Taking the Arrow Out of the Heart

by Alice Walker

Winner of the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work – Poetry

Alice Walker, author of the National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning The Color Purple—“an American novel of permanent importance” (San Francisco Chronicle)—reads the English-language editions of the poems in her new bi-lingual collection, a collection that is both playfully imaginative and intensely moving.

Alice Walker shares a timely volume of nearly seventy works of passionate and powerful poetry that bears witness to our troubled times, while also chronicling a life well-lived. From poems of painful self-inquiry, to celebrating the simple beauty of baking frittatas, Walker offers us a window into her magical, at times difficult, and liberating world of activism, love, hope and, above all, gratitude. Whether she’s urging us to preserve an urban paradise or behold the delicate necessity of beauty to the spirit, Walker encourages us to honor the divine that lives inside all of us and brings her legendary free verse to the page once again, demonstrating that she remains a revolutionary poet and an inspiration to generations of fans.

Genres: Poetry, Audiobook, Nonfiction, Social Justice, African American, Feminism, Contemporary

288 pages, Audiobook

First published October 2, 2018

About the author

Noted American writer Alice Walker won a Pulitzer Prize for her stance against racism and sexism in such novels as The Color Purple (1982).

People awarded this preeminent author of stories, essays, and poetry of the United States. In 1983, this first African woman for fiction also received the national book award. Her other books include The Third Life of Grange Copeland , Meridian , The Temple of My Familiar , and Possessing the Secret of Joy . In public life, Walker worked to address problems of injustice, inequality, and poverty as an activist, teacher, and public intellectual.

Reviews

[Kyra Leseberg (Roots & Reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alice Walker's latest collection of poems written mainly in 2015-2016, while full of sadness and anger, contains unwavering hope. Compiled here are many powerful tributes to people she has admired and respected in her lifetime; including Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and B. B. King. She laments over war, hatred, and poverty while managing to take these arrows out of her heart to speak of hope over hurt.
Reading these poems slowly over a period of four days, I could feel Walker looking back over her life, reminiscing on the events that shaped her and the events that she herself helped to shape; grieving the loss of people she has cared for; voicing her frustration over the struggle of history repeating itself.
A passionate plea to readers to acknowledge the current state of loss and despair across the globe, Walker uses her poems as a type of intervention; a way to show us that we are not alone in our confusion, guilt, or suffering.
Taking the Arrow Out of the Heart is a bold and powerful collection of poems from an inspiring revolutionary of the written word.

Thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Katrina (Catching up on Reviews) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Taking the Arrow Out of the Heart by Alice Walker is a beautiful and moving collection of poetry. Some of the poems reflect on a life well-lived and fulfilled, while others are deeply touching, capturing lives that never fully had the chance or opportunity to flourish.

Walker’s poetic style is both graceful and powerful—thought-provoking in the most profound ways.

[Stephanie ((Strazzybooks)) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to receive an ARC from a local bookstore in NY, while on a recent road trip. I love The Color Purple so I was happy to read this lovely book of poems. This book is beautiful, though it deals with tough subject matters like the effects of war on children -it raises questions of how we can continue on with love in the face of such injustices. The poems inspired me and spoke to my curiosity, compassion, and womanhood.
Alice Walker has lead a rich, full, global life, and I was interested in reading her thoughts. I found some of the ideas to have some slight naivete (or chosen ignorance), but through reading it I felt more connected with humanity and the world as a whole. ALSO - it's bilingual!!! Spanish and English.
Highly recommended for fans of poetry, Alice Walker, or those who need something more from the world right now.

[rebel · Rating 3 out of 5]

It started out as a 4 (which for me means good but not wonderful)....and then the allusions to reptilian conspiracy theory started creeping in. At first it was so vague that I was like, "Wait, did she just- ?" So I looked it up and yeah, Alice Walker is a supporter of David Icke, an anti-Semite and "a conspiracy theorist who claims shapeshifting reptilian aliens control Earth by taking on human form and gaining political power to manipulate human societies" (Wikipedia). (When I say anti-Semite, I mean that he says Jews funded the Holocaust, and many of the people he names as reptilian overlords are Jewish.) But by the end of the book I needn't have bothered looking it up, since she was just coming right out and talking about the reptilian leaders of the world. There's even a poem called "Who the Annunaki Saw?" (The Annunaki is one of the terms Icke uses to refer to the "reptilian overlords," which I learned from the Wikipedia article.)

