Unsettling America: An Anthology of Contemporary Multicultural Poetry

by Maria Mazziotti Gillan

Book Overview

A multicultural array of poets explore what it is means to be American This powerful and moving collection of poems stretches across the boundaries of skin color, language, ethnicity, and religion to give voice to the lives and experiences of ethnic Americans. With extraordinary honesty, dignity, and insight, these poems address common themes of assimilation, communication, and self-perception. In recording everyday life in our many American cultures, they displace the myths and stereotypes that pervade our culture. Unsettling America includes work by: Amiri Baraka Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni Rita Dove Louise Erdich Jessica Hagedorn Joy Harjo Garrett Hongo Li-Young Lee Pat Mora Naomi Shihab Nye Marye Percy Ishmael Reed Alberto Rios Ntozake Shange Gary Soto Lawrence Ferlinghetti Nellie Wong David Hernandez Mary TallMountain ...and many more.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 014023778X
• ISBN13: 9780140237788
• Release Date: November 1994
• Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
• Length: 432 Pages
• Weight: 1.13 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.0" x 8.9"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

A True Education

One of the most honest and needed collections around. This anthology is wonderfully edited with a great selection of writers and work. It is very comprehensive and is loaded with truths America needs to hear. Hats go off to the editors !

EXPLOSIVE AND INTRIGUING COLLECTION

UNSETTLING AMERICA does just that. It brings into question settled ideas of American-ness and what it means to be an American. In additon the organziation of the book is such that the authors appear to be having a conversation about various aspects of conneaction and lack of connection to their own roots and cultures and to America as amelting pot and an opportunity to reinvision the promise of America. The work is clear, powerful, moving, exciting. It works out very well in a classroom or discussion group as it is very thought provoking. Also it makes great bedside reading. I relaly love this booka nd have bought many copies to share with my friends.

Bloom's Nightmare

Forget the status quo of the Norton anthologies and the self-importance of the Best of American Poetry series; this is THE anthology that belongs on everyone's shelves. The Gillan's have compiled and arranged an eclectic selection of work from a great combination of poets both well-known and should-be-better-known. Broken into five thematic "chapters," it is laid out like a narrative, with different poets effortlessly flowing into one another and can be read from cover to cover like your favorite historical novel.

Some Very Moving Poems

...This book can become too much of a whining complaint intone, but there are some poets who transcend the tone and create very moving poems on the themes, ie. Miguel Algarin, Daniela Gioseffi, Amiri Baraka, Ishmael Reed, and Sophia-Henderson Holmes write poems not to be missed, works that are moving and well crafted. Gillan herself should have stayed out of the book. Her tone is too sentimental, too self-conscious, and prosaic. The poets named in this review are worth the price of the book, however, just skip the boring introduction by Jennifer Gillan and enjoy the poets named here.. END

One of the most important anthologies available

If this book is not on your shelves, or better yet, in your bag, you are wrong! Put it right next to your Norton. It's that important...