To Disembark

by Gwendolyn Brooks

Unforgettable poetic imagery by one of the greatest female African American poets that captures the viality and complexity of Black life.

Genres: Poetry, African American, Womens

70 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1981

About the author

Gwendolyn Elizabeth Brooks is the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Annie Allen and one of the most celebrated Black poets. She also served as consultant in poetry to the Library of Congress—the first Black woman to hold that position. She was the poet laureate for the state of Illinois for over thirty years, a National Women’s Hall of Fame inductee, and the recipient of a lifetime achievement award from the National Endowment for the Arts. Her works include We Are Shining, Bronzeville Boys and Girls, A Street in Bronzeville, In the Mecca, The Bean Eaters, and Maud Martha.

Reviews

[Brina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Happy International Women’s Day 2020! I am afraid that I caught my daughters’ cold so I have only been doing light reading over the last week. Thankfully, that reading has been poetry by Gwendolyn Brooks, Illinois’ poet laureate for 30 years. Brooks’ poetry is a treasure. This collection isn’t as powerful to me as her earlier award winning work Annie Allen and Maud Martha but it still speaks to a changing culture on Chicago’s south side. Black radicalism, gangs, shootings, the emergence of the ghetto culture and police targeting black youths. It’s all here in this slim volume. Brooks still hopes to leave the planet a better one for her children Nora and Henry III as she has dedicated a few poems to them here. By writing of the black experience and alerting her readers to the changes to society over her lifetime, I have no doubt that Gwendolyn Brooks ensured that her children would have a better life than she did. Despite being under the weather, I find few people better to honor International Women’s Day with that Gwendolyn Brooks. What a gem of a person.

[Laura Mcculloch · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed Brooks’ poetry, but I will admit I felt like I didn’t understand some of it perhaps due to unfamiliar cultural or historical references. I was born in 87 and this book was written in the 80s so maybe that’s part of it. I can tell she is a terrific poet and I love the way her poetry conjures imagery and emotion, and every beat is perfectly placed and effective. The “Boy Died in My Alley” was emotional and hard-hitting. I’m curious to read more by Brooks.

[Zack]

"Because
the eyeless Leaders flutter, tilt, and fail
The followers falter, peculiar, eyeless too.
Force through the sludge. Force, whether
God is a Thorough and a There,
or a mad child,
playing
with a floorful of toys,
mashing
whatwhen he wills. Force, whether
God is spent pulse, capricious, or a yet-to-come."

that's a stanza from Brooks' "ANOTHER PREACHMENT TO BLACKS"

i've finally started to check out brooks' work and i'm totally blown away. i love the clear political bent to her work that still leaves a lot of room for mystery and interpretation. i'm baffled as to why so many of my poet friends never seem to talk about her work.

[Reginald · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think I've read this collection at least 20 times...Brooks not only changed the face of contemporary African American poetry, she set the standard...This volume contains one of my all time favorite poems, "The Boy Died In My Alley."

[Caitlin]

Gwendolyn Brooks' To Disembark is strikingly timely, the sort of book that could have been published yesterday rather than in 1981, its exploration of struggle, sorrow, defiance, and joy undimmed by time. It's also very much Chicago poetry; we'll even recognize the intersections named, and understand the references to those fancy northern suburbs.

[Sheri · Rating 5 out of 5]

So brilliant. Some of it went over my head because of some specific names and seeming historical references/figures, but the underlying premise had a lot of power and a lot of resonance for me personally. I got so many good pieces of inspiration from this collection of poems. Gwendolyn Brooks is truly an incredible poet and storyteller and writes pain, justice, and blackness very well.

[Janice H. Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poetry by famous Gwendolyn Brooks, the first Black to win a Pulitzer Prize. These poems are statements on aspects of daily Black life. Intense and thought provoking.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything in this book is still relevant today, poetry is timeless, but these words speak volumes on how nothing ever really changes.

[El · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly more people need to read Gwendolyn Brooks.

[Angela · Rating 1 out of 5]

I normally enjoy poetry. But I really struggled with this book. There were some moments that reasonated with me. However, overall it did not draw me in.

[ben adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every book by Gwendolyn Brooks is amazing. This one is no different.