How I Discovered Poetry

"Marilyn Nelson describes her book, How I Discovered Poetry, as a “personal memoir, a portrait of the artist as a young American Negro Girl.” I say it’s a gorgeous introduction to 1950s America, told through poems and snapshots that reveal a writer coming of age. For young readers, it’s the perfect entrance point to this era and to this genre. Many of the poems are accompanied by photos taken by the author’s father, who was an Air Force officer. And as with a photo album there’s a wonderful cumulative effect. “I flee into the arms of poetry. / I take my books to bed. I read so late / Daddy shouts, “Lights OUT!”… I lie in the dark. My head whirls with words.” (For ages 12 and up)"