These references were interspersed with and sometimes mixed into many, many poems empathizing with the Palestinian people. I also believe that Palestine should be free and that Israel is committing genocide against them. But I can believe that while still believing Israelis are human, not scaly aliens in disguise. So it was interesting and concerning to see how a nutty conspiracy theory has taken hold of someone who shares some of my beliefs and who is regarded as a respected cultural leader and thinker.

So this book is difficult to rate because of that. There were a few parts that really touched me. There were many parts that were good. And then there were reptilian overlords, again and again and again.

(And I can't find a single review here that mentions them so I was like, "Fine, I'll put it in a review myself!"

[Tom McDonald · Rating 5 out of 5]

Note: I received a digital review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

Alice Walker delivers a series of deeply meditative observations on the fractured events of recent global, political history. Her voice is so immediately personal that the poems themselves feel more conversational than abstract flights of lyricism, as personal as the letters of The Color Purple.

Walker is truly a humanist spirit, weathered from the years of international indecency we as a collective perpetuate against one another. Though she posits a bare mirror for us to reflect, it seems the reflection is the therapy in itself. Walker is not explosive or declamatory or incendiary; she does not rouse the reader to take some dramatic action to combat social injustice. Rather, she seems to caution, just be aware of what is happening around us. The voice in these poems is quiet and stark.

Naturally, race is covered, as well as gender, but war and its wide scale effects seem to absolutely preoccupy her attention, especially since those directly affected so often have the smallest voices.

Many of the pieces included are tributes to those she has known through her life, both personally and historically, reinforcing this concept of meditation. Indeed, her level of consciousness is precisely what is needed in this overwhelming existential climate today.

[Zitong Ren · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF at page 106/131.

Most of the poems here are so deep and full of meaning and philosophical thoughts and they are truely beautiful, but if I am being honest, I am not someone that reads poetry, and in fact this is my first proper ‘poetry’ book discounting verse novels and reading poetry in a large amount like this, is not really something that I should be doing, especially when the books I read are generally fantasy.

The rating is not that the poems were bad, but rather because I just could not put in the effort to put it one last push to finish it, and it should only take like 10 minutes, but I’m tapping out as I simply cannot be stuffed to finish reading them.

[K2 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a GreatRead short and All....Prolific and Heartfelt writing, were Morrison is Thunder, Walker is Most Definitely Lightening. This short contains poems about life and love and will definitely inspire, always sweet to the touch even the most poignant ones Walkers poems sure will please.

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the Alice Walker books I read in April for National Poetry Month, so I was excited to find this new collection of poems by the author. The collection contains the English poems and Spanish translations by Manuel Garcia Verdecia. The collection is perhaps focused a bit too much on the ills of society and philosophically aligned further left than my own leanings. While I agree with the author's points of social injustices, I think the way we would address them differs a great deal. I still enjoy the rhythm of the author's poetry. I even read a few of the poems in both languages, mainly to see if I was still able to read and comprehend in Spanish. As far as I can tell, the translator did a very good job--and I was able to comprehend more than expected. I received an advance electronic galley through the publisher via NetGalley with expectations of an honest review.

[Kent Winward · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it, but it is a sign of the times when even poetry seems partisan.

[William Lawrence · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is poetry at its best. Walker is outspoken about society, politics, history, major figures of our times. There's no dancing around the problems. This is the real world. Walker presents ideas, concepts, and feelings gracefully. Honestly, her fiction never drew me in the way her poetry does. This was one of the best collections I've ever read.

[Dele Haynes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a collection of 70 poems that are a reflection of our times. They also give a little insight into Alice Walker's life and the many paths she has walked down. Many of these short poems held very strong messages. I'll probably return to these poems many time.

[Krystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alice Walker provides readers a much needed meditation on issues past and current, with wisdom and insight galore!

[Nathaniel Darkish · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well-written poetry with a good message, but just not what I look for in terms of style or content for the most part in my personal poetry preferences.

[Salem ☥ · Rating 3 out of 5]

"How peculiar it feels to speak about health care in America
taking care of people's health
while our government bombs the limbs off children
in faraway lands.
And starves and imprisons
not a few of them at home.
How odd
that it seems
not obviously known
that true health care
must mean, at minimum,
deliberate non-harming of anyone?"

