My House

by Nikki Giovanni

At the age of thirty, Nikki giovanni is one of the most influential black writers writing today. This, her second book of poetry, marks a new dimension in tone and philosophy—it is personal and autobiographical rather than political; it is also lively, loving, witty and occasionally tough-minded. Divided into two sections, the poems center around “her” house—the rooms inside as well as outside. She writes of mothers and their children, of childhood memories, of black leaders and black Africa. This is an important book by a black woman written in and of the ’70’s.

“Talent is light, but mature talent is a beacon and Nikki Giovanni has, by her own words, joined that small band of talented people who try to show us all the way to go home. “ —The Los Angeles Times

[ISBN: 0-688-05021-2]

Genres: Poetry, Banned Books, Social Justice, African American, Nonfiction, Anti Racist, African American Literature

69 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1972

About the author

Yolande Cornelia "Nikki" Giovanni Jr. was an American poet, writer, commentator, activist, and educator. One of the world's most well-known African-American poets, her work includes poetry anthologies, poetry recordings, and nonfiction essays, and covers topics ranging from race and social issues to children's literature. She won numerous awards, including the Langston Hughes Medal and the NAACP Image Award. She was nominated for a Grammy Award for her poetry album, The Nikki Giovanni Poetry Collection. Additionally, she was named as one of Oprah Winfrey's 25 "Living Legends". Giovanni was a member of The Wintergreen Women Writers Collective.
Giovanni gained initial fame in the late 1960s as one of the foremost authors of the Black Arts Movement. Influenced by the Civil Rights Movement and Black Power Movement of the period, her early work provides a strong, militant African-American perspective, leading one writer to dub her the "Poet of the Black Revolution". During the 1970s, she began writing children's literature, and co-founded a publishing company, NikTom Ltd, to provide an outlet for other African-American women writers. Over subsequent decades, her works discussed social issues, human relationships, and hip hop. Poems such as "Knoxville, Tennessee" and "Nikki-Rosa" have been frequently re-published in anthologies and other collections.
Giovanni received numerous awards and holds 27 honorary degrees from various colleges and universities. She was also given the key to over two dozen cities. Giovanni was honored with the NAACP Image Award seven times. One of her more unique honors was having a South America bat species, Micronycteris giovanniae, named after her in 2007.
Giovanni was proud of her Appalachian roots and worked to change the way the world views Appalachians and Affrilachians.
Giovanni taught at Queens College, Rutgers, and Ohio State, and was a University Distinguished Professor at Virginia Tech until September 1, 2022. After the Virginia Tech shooting in 2007, she delivered a chant-poem at a memorial for the shooting victims.

Reviews

[Celia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I recognize the fact that Nikki Giovanni is an award winning poet. She is known for her strong writing and appreciation of Afro-American culture.

After reading this group of poems, I feel I have a better appreciation as well.

3.25 stars

[Melki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nikki Giovanni's work proves that poetry can be more than just pretty words. Quite a few of the poems in this book offer fiery and tart social and political commentary.

From Atrocities:
at a moment when agnew could define hard and soft
drugs on the basis of his daughter's involvement
with them

I can't think of many other poets who write about receiving visits from the F.B.I.

Some of these poems, I loved. Some of them left me scratching my head.
Some of them, I loved only parts.

From When I Die:
but i do hope someone tells my son
his mother liked little old ladies with
their blue dresses and hats and gloves that sitting
by the window
to watch the dawn come up is valid that smiling at an old
man
and petting a dog don't detract from manhood

A good and simple lesson, don't you think?

[Randy Wolfenbarger · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a fan of crude.

[Bonnie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interested in more of my reviews? Visit my blog!

I blame my two-star review on the fact that I’m not nearly sophisticated enough to fully understand and appreciate poetry. I don’t get it half the time; although, I have read some poetry books and adored them so who knows what my problem was with this one.

I picked this up from my library after seeing it on the banned/challenged book list so of course I had to see what it was all about. There were some sections that I liked, but then there were some where she’d be talking about kissing and hugging and then she’d go off on a tangent and be talking about cooking pork chops. Again, maybe I just don’t understand poetry enough to appreciate it.

Overall though, my favorite one was:

‘The World is not a Pleasant Place to Be’

The world is not a pleasant place
To be without
Someone to hold and be held by

A river would stop
Its flow if only
A stream were there
To receive it

An ocean would never laugh
If clouds weren’t there
To kiss her tears

The world is not
A pleasant place to be without
Someone.

[Phobean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nikki Giovanni's poetry always delights me. It's fun, dangerous, smart, quick, and speaks to black experience as well as to the human experience. If you're not a black woman of American birth, you can get a taste of what's it like through Nikki's Giovanni's eyes. You might like it. You might want to stay a while.

