Trouble the Water: 250 Years of African American Poetry

by Jerry W. Ward Jr.

An anthology of African-American poetry represents 250 years of the black experience and includes works by such figures as Langston Hughes, Alice Walker, Rita Dove, and Colleen McElroy. Original.

Genres: Poetry

592 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published February 1, 1997

About the author

Jerry Washington Ward, Jr. is Professor of English at Dillard University.

Reviews

[Nikii · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I saw Trouble the Water, I was quick to pick it up, growing up I had hardly been taught any African American poetry, if so very little & just of those famous African American brothers & sisters. Though I'm white, I still believe they are my brothers & sisters & that's what compelled me to read this book, not just because I wanted to read poetry I haven't read before, but because I felt deprived of at least trying to understand & connect with them.
Trouble the Water was a book that not only had poetry of poets closer to modern times, but there were poems from those that lived during the time of slavery & during the Civil Rights times. The man who put the book together kept the language that it was originally written in & as you read you begin with the African-American poets of slavery times writing with the words that express the lives they endured expressed within their worlds. And as you move through the decades you see the themes of pains & struggles move through out the pages, but you see the hope that lays in many & of the lives of all, beyond that of the pain they endured & remembered.
With these poems they are expressed through many forms of the authors, which include jazz & blues lyrics as well, not just the many forms of poetry. These poems make you feel yourself with the authors & make the emotions of each one be remembered & never forgotten.
This book of poetry is from African-Americans, but within each poet is another shade of color that they express & shows through the pages that hold their words. You experience life, history, emotion, hope, faith, creativity, endurance, & reinvention with the pages of a time some forget we need to remember both of the good & of the bad.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. In this book, there are assorted peoms written