Slow Dance Heart Break Blues - Hardcover

Adoff, Arnold

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0688105696 ISBN 13: 9780688105693

Publisher: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard, 1995

Synopsis

"Adoff addresses his poetry to modern, urban teens in a gritty, hip-hop style. He manages to create poetry from the universal concerns of love and loneliness, the specific teen concerns of acne and braces, and unpleasant realities like selling and taking drugs."--Booklist. "Telling, recognizable, and readable....Intriguing."--Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books.

About this title

About the Author:

Arnold Adoff has written over twenty-five books of poetry for young readers, including Slow Dance Heartbreak Blues, illustrated by William Cotton; and Street Music: City Poems, illustrated by Karen Barbour, both of which are available at your local library. He is the author of Malcolm X, illustrated by Rudy Gutierrez, and has also edited The Poetry of Black America. He has received the NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children, and his trademark "shaped speech" writing style and his rhythmic poems have made him one of the most renowned children's poets of our time.

Mr. Adoff and his wife, celebrated author Virginia Hamilton, live in Yellow Springs, Ohio.

From School Library Journal:

Grade 7-10?Playing with shape and rhythm is nothing new for Adoff, and here he uses those techniques to illuminate the thoughts of adolescents. Words fall on the pages as images might come and go from a teen's mind and mouth. From the very brief (one poem is only four words long) to the full-page barrage of emotions, the poet is quite adept at listening to the voices in readers' heads. "Will I ever learn to love me first?" and "Will the sun for real rise up tomorrow?" are just two of the alternately philosophical and realistic concerns just bursting to be released from the jumble of the teenage mind. Adoff uncovers the masks teens wear, poses the question of love versus lust, offers a look at the dangers of drug use, and presents telling glimpses of body image. There is a beat to many of the selections, keeping readers moving forward. The poems' free-form shapes enforce the transitory and flashing images. In one sense, the structure aids the readability, making the verses appear as quick reads. But there is a great deal of depth here, with some of the selections providing more of an intellectual challenge. These flashes are fast and funky and will have readers questioning not only what poetry is (and isn't), but also taking another look at who and where they are in light of today's fast-moving issues and society.?Sharon Korbeck, formerly at Milwaukee Public Library
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard
• Publication date: 1995
• ISBN 10: 0688105696
• ISBN 13: 9780688105693
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 80