Status
Available
Genres
Collection
Publication
San Diego Harcourt Brace & Co.,1994
Description
The photographs of Walker Evans tell stories of ordinary people living in America in the extraordinary time of the Great Depression. Cynthia Rylant's poetry about the photographs offers a new voice in the telling, celebrating the beauty of life lived in extreme circumstances.
User reviews
LibraryThing member dukefan86
I'm accustomed to Cynthia Rylant's childrens books, so her poetry here was a fascinating departure to me. Loved the choice of Depression era photographs by Walker Evans, and Rylant's companion poems were quite interesting. Hard to pick a favorite here.
LibraryThing member DonnaMarieMerritt
Photographs from the Great Depression paired with poems by Cynthia Rylant . . . loved the idea, but was a bit disappointed in the outcome. The copyright is 1994, so maybe no one is even interested in a review at this point, but here it is. I liked the variety of topics, but felt that, overall, the
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poems and photos could have given a more distinctive view of that time. "Shoes" was perhaps my favorite poem along with "Utensils" and its accompanying photograph. "Minstrels," however, implied that African Americans wholeheartedly enjoyed their part in a show that stereotyped them and undermined their intelligence. I wonder, in this terrible age of mass murder by guns, if Rylant might rethink her "Gunshop" poem now. I'm also confused as to how newspaper on the wall frustrates mosquitoes. Show Less
Awards
Best Fiction for Young Adults (Selection — 1995)
Read Aloud Indiana Book Award (High School — 1995)