Let America Be America Again and Other Poems by Langston Hughes, John Kerry (Preface by), John F. Kerry (Preface by)

From the Publisher

"I believe in an America in which opportunity and justice truly are for all. That was the essence of the life an poetry of Langston Hughes."-Senator John Kerry, from the Preface

A beautifully designed collection of some of the greatest poems by a quintessentially American poet, whose theme of the promise of American inclusiveness continues to ring true.

Langston Hughes was uncommonly attuned to the ideals of freedom and democracy and the sometimes elusive American dream. The poems collected here offer a hopeful, truly democratic vision for America. Incantatory and stirring, passionate and provocative, they are as resonant for our times as they were over half a century ago.

Contents:
"Let America Be America Again," "Dream of Freedom," "America," "Search," "Some Day," "In Time of Silver Rain," "Dare," "Give Us Our Peace," "I Dream a World."

School Library Journal

Gr 7 Up-This book brings welcome attention to Hughes's 1936 poem. "I am the poor white, fooled and pushed apart,/I am the Negro bearing slavery's scars./I am the red man driven from the land,/I am the immigrant clutching the hope I seek-/And finding only the same old stupid plan/Of dog eat dog, of mighty crush the weak." Many will see parallels with today's society in this long but accessible poem that presents a broad, clear-eyed view of the American experience, which is sometimes bitter but never defeated or hopeless. A foreword by Henry Louis Gates, Jr., offers an eloquent account of Hughes's life and career. Initially published as a limited-edition artist's book, the text is paired with Frasconi's powerful woodcuts. His faces are especially moving, with expressions that are at once individual and universal. In keeping with the mood of the poem, the overall tone of the art is dark. The typeface used throughout, even in Gates's introduction, is rough and occasionally not thoroughly legible against the somber backgrounds, but it helps considerably that the poem is reprinted on a plain white background at the end of the book. Show this to a good junior or senior high school language-arts or history teacher-it may need some introduction and guidance, but it will be worth the effort.-Lauralyn Persson, Wilmette Public Library, IL Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Product Details

• Table of Contents

Table of Contents