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The Other Side: Shorter Poems
A Coretta Scott King Honor book pays poetic tribute to an Alabama town on its way to extinction, as seen by a teenager returning there, where she grew up. Reprint.
64 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1998
3 people are currently reading
55 people want to read
About the author
Angela Johnson
128 books269 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Angela Johnson is the author of the Coretta Scott King Honor picture book When I Am Old with You; as well as A Sweet Smell of Roses, illustrated by Eric Velasquez; Just Like Josh Gibson, illustrated by Beth Peck; and I Dream of Trains, which was also illustrated by Loren Long. She has won three Coretta Scott King Awards, one each for her novels Heaven, Toning the Sweep, and The First Part Last. In recognition of her outstanding talent, Angela was named a 2003 MacArthur Fellow. She lives in Kent, Ohio.
Angela Johnson is the author of the Coretta Scott King Honor picture book When I Am Old with You; as well as A Sweet Smell of Roses, illustrated by Eric Velasquez; Just Like Josh Gibson, illustrated by Beth Peck; and I Dream of Trains, which was also illustrated by Loren Long. She has won three Coretta Scott King Awards, one each for her novels Heaven, Toning the Sweep, and The First Part Last. In recognition of her outstanding talent, Angela was named a 2003 MacArthur Fellow. She lives in Kent, Ohio.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
November 7, 2015
I sat down and read this short (44 pages) book of poetry in about a half hour--not the ideal way to read poetry, I realize, but this is clearly intended for a younger audience--an audience who perhaps hasn't had much exposure to other poets or poems. If I was teaching middle or high school, I would absolutely use this, but none of the poems in this collection are appropriate for university classes.
Johnson's bittersweet poems tell her stories of growing up in Shorter, Alabama and moving north. The poems, while brief, do convey clearly the love she has for her grandmama and the stress of moving to Ohio--she writes in "Nineties" that she "Had to leave the South / to hear somebody call me a nigger" (42). Other poems detail her father's PTSD from being in Vietnam, her grandmother's desire to have her learn piano (to "get a little culture"), and life in rural AL. A great primer for young kids, these poems are accessible, readable, and can relate to the struggles many still inevitably face today.
Johnson's bittersweet poems tell her stories of growing up in Shorter, Alabama and moving north. The poems, while brief, do convey clearly the love she has for her grandmama and the stress of moving to Ohio--she writes in "Nineties" that she "Had to leave the South / to hear somebody call me a nigger" (42). Other poems detail her father's PTSD from being in Vietnam, her grandmother's desire to have her learn piano (to "get a little culture"), and life in rural AL. A great primer for young kids, these poems are accessible, readable, and can relate to the struggles many still inevitably face today.
October 15, 2017
Young readers will enjoy this collection of poems committed to depicting the life of a young African American girl growing up in Shorter, Alabama. Each poem gives us a view of the life and people, along with the experiences of life in these times. The poems are simple to read, but powerful. Students can use this poetry book in a social studies unit on cultural diversity.
October 4, 2019
This book was out of my comfort zone but I really enjoyed it. It is short poems written by a young African American girl growing up in Alabama. She writes of her life and her feelings, and expresses so much emotion through her poems.
August 26, 2023
The power of place is real! I love how Angela Johnson blends past and present and people through the common denominator of Shorter, Alabama. Great collection!
December 11, 2012
Genre: Junior Poetry
Summary:
These poems tell of the love/hate relationship that the young poet has with her hometown of Shorter, Alabama, which is a city that was eventually torn down in order to build a racetrack. She tells stories of herself, family members, and friends. There are also photos throughout the book that help the reader connect with the characters in the poems.
Critique:
(a) The book gives accurate accounts of the way of life for young African Americans in this southern town during the time period. The accounts are personal and combined with the photos give a very realistic view of their way of life for the reader.
(b) The poems are presented in a way that allows the reader to feel as if they can relate to the experiences, even though most of them readers of today have never encountered. She tells the stories simply and poignantly. The photos provide a wonderful element that enhances the experiences that are told through the poems.
(c) The photos are dispersed throughout the book and are somewhat fuzzy which is an odd way contributes to the story that is talking about an almost forgotten way of life in this and other small towns.
Curriculum Connection:
This book would be a wonderful tool when presenting a literary unit about poetry or a history unit about African American history in the south during this time period.
Summary:
These poems tell of the love/hate relationship that the young poet has with her hometown of Shorter, Alabama, which is a city that was eventually torn down in order to build a racetrack. She tells stories of herself, family members, and friends. There are also photos throughout the book that help the reader connect with the characters in the poems.
Critique:
(a) The book gives accurate accounts of the way of life for young African Americans in this southern town during the time period. The accounts are personal and combined with the photos give a very realistic view of their way of life for the reader.
(b) The poems are presented in a way that allows the reader to feel as if they can relate to the experiences, even though most of them readers of today have never encountered. She tells the stories simply and poignantly. The photos provide a wonderful element that enhances the experiences that are told through the poems.
(c) The photos are dispersed throughout the book and are somewhat fuzzy which is an odd way contributes to the story that is talking about an almost forgotten way of life in this and other small towns.
Curriculum Connection:
This book would be a wonderful tool when presenting a literary unit about poetry or a history unit about African American history in the south during this time period.
March 23, 2015
Angela Johnson’s books always take me by surprise. She never fails to amaze me with how clear and efficient she is with words and with how she manages to tease deep meaning from her characters’ unique personalities. I particularly enjoyed her poem, “Party,” which I felt embodied the true essence of the book. In it, she describes a party thrown in her honor as she prepares to move north. The entire first half of the poem is joyful in tone, describing good friends and good food and capturing the spirit of the town in the process, however, it quickly becomes pensive and woeful as the author prepares to leave her childhood as she remembers it behind in a cloud of Greyhound dust.
March 16, 2010
In "The Other Side: Shorter Poems", Angela Johnson shares her life with readers. We learn about her through what seems like snapshots. Each poem reveals a little about her and the reader keeps going in hopes of piecing together Johnson's life. Along the way, we learn of her love for the red dirt of Alabama, her realization that you can't count on much, the effects of war on her father and the pain of racism. I recommend this book for grades three and up.
Read
October 6, 2016This had some really interesting poems, I dont think you would read this aloud becuase it is more complex and the children may not find it fun. They are like stories of their life but in poem form and they go through different events. It was really cool to read and it won an award. It has a lot of memories of the authors life and reliving them. There isnt really any pattern to the poems. They have a lot of words and are more serious than they are funny
April 25, 2015
1999 CSK Author Honor
Initially, I wanted to give this 2 stars because I've read much better titles on this same topic and style, however i took into account that the ones I really like were published more recently. I took into account the time period this particular book was published.
suitable for teens as well.
Initially, I wanted to give this 2 stars because I've read much better titles on this same topic and style, however i took into account that the ones I really like were published more recently. I took into account the time period this particular book was published.
suitable for teens as well.
December 5, 2011
Angela Johnson tells about her life in Shorter, Alabama and moving away through poems. She describes the differences between the South and North. She also talks about how different it is for her to leave Alabama than it is for her Grandma.
October 24, 2007
Poems about the author's childhood memories in Shorter, Alabama.
February 12, 2010
I enjoyed reading this book, it was like reading a story with a poetic style.
March 9, 2009
Our identity is often integrally tied to the place(s) we live.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews