Quilting the Black-Eyed Pea: Poems and Not Quite Poems
by Nikki Giovanni

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• ISBN13: 9780060099527
• Condition: New
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Book Reviews of Quilting the Black-Eyed Pea: Poems and Not Quite Poems

Book Review: The voice of a preeminent poet
Summary: 5 Stars

In light of the quote above, I begin the arduous task of
reviewing the works of a cultural icon who has remained
unwaverved in her political beliefs and true to living
life her way. She has mastered the art of blending grief,
sarcasm and sometimes outrage with the right touch of
humor.

Quilting the Black-Eyed Pea, is a collection of 50 poems,
sketches and meditations that touches on a gamut of events
as Ms. Giovanni in her narrative voice gives the world a
historical overview and also focuses on the future. This
collection which cuts to the core and seems unapologetic
is very intimate. Each piece in the collection has the
ability to pull the reader into a vortex of introspection.
I urge everyone to read them slowly and absorb the author's
message.

In 'We're Going to Mars' and 'Symphony of the Sphinx', she
exposes sketches of Black history and the intense struggle
people of color have endured just to live the American dream.
In 'Here's to Gwen', Ms. Giovanni depicts women as forces
to be reckoned with in literary history with her special
dedication to the premier poet, Gwendolyn Brooks. In 'Twenty
Reasons to Love Richard Williams', she pays homage to a
tennis father who had the stick-to-itiveness to propel his
daughters to tennis stardom, and who made the world see
through his eyes how beautiful Black is. There is nothing
quite like her terse, biting '9-11-01'('He blew it'), as
Ms. Giovanni shares her views on the politics of the country,
and on the office of the Commander and Chief. A meditative
'My America',(for Hugh Downs) is a quiet, calm piece where
the hope for something better is the message. Ms. Giovanni's
life altering illness emphasizing how fragile life is was
very evident in her poignant letter to 'Emerson Edward Rudd',
prior to his execution in Huntsville, Texas on November 15,
2001 for the armed robbery and murder of a restaurant manager.
In her final poem, 'The Song of the Feet,' she humorously
reflects on how the feet of women have been and will continue
to be a cornerstone in the development of Black History as
well as American History.

Ms. Giovanni is a poet, activist, mother, the author of 27
books, and a distinguished Professor of English at Virginia
Polytechnic Institute in Blacksburg, VA. In 1999 she was one of
14 living writers inducted into The Literary Hall of Fame for
writers of African Descent. From the cover, "One of the most
commanding, luminous voices to grace America's political and
artistic landscape."

I highly recommend Quilting the Black-Eyed Pea, a book of poetry
not by one of America's foremost Black poets, but by one of
America's preeminent poets, period.

Reviewed by aNN Brown

Summary of Quilting the Black-Eyed Pea: Poems and Not Quite Poems

When Nikki Giovanni's poems first emerged during the Civil Rights and Black Arts Movements of the 1960s, she immediately took a place among the most celebrated and influential poets of the era. Now, Giovanni continues to stand as one of the most commanding, luminous voices to grace America's political and poetic landscape.

In a career spanning over thirty years, Giovanni has created a body of work that's become vital and essential to our American consciousness. This collection of new poems is a masterpiece that explores the ecstatic union between self and community. Quilting the Black-Eyed Pea is an extraordinarily intimate collection. Each poem bears our revered cultural icon's trademark of the unfalteringly political and the intensely personal: The elegant "What We Miss" exalts the might and grace of women, while "Swinging on a Rainbow" rejoices about the spaces in which we read; Giovanni commemorates Africa and her family legacy in the majestic "Symphony of the Sphinx" and contemplates our America in the heartbreaking "Desperate Acts" and "9:11:01 He Blew It." And in the dreamy "Making James Baldwin" and dazzling "Quilting the Black-Eyed Pea," Giovanni gives us reason to comfort, to share, to love, to change and to be human.

Quilting the Black-Eyed Pea is Nikki Giovanni's meditation on humanity and soul. It's her revelatory gaze at the world in which we live -- and her confession on the world she dreams we will one day call home. Nikki Giovanni is a national treasure as she once again confirms her place as one of America's most powerful truth tellers and beloved daughters.

Poetry Books

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