Module 14 - Here in Harlem: Poems in Many Voices

Book
Here in Harlem: Poems in Many Voices
Written by Walter Dean Myers


Citation
Myers, W.D. (2004). Here in Harlem: Poems in many voices. New York: Holiday House.



Summary
A neighborhood described in verse, Here in Harlem could be any black community in the nation. The author paired his memories of people from his life with his vivid description in poem-form. Characters speak of character flaws, cultural victories, and the way things were back then. Each perspective is given a name, a profession, and an age to guide the reader into understanding a little more where the vantage point stems from. A narrator, of sorts, through Clara Brown, the collection of poems highlights people and their dreams from the sidewalk out front.

Reviews
Booklist starred (November 1, 2004 (Vol. 101, No. 5)): Gr. 7-10. In the introduction, Myers writes that he was inspired by Edgar Lee Masters'Spoon River Anthology, in which the people who live in a fictional town tell their stories in verse, and by his love of the Harlem community where he grew up. In each poem here, a resident of Harlem speaks in a distinctive voice, offering a story, a thought, a reflection, or a memory. The poetic forms are varied and well chosen. While some are formally expressed free-verse poems, others use the rhythm and rhyme of early blues songs or the graceful, informal cadences of conversational speech. Expressive period photos from Myers'collection accompany the text of this handsome book. Rather than illustrating specific poems, they help to create the look and feel of the time and place. Six vivid prose statements, called "Clara Brown's Testimony,"appear throughout the volume and reflect different stages of her life. The rest of the pieces are poems revealing the experiences and personalities of 53 people, from student to retiree, from hairdresser to hustler, from live-in maid to street vendor-guitar player. Some of the individual poems are exceptionally strong and memorable. Collectively, they offer a colorful and warmly personal portrayal of Harlem. Whether used as a performance piece or read from cover to cover, this unusual book will be long remembered.

Library Media Connection (March 2005): Readers are treated to a Spoon River Anthology-styled poetry collection set in the Harlem of Myers' youth; "the characters in this book all represent people I have known or whose lives have touched mine." From ages 12 to 87, over 50 characters speak their minds and hearts with honesty, dignity, and unique perspective. We hear from laborers, the unemployed, jazz artists, students, veterans, and an intriguing variety of others. Equally captivating is the b&w photos scattered throughout the pages of people that have a story all their own-one that might not match the adjacent poem. This amazing collection covers themes of daily struggles at once unique to the time and place, as well as reflecting problems and feelings readers can relate to today. Brilliant in both content and delivery, this is a collection that can spark many discussions and creative writing assignments. Recommended.

Suggested Use
The author mentions in his author's note that the photographs added to the book are not meant to match the poems; that they are only included because the author liked them. However, students could read the collection and pick a favorite person depicted in a poem, or a person who "speaks" to them. Then, students can illustrate through drawing, painting, sculpting, etc. what the person looks like based on the poem. Students will be free to express their ideas through whatever artistic medium they choose, other than those based in technology. An art gallery could be developed to go along with the poems for an Art Night.

Impression
The poems painted such vivid pictures in my mind of the characters. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know them, as that is what I did while reading this collection. I would recommend this collection of poems for an upper-level student as the content can, at times, be more advanced than is appropriate for a younger audience. The photographs were interesting, though I found it hard to remember that they were not necessarily placed to match the poems; that they were placed within the books because the author liked them. I am considering purchasing this book for my personal literature collection as it spoke on things foreign to me but allowed me a glimpse into a life I know nothing about.