Taking the arrow out of the heart : new poems

by Alice Walker

Paper Book, 2018

Status

Available

Genres

All Topics

Fiction

Publication

New York : Atria / 37 INK, [2018]

Description

"Alice Walker, author of the National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning The Color Purple--"an American novel of permanent importance" (San Francisco Chronicle)--crafts a bilingual collection that is both playfully imaginative and intensely moving. Presented in both English and Spanish, Alice Walker shares a timely collection of nearly seventy works of passionate and powerful poetry that bears witness to our troubled times, while also chronicling a life well-lived. From poems of painful self-inquiry, to celebrating the simple beauty of baking frittatas, Walker offers us a window into her magical, at times difficult, and liberating world of activism, love, hope and, above all, gratitude. Whether she's urging us to preserve an urban paradise or behold the delicate necessity of beauty to the spirit, Walker encourages us to honor the divine that lives inside all of us and brings her legendary free verse to the page once again, demonstrating that she remains a revolutionary poet and an inspiration to generations of fans"--… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member DKnight0918

Such a great collection of poems.

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LibraryThing member thornton37814

I really enjoyed the Alice Walker books I read in April for National Poetry Month, so I was excited to find this new collection of poems by the author. The collection contains the English poems and Spanish translations by Manuel Garcia Verdecia. The collection is perhaps focused a bit too much on

the ills of society and philosophically aligned further left than my own leanings. While I agree with the author's points of social injustices, I think the way we would address them differs a great deal. I still enjoy the rhythm of the author's poetry. I even read a few of the poems in both languages, mainly to see if I was still able to read and comprehend in Spanish. As far as I can tell, the translator did a very good job--and I was able to comprehend more than expected. I received an advance electronic galley through the publisher via NetGalley with expectations of an honest review.

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LibraryThing member tanyaferrell

I had the great joy of listening to this read by Alice Walker. I kind of feel like all poetry collections should be turned into audiobooks. As a poet, Walker doesn't play around with language very much or come up with extremely creative ways of putting things, her poetry is very straightforward.

It's something I appreciate, but it also makes the poetry feel less like poetry and more like expressed thoughts or short essays. This collection felt like it was about Walker reconciling or dealing with the fact that so many people do so many awful things throughout the world. She deals with it by focusing on the good in the world, she introduces this idea of earthlings vs. others (i.e. true earthlings wouldn't do these awful things), and she assures us goodness will win in the end. I don't really agree with those last two ideas, but I really loved the concept of this project and Walker's execution of it. I'm excited to get a physical copy to read more closely.

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