[Hope Harrington · Rating 5 out of 5]

The only acceptable course of action if the c.i.a. show up to your house,

"after i finished a long loud stinky fart i said serenely
definitely though with love
fuck you"

[ronny · Rating 4 out of 5]

i only want to
be there to kiss you
as you want to be kissed
when you need to be kissed
where i want to kiss you
cause it's my house
and i plan to live in it

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a re-read of a book I have read several times before. Still powerful, still relevant although it was published in 1972.

[Cyndi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb and profound. Soulful and longing. Beautiful and rich. Ms Giovanni is a poet for the ages whose voice is informed by race, gender, culture, education and love. Her words stir my soul and never fail to move me.

[Tarosa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nikki Giovanni is my first favorite poet. She gets it and she's not pretentious about it. She is 100% badass and I love her forever.

[Robert T. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read these poems every few months. They make me feel human, safe, loved, real.

[Keith · Rating 3 out of 5]

In her fourth poetry collection, Nikki Giovanni continues to display her sharp sense of political and social commentary. My House was published in 1972 and is heavily influenced by the Black Rights Movements that the author was steeped in. “I Laughed When I Wrote It” is particularly bizarre and funny, touching on the poet’s visit from agents of the FBI. Giovanni also later gets a visit from agents of the CIA, who she greets with a “loud, stinky fart.” Still, I’d say that the poem that most struck a chord with me in this book is the quiet and touching “A Certain Peace.”


[Image: Book Cover of My House]

*
A Certain Peace

“it was very pleasant
not having you around
this afternoon
not that i don't love you
and want you and need you
and love loving and wanting and needing you

but there was a certain peace
when you walked out the door
and i knew you would do something
you wanted to do
and i could run
a tub full of water
and not worry about answering the phone
for your call
and soak in bubbles
and not worry whether you would want something
special for dinner
and rub lotion all over me
for as long as i wanted
and not worry if you had a good idea
or wanted to use the bathroom

and there was a certain excitement
when after midnight you came home
and we had coffee
and i had a day of mine
that made me as happy
as yours did you”
*

***************************************************************************

[Image: Book Cover of The Collected Poetry of Nikki Giovanni, 1968-1998]

Citation:
Giovanni, N. (2008). My house. In V. C. Fowler, Ed., The Collected Poetry, 1968-1998 (eBook; pp. 189-245). Harper Collins e-books. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00... (Original work published 1972)

Title: My House
Author(s): Nikki Giovanni (1943-2024)
Year: 1972
Genre: Poetry
Date(s) read: 3/2/25
Book 49 in 2025
***************************************************************************

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun, smart, surprising collection in which Nikki Giovanni deftly personalizes the political, exploring her Black identity in the time of the Black Panther Party and the Nixon administration. This is my first experience with Nikki Giovanni's poetry, and I found it full of delightful turns of phrase and terrific command of the poetic line. Some of my favorites were the "Africa" poems, "Nothing Makes Sense," "I Laughed When I Wrote It (Don't You Think It's Funny?)," and "My House."

I picked it up on a whim at my library, at first drawn to it because the copy they have is a 1972 first edition. The cover design, texture of the pages and type setting, the old institutional stamps, the check-out date card on the back endpaper , and light pencil marking under the occasional line made me feel like I was entering into a long conversation. Something about the physical book's reminders of time gone by made me feel closer to the historical moment Giovanni interacts with in her poems. I really enjoyed it. Its delights have a bite to them.

From "I Laughed When I Wrote It (Don't You Think It's Funny?)" in which Giovanni imagines the CIA showing up at her house:

"after i finished a long loud stinky fart i said serenely
definitely though with love
fuck you"

[Josieee · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book of Giovanni’s poems that I turn to time and time again! After each of her poems, I am left with an incredible moment of sonder.

One of my favorites:

A Certain Peace
by Nikki Giovanni

it was very pleasant
not having you around
this afternoon
not that i don't love you
and want you and need you
and love loving and wanting and needing you

but there was a certain peace
when you walked out the door
and i knew you would do something

you wanted to do
and i could run
a tub full of water
and not worry about answering the phone
for your call
and soak in bubbles
and not worry whether you would want something
special for dinner
and rub lotion all over me
for as long as i wanted
and not worry if you had a good idea
or wanted to use the bathroom

and there was a certain excitement
when after midnight you came home
and we had coffee
and i had a day of mine
that made me as happy
as yours did you

[Vee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm vaguely familiar with the author's name but never read her work. Now I have to correct that mistake. I'm saving "A Certain Peace" and "Poem - for Nina" to reread and enjoy occasionally.

