
loses the fire but keeps the inspiration: "Poetry says No to destruction
and Yes to possibility," Giovanni declares. Her mix of lineated and prose
poetry says yes over and over???to the glories of children and grandmothers,
to "the men with hopes and dreams and talents," as well as to the
memory of the African-American cultural heroes who died in the last few years.
Many pages are, in effect, orations: "We will miss June Jordan. For her
courage, her insight, her love of us all. We will miss this poet." Some
of the strongest and most detailed works are short, not especially lyrical,
pieces in prose. One remembers meeting Gwendolyn Brooks; another shows a grandmother's
strong support for Virginia Tech Hokies football. Giovanni's most serious verse
and prose link her own struggles???as a black woman, as a latter-day icon, as
a cancer survivor, as a teacher???to the larger patterns of black American history,
of striving toward freedom always: "I choose always as best I can to keep
truth and compassion in my life." (Feb.) --Staff (Reviewed December 18,
2006) (Publishers Weekly, vol 253, issue 50, p44)
ISBNs Associated with this Title:
0061231312
Credits:
• Novelist/EBSCO Publishing
• Baker & Taylor
• Publishers Weekly, A Reed Elsevier Business Information Publication
• Added to NoveList: 20070120
• TID: 157786
Girls in the circle, The
by Nikki Giovanni ; illustrated by Cathy Ann Johnson
Author: Giovanni, Nikki
Three girls have fun playing dress-up at their grandmother's house, even painting
their toenails, but then they have nowhere to go. Includes activity ideas for
parents and children.
New York: Scholastic, 2004, 32 p.
School Library Journal Review: (The following is a combined review for The
Girls in the Circle; A Day With Daddy; What Do You Know? Snow!; and I Can't
Take a Bath!) K-Gr 2???These four easy readers, all of which feature African-American
characters, are a bit uneven in quality. All begin with tips for adults on reading
aloud and end with questions and activities that encourage youngsters to relate
to the stories' themes. Daddy, in which a boy tells about his weekly visit with
his father, is a sweet and gentle look at a difficult topic with watercolor
illustrations that match the mood, while What Do You Know?, which relates a
young girl's early-morning romp through fresh snow, is wordy with uninspired
text and illustrations. Girls and Bath! are both fun stories with hit-and-miss
rhyming styles and illustrations that bring the texts to life.???Catherine Callegari,
San Antonio Public Library, TX --Catherine Callegari (Reviewed February 1, 2005)
(School Library Journal, vol 51, issue 2, p88)
Other Contributors:
Johnson, Cathy Ann, 1964-: illustrator
ISBNs Associated with this Title:
0439568617
060633355X : DEMCO Turtleback - Juvenile
1417654198 : Prebind
Credits:
• Novelist/EBSCO Publishing
• Baker & Taylor
• MetaMetrics, Inc.
• School Library Journal, A Reed Elsevier Business Information Publication
• Added to NoveList: 20050920
• TID: 136885
Sun is so quiet, The
poems by Nikki Giovanni ; illustrations by Ashley Bryan
Author: Giovanni, Nikki
A collection of poems primarily about nature and the seasons but also concerned
with chocolate and scary movies.
New York: Henry Holt, 1996, 31 p.