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Yarmulkes & Fitted Caps
Aaron Samuels, raised in Providence, Rhode Island by a Jewish mother and a Black father, is a Cave Canem Fellow and a nationally acclaimed performer. In this ground-breaking collection of poems, Samuels examines the beauty and contradictions of his own mixed identity with gut-wrenching narratives, humor, and passionate verve.
120 pages, Paperback
First published September 5, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
August 8, 2020
#ReadInterfaith ✨ Day 1
Today’s theme is “Poetry”✨
Here is your #blackjewishbookchallenge pick continued (see my previous post for an excerpt from this title):
📚 Yarmulkes & Fitted Caps
by Aaron Samuels
📚 Bookish Thoughts 💭
Multifaceted • Comfort Zone Shake-Up
Synopsis (via publisher): “Aaron Samuels, raised in Providence, Rhode Island by a Jewish mother and a Black father, is a Cave Canem Fellow and a nationally acclaimed performer. In this ground-breaking collection of poems, Samuels examines the beauty and contradictions of his own mixed identity with gut-wrenching narratives, humor, and passionate verve.”
❤️ This book really explores masculinity, Blackness, Jewishness, relationships, and family in a multitude of different poetic formats. Each poem was an exploration in personhood. It was very personal and felt much like reading someone’s diary, if not, raw autobiography.
This book contains a glossary to decipher Hebrew/ Yiddish terminology and concepts unique to both Jewish and Black culture for the author’s hometown. Additionally the appendix includes references, workshop inspirations and discussion prompts. At 113 pages, this was a very quick read!
I was especially intrigued by one particular poem incorporating Hebrew Alef-Bet, transliteration, translations, and their parallels to patterns in real world events. That one was especially genius in its creative exploration.
Lastly, the incorporation of Blackness and Jewishness such as in the piece entitled, “Letter from Octavia Butler to Rabbi Moses Maimonides” spoke to my Black & Jewish heart!
💔 Many of the poems were difficult or heart breaking to read. Trigger Warning! From suicide to racism and not limited to anti-semitism, please tread lightly as many of these poems are heavy.
✨ Recommendations: Everyone #readoutsideyourbubble
💋 xoxo,
Kat
P.S. Be sure to follow the hashtag #readinterfaith !
Also scheduled to post today for the #blackmuslimbookchallenge :
@theroadlessread
@s.musey
@engineeringbookisha
@Hawa.Reads
Like, Comment, Share to continue to #AmplifyBlackvoices & #AmplifyMelanatedVoices 👍🏾 Sincerely, #BlackGirlReading 📚
Today’s theme is “Poetry”✨
Here is your #blackjewishbookchallenge pick continued (see my previous post for an excerpt from this title):
📚 Yarmulkes & Fitted Caps
by Aaron Samuels
📚 Bookish Thoughts 💭
Multifaceted • Comfort Zone Shake-Up
Synopsis (via publisher): “Aaron Samuels, raised in Providence, Rhode Island by a Jewish mother and a Black father, is a Cave Canem Fellow and a nationally acclaimed performer. In this ground-breaking collection of poems, Samuels examines the beauty and contradictions of his own mixed identity with gut-wrenching narratives, humor, and passionate verve.”
❤️ This book really explores masculinity, Blackness, Jewishness, relationships, and family in a multitude of different poetic formats. Each poem was an exploration in personhood. It was very personal and felt much like reading someone’s diary, if not, raw autobiography.
This book contains a glossary to decipher Hebrew/ Yiddish terminology and concepts unique to both Jewish and Black culture for the author’s hometown. Additionally the appendix includes references, workshop inspirations and discussion prompts. At 113 pages, this was a very quick read!
I was especially intrigued by one particular poem incorporating Hebrew Alef-Bet, transliteration, translations, and their parallels to patterns in real world events. That one was especially genius in its creative exploration.
Lastly, the incorporation of Blackness and Jewishness such as in the piece entitled, “Letter from Octavia Butler to Rabbi Moses Maimonides” spoke to my Black & Jewish heart!
💔 Many of the poems were difficult or heart breaking to read. Trigger Warning! From suicide to racism and not limited to anti-semitism, please tread lightly as many of these poems are heavy.
✨ Recommendations: Everyone #readoutsideyourbubble
💋 xoxo,
Kat
P.S. Be sure to follow the hashtag #readinterfaith !
Also scheduled to post today for the #blackmuslimbookchallenge :
@theroadlessread
@s.musey
@engineeringbookisha
@Hawa.Reads
Like, Comment, Share to continue to #AmplifyBlackvoices & #AmplifyMelanatedVoices 👍🏾 Sincerely, #BlackGirlReading 📚
November 11, 2013
I came to this book after seeing one of the poems, “Special Delivery: The Blackest Jewish Kid Ever” on Facebook. It’s a fine poem and this is a fine book. The poems cover more than the exigencies of being both African American and Jewish. There are portrayals of family relationships, teen-aged maturation, and reformulations of biblical stories. Best of all, there is a glossary for readers unfamiliar with Jewish terms and an appendix with both poetic references and suggestions on how the poems may be used in a classroom situation.
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August 13, 2025I don't think I can give this collection a rating. I don't know what it feels like to be a Black or Jewish person in America so of course these poems didn't connect as well with me as they might with others.
The final two about his grandmother were excellent!
The final two about his grandmother were excellent!
August 25, 2020
Soul-affirming. Just the way poetry should be.
December 3, 2023
Thoughtful poems wrestling with what it means to be both Jewish and Black, alongside personal narratives and biblical midrash. I wasn't so impressed when I first dipped into the collection, but reading it as a book rather than as individual poems highlights interesting throughlines.
August 14, 2021
3.5 stars. I really liked the Black & Jewish connections and familiarity. Didn't necessarily actually love the poems. The one on ancestry was the best.
January 1, 2026
Creative structure, striking subject matter and cool to see familiar things in poetry
August 26, 2013
Aaron did something incredibly brave, sometimes dangerous, and ever-impactful: he put his neshama (soul) into this book.
Varying in styles yet always sticking to his core themes of identity, Aaron serves us a rich array of himself, from his heritage and ancestry to his childhood and the slurs that were thrown at him.
He does not present his poems as a vacuum of literary brilliance, but gives us context, roots, and seeds, as he attributes his sources and inspirations, and provides a lovely didactic appendix for students, burgeoning writers, and anyone who wants to discuss the themes of race and religion that form the spine of this book.
Finally, I could never give anything less than 5 stars to a book that honors Octavia Butler, especially one that "writes" a letter from her to a legendary Jewish scholar.
Enjoy.
Varying in styles yet always sticking to his core themes of identity, Aaron serves us a rich array of himself, from his heritage and ancestry to his childhood and the slurs that were thrown at him.
He does not present his poems as a vacuum of literary brilliance, but gives us context, roots, and seeds, as he attributes his sources and inspirations, and provides a lovely didactic appendix for students, burgeoning writers, and anyone who wants to discuss the themes of race and religion that form the spine of this book.
Finally, I could never give anything less than 5 stars to a book that honors Octavia Butler, especially one that "writes" a letter from her to a legendary Jewish scholar.
Enjoy.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews