How I discovered Poetry

Nelson, M. (2014). How I Discovered Poetry. New York, NY: Dial Books.

This is a collection of poems written as a narrative of the author's or poet's life as a young girl in the 1950s trying to find a place to fit in; trying to find her purpose in life. At first, I thought they were all true but in her note at the end she says some of the poems are fictionalized but still based on her life experiences none the less. They read like a young girl going through military moves and daydreaming about life possibilities. They also read like a young black girl going through what life is life for an educated young a black girl; too black for white kids not black enough for the black kids. She doesn't miss anything in her memories of growing up black. It is hard being the only black student or child surrounded my white children. Almost every black child has been asked to have their hair touched.  Dealing with uninformed children and "well meaning" teachers is a hard task and it stays with young African-Americans; proof shown in that Nelson was still affected by it enough to write about it as an adult.

This was an Author Honor book. It is beautifully written. I wouldn't include it in a primary library, but I would in a middle and or high school library.  Teachers of fourth and fifth graders could read some of the poems to show examples of narrative poetry or poems written from the first person point of view.