With many beautiful poems about Palestine, I was disheartened to also find blatant antisemitism. (Eg: The lizard conspiracy theory and supporting the idea that jewish people are running society.)

I ended up looking through her Wikipedia page, and she tries to deflect her antisemitism by insinuating she's only seen as antisemitic for supporting Palestine which is far from the case. Sad.

[Jessica Russell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this would be quick- it’s only a 2 hour audiobook- but the poems are so heavy that I had to take breaks. It’s clear that Alice Walker feels deeply for the people of the world, and her subjects are heartbreaking and true. I loved hearing the poems in her voice. This fulfills prompt 8 of the Book Riot 2020 ReadHarder challenge- read an audiobook of poetry.

[Kirsten Tattersall · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Alice Walker's collection of poems is brimming with anger and sorrow but also incredible hope. I found myself crying through several parts of it.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found some of it lovely, some of it grim and some of it rather difficult to wrap my head around.
The author has a voice that's pleasant to listen to, so I'm glad I chose the audio edition.
(BTW, both listings for the audiobook say they're bilingual; but for whatever reason, the edition I found was English only.)

[Tamara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read!

[Alec · Rating 4 out of 5]

One year with an arrow in my heart

Some beautiful stuff here. Wasn't exactly what I wanted, but the way it opens up beyond the instinctively personal is humbling in a way that I may have needed

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fearless love.

[Amethyst · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alice Walker is a decades-long activist. This book of poetry from 2018 is a source of hope in times of peril. Recited in her own voice, the audiobook is a gift. ‘Ancestors Never Sleep’ and ‘Hope is a Woman Who Has Lost Her Fear’ were standouts among many greats.

[Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Initial reaction: I really appreciated this collection of poems from Alice Walker, which featured about 70 poems in English as well as translations into Spanish. Many of these poems relate to current issues with race, the political climate, and even the #MeToo movement. I think the collection became stronger as it went on through the book, with careful attention to language and imagery.

Full review:

This is the first collection of poems that I've read in a long while, and I feel justified in saying that if I could jump back into reading poetry after a bit of hiatus, I'm glad that it ended up being Alice Walker that I picked up a collection from. I've read some of her other collective works (namely the reissue "Revolutionary Petunias" of more recent note). Giving a bit of background, I was browsing the bookstore and saw this prominently featured during Black History Month this past year in my local uni bookstore. The cover and title caught my eye, as well as the fact it features poems in English and Spanish. I couldn't buy it at the time, so I made a note to come back to it. Later found it in my library and had the chance to read it.

This is a collection of about 70 different poems written in English, which are also featured in a Spanish translation of each poem. The reason for this is given in the beginning notes of the book, as Walker notes her translator - Manuel Garcia Verdecia - is a respected poet and writer in Cuba. The poems featured here, written between the years of 2015 and 2016, feature a wide range of topics for the reader to peruse. They center on themes of persecution and triumph over adversity, particularly noting the tumultuous political climate of the aforementioned years. Walker does not mince words in any of her poems about how she views these conflicts, losses, and struggles among a wide range of different people and events. Just a few of the poems featured include the passings of Muhammad Ali, Chelsea Manning, BB King, and Julian Bond, the 50th anniversary of MLK's death, Palestinian struggles, refugee persecution, survivors in the #MeToo movement, among other stuggles in the vein of race, class, and ideology. I appreciated all of the poems collectively, though I think they varied in quality, with some of the stronger poems coming up as the book progressed onward. Some poems opt for simplicity and directness, while some of the others are more vivid with imagery in concise notations.

Overall, this was a collection of poems I respected and appreciated for what they offered. I will likely pick this up to add to my personal library when I have the chance.

Overall score: 4/5 stars.

[Meredith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love poems. It’s comforting to hear men and women feel things—even if they don’t feel the same as me—because they’re feeling strongly! And they didn’t post it all over social media, or with a loud selfie.

No, they wrote it down and stored it up, maybe took it out and edited it, burnished it like a rock in a tumbler. Then they quietly published it in a book where only the nerds who visit the poetry section might read it. Quiet little secrets shared on paper instead of shouted to thousands of followers, demanding attention.

Alice felt things I felt, or that made me think she’d understand some things I’ve experienced; and, maybe if I were lucky, she’d feel comfortable enough sharing some of her stories with me if we ever drank tea or stronger stuff together.

