THE NIKKI GIOVANNI POETRY COLLECTION

Nikki Giovanni blends the personal with the political in this engaging collection of poems written over 40 years, from the 1960s through 2002. They are poems that make one laugh and make one think. "Train Rides" celebrates the care received as a child from Pullman porters when she rode the train alone and sorrows over the generation of proud black men now in jail instead of on the job. "Hands: For Mother's Day" applauds the comfort and care offered by women's hands while prodding conventional wisdom --man didn't learn to walk upright to chase prey; woman learned to walk upright to carry the baby and the toddler and all the other provisions. Of course! Throughout, Giovanni shares thought-provoking stories about what led to the poems. She talks and reads fast, at first, almost too fast. Halfway through the first cassette, however, she slows down and gives the listener time to consider her words. An audiobook to be savored. A.C.S. 2003 Audie Award Finalist (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine [Published: FEB / MAR 03]