I Wouldn't Thank You for a Valentine: Poems For Young Feminists - Softcover

Grade 8 Up-Rife with emotion, this brief volume (about 90 poems) explores women's issues of race, status, identity, and equality. Sex, religion, politics, and other volatile issues are present, but other offerings reflect on celebrating a birthday, growing up, challenging authority, and the psychology of shopping. Some powerful works emanate here: Maya Angelou's "Phenomenal Woman" echoes the pride of womanhood in rhythmic, moving lines; Nikki Giovanni and Alice Walker also make strong showings. Cynthia MacDonald's gem, "Accomplishments," tells of a daughter's constant struggle to please her mother, only to have her attempts end in disinterest, unappreciation, and needless tragedy. The title poem by Liz Lochhead, written as a rap lyric, provides an independent and rather opposing view of the charmed holiday. Simplistic pen-and-ink drawings break up the collection, but do little else. The experiences chronicled by multicultural poets are universally female, but perhaps understood best by older readers. There is complexity here, and some of the poems may require added maturity to comprehend fully the poets' intent. As a stand-alone read, the collection may be limiting not only in its feminist slant, but also because of the complexity of the selections. Women's studies students, however, may find this a helpful companion to other collections of feminist poetry or essays.
Sharon Korbeck, Milwaukee Public Library
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.