Here in Harlem: Poems in many voices by Walter Dean Myers

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Bibliographic Information:

Here in Harlem: Poems in many voices by Walter Dean Myers

ISBN: 978-0823422128

2009 Holiday House, New York, NY

Plot Summary:

Here in Harlem is a collection of poems in the style of the Spoon River Anthology. The difference is setting, in the inner city of Harlem.

The poetry comes from the characters on the street in mid-20^th century Harlem. There are the ladies in the beauty shop, the men in the barber shop, the people in the church, the working men and women in the city, each lending their own voice to Myers poetry.

The poems show the gossip on the street. They also show the pride in local behavior. There is also judgement of misbehavior and indignation over insults.

The whole collection creates a picture of Harlem as a colorful community.

Critical Evaluation:

Walter Dean Myers creates each poem with a voice of the subject. You can hear the deep resonance of the men in the barber shop in his words. The women who speak share their cattiness in each line. The culture oozes in the words chosen for each poem. There are poems about the music of the time and the jazz rhythms come through.

The voice of the young people sound like adolescents, with clipped syllables and slang. There is an anger in the oppression they feel in Harlem, but the community is strong.

The imagery in the poems is vivid. When a child describes a car screeching to a halt and a woman walking along the sidewalk, the picture comes alive with the words. Sounds of the city and views of the people are present in the pages of these poems.

The second class nature of the people in Harlem is shown in the poem about the babysitter having to go out of her way to make it to her job.

The dialogue of the couple discussing Jesus in Harlem uses slang and cultural tones to express how the spirituality of the neighborhood is alive.

The characters are happy in their culture. They are hard workers. They know that their voices may not be heard, but they speak anyway.

Reader’s Annotation:

Delve into the people on the streets of Harlem through this rhythmic poetry.

Author Information:

Walter Dean Myers won the Council on Interracial Books for Children contest in 1969, which resulted in the publication of his first book, Where Does the Day Go? Since then, he has won more awards than any author for young adults, and is one of the most prolific writers, with more than 110 books to his credit.

He is the recipient of the Margaret A. Edwards Award for lifetime achievement in writing for young adults. He has won the Coretta Scott King Award five times and received two Newbery Honors. His book,Monster, was the first winner of the Michael L. Printz Award, a National Book Award Finalist, and a New York Times Bestseller. He delivered the 2009 May Hill Arbuthnot Honor Lecture, a distinction reserved for an individual who has made significant contributions to the field of children’s literature. Most recently, he served as the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, a post appointed by the Library of Congress.

You can read more about Walter Dean Myers here.

retrieved from http://walterdeanmyers.net/about/ on 8/5/2015

Genre(s):

Poetry

Curriculum Ties:

Poetry, Literature, History

Booktalk Ideas: 

Fantastic book talks from this book would be on poetry slams or the Harlem Renaissance.

Reading level: grade 7+

Interest age: 12+

Challenge Issues: There are no apparent challenge issues with this title.

Why I chose this book:

This book brings poetry to our young adult collection. The diversity of the black experience and the culture of Harlem in the middle of the 20th Century are great additions to our collection.