Note to self: I like to read poetry quietly and slowly in order to digest it properly. I can read novels during my commute on public transportation but not poetry.

[Thomas McDade · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I die

when i die i hope no one who ever hurt me cries
and if they cry i hope their eyes fall out
and a million maggots that had made up their brains
crawl from the empty holes and devour the flesh
that covered the evil that passed itself off as a person
that i probably tried
to love

Nikki Giovanni

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nikki Giovanni's recent passing has pushed me to read and reread her deeply human work. My House, published in 1972, is representative of her voice filled with humor, anger, awareness, hope, love - in short, the fullness of being a person and a poet in her family, her neighborhood, the political sphere and the entire world. Highly recommended.

[Carmenn Sandiego · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tender. Personal but still private. Interesting to see her progression from earlier works. Not too jaded. Mix of rhymes and rhythms. Liked seeing its period-specific references & wrapping some current ones back to it. Liked the Africas & the independence throughout.

[Shelby Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

absolutely love this book.

this book is so powerful even if it was written in the 1970’s this book is still sadly known and relevant in these days of ages. it gives you a perspective of how hard it is to be a black women in America.

[Avery · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

“i’m giving up
on language
my next book will be blank
pages of variously textures and hues
i have touched in
certain spots and patterns
and depending upon the mood the reader can come
with me or take me somewhere else”

[Terry Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

I appreciated the mix of narrative and social commentary that these presented. Reading poetry is still not a strength of mine, so I’ll either take a class some day or keep reading to get what I get from it.

[Cynthia · Rating 5 out of 5]

My mother gave me this book when I was in college and I loved loved loved it. Where has my copy gone?

[Jorge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nikki Giovanni is a "word magician!"

[Amber Manning · Rating 5 out of 5]

“i have built my tower on the wings of a spider/ spinning slippery daydreams of paperdoll fantasies/ i built my tower on the beak of a dove/ pecking peace to a needing woman”

[Michelle Hamlyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

So many good poems in here. Some touching, some enlightening, some hilarious with a historical eye.

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Emotional, thought provoking, deep. This book of poetry was beautiful.

[Lexi Morasquezo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found that My House, by Nikki Giovanni, was a very insightful book. Her words cut deep, with every stanza, and her tones were humorous and serious at the same time. Nikki's experiences, and stories hold so much emotion, I was almost overwhelmed, almost. The emotion and confliction of her words were inspiring, and saddening, full of happiness all at the same time. I enjoyed this book very much because it gave me a full on look at someone else's experiences and memories. Every description she gives showed itself in my mind clearly.
Nikki Giovanni's poems in this book are wonderful and full of emotion and experience. Everything captures the attention, and keeps you wanting to read more. I recommend this book for every poet, and poetry lover. And for those who thrive off of emotion, I also recommend this book for.

[Brendan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: Soft 4.

Foreword by Ida Lewis, friend and sometimes editor. Themes include being black in America, individualism, family, and celebrity. The poems are divided into two sections: The Rooms Inside and The Rooms Outside. Most of (if not all) the pieces were written between 1970 and 1972. She went a bit off the deep end in "Atrocities", but on the whole I found this collection to be more inclusive than The Women and the Men.

Favorites:
"Mixed Media" - art on her wall
"[Untitled]" - after the love
"Poem" - older black women
"We" - She nailed the format on this one.

an ocean would never laugh
if clouds weren't there
to kiss her tears
- "The World Is Not a Pleasant Place to Be"

and my windows might be dirty
but it's my house
and if I can't see out sometimes
they can't see in either
- "My House"

[Cara Byrne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Giovanni's work has always intrigued me - and this collection is no exception. It's skillfully written and full of passionate, funny, dark, biting poems that linger. She does a nice job navigating between the interiors and exteriors of her "house." The first section, titled "The Rooms Inside" are filled with poems about memory, family, vulnerability and love, while "The Poems Outside" engage in thematic readings of political movements, celebrity, government, and internationalism. My favorites lean towards the first section, including "Untitled," "Poem for Nina," and "Mothers." I'm also interested in the accompanying illustrations, of which are not signed nor attributed to a particular artist.

[Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nikki Giovanni's "My House" is a delectable collection of
poems. In "My House" Giovanni breaks from her earlier more political verse and moves toward a confessional
poem form that sees the universality in the personal. Her voice is vibrant - especially in 'Conversation' and my favorite 'Just a New York Poem.' The reader feels Giovanni gaining conviction in her own work as the authority of knowing through experiencing resonates on each page. Her poems, short and relatable, conjur up specific images. Giovanni's political stances and passion for social justice are evident throughout the collection, but in this book it seems Giovanni recognizes there is a layer of truth deeper and more compelling than debating policy might bring to the surface. She focuses on love.