Some of my favorite lines:

“There used to be such a thing as melodrama...”

“There is a way forward
and yes
it is with a broken
heart
but it is our own way
collectively convened,
pondered,
shared.
The Circle (call all your friends!),
like the church
in all our struggles
an extension
of our unshakably
trustworthy
and consoling
arms.”

“They are crazy. This might only be cured
with isolation but there are so many and they are everywhere.”

“As usual Hope is a woman”

“And when they spy
on us
let them discover
us
loving—“

“Never pass up
an opportunity
to kiss”

[Miriam Cihodariu · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the personal style of the poems, their heartfelt and honest simplicity, their sole purpose being to convey meaning and feeling instead of displaying masterful artifice. It reads like a breath of fresh air and you can tell how genuine they all are.

I also liked some of the imagery, the sense of being a citizen of the world, the wonderful compassion seeping though all poems. Many of them are dedicated to various people, known and less known, and read like elegies, acknowledgments and thank you notes. I think this is wonderful.

I have to confess I was a bit troubled by the positive nods towards people who would be described as controversial (like Hugo Chavez), and this takes a bit out of the poetry's feeling, for me. At the same time, I admire Alice Walker's strength of conviction and the passion with which she supported her values and ideals, through poetry as well as through her activism career.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really gorgeous collection of poems that are both intensely political and intensely personal (which is always the case). Each poem is presented first in Spanish and then in English, and as a bilingual reader, I loved reading them that way and having different parts of each poem hit me in different ways in the two languages. My favorites were “Refugees,” “The Dancing Shack,” “You Were Sixteen,” “What Is to Be Done? Who Is to Do It?” (probably my favorite), “Banning Cruelty,” and “I Believe the Women.”

[Alyse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poems about grief and love and suffering and hope. My heart and soul needed these.

“Never pass up an opportunity to kiss
That sweet, futile, but delectable attempt to touch and to experience that most secret consciousness
Of a being you may never know”

I mean come on! My heart can’t take it.

[Kara Paes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Atria for the free review copy via Netgalley.
Absolutely breathtaking collection of poetry. I truly felt all the highs and lows throughout her poems. I also loved that she dedicated the poems to various people. So relevant for this day in age and beautifully done.

[Val Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was just what my heart needed during this tumultuous time in the United States. It was like a hug, a warm fireplace, and when I finished it felt like I had a well deserved cry.

[keondra freemyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

not my favorite walker poetry collection but i enjoyed her sentiments in this work. i am grateful that walker is still writing and chronicling the injustices of our time.

[melhara · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5/5

I don’t normally read poetry (aside from Dr. Seuss 😏) but I figured I’d give it a shot as Taking the Arrow Out of the Heart is one of the Goodreads nominees for the poetry category. Perhaps I don’t know how to appreciate this specific style of poetry (or maybe it’s just poetry in general) but this book wasn’t really for me.

Most of the poems in this collection consists of commentaries on social injustices happening around the world (namely in the Palestines and Africa). Pretty sad and depressing stuff…

I appreciated some of these sad poems more than others. Such as Wherever You Are Grieving:

It does not matter to me:
wherever you are grieving
whether Paris, Damascus, Jerusalem, Bamako,
Mexico or Beirul or New York City
my heart, too, is bruised
and dragging.

Half of this book has been translated to Spanish because Alice Walker apparently has a lot of Cuban fans. While this seems like a great opportunity for me to practice and learn Spanish, I found it hard to appreciate both the English and Spanish poetry (although, if a Spanish-speaking gentleman is willing to read me some spanish poetry, then by all means, go ahead 😉).

Although... I did kind of enjoyed the dark and sad poem They Will Always Be More Beautiful Than You (which I’m sure sounds better in Spanish). Here’s an excerpt:

But what does this mean
for broken humanity?

Selfie this.

In Spanish, it translates to:

Pero ¿qué significa eso
para la humanidad destrozada?

Hazte una foto haciendo esto.

I don’t really understand Spanish but it looks and sounds very poetic.

As mentioned previously in this review, most of these poems are pretty depressing. I mean, even the poem about making frittatas was bittersweet. There were probably only three or four poems that were less depressing and contained hope. Sweet People are Everywhere is probably the happiest poem from this collection.