How I Discovered Poetry

These deceptively simple poems, from a young African-American girl trying to understand, and later, act upon, the world of America in the fifties and sixties, touched my heart. I love the poems, the pictures, the layout, and the depth under the simplicity. Well done, Marilyn Nelson! I heard the author read from the book at the Furious Flower Poetry Conference a week ago and made a little YouTube if other viewers want to see it. Just Google her name and mine, and it should show up.

Accessible poetry. Well written. Heard the author speak and ordered this book and a Wreath for Emmett Till as well. i'm thinking that these will both be great resources for my middle school classroom this summer.

Marilyn Nelson's poems charmingly evoke her younger self, exploring the wonders of poetry while experiencing life as a girl before and during the Civil Rights era. Her masterful use of language shines through, even as she describes the plainest pleasures of life in maritime Maine, and her dawning realizations of American injustice, black culture, family life, and poetry as a transformative force.

How I Discovered Poetry is mostly a biographical view of the poet's early life. The poems are based on her memories and daydreams. Some poems are augmented by her family and friends input. The collection reads as an intimate peek into a young girl’s heart—fun and engaging poetry covering various subjects including friendship, racism, and community issues.

Marilyn Nelson is a real charmer, whose poems and this story of how she became a poet are interesting. A good buy. A good reading experience.

great book!

Beautiful, moving work by one of our best poets.

Banal. Disconnected

a lovely book, my daughter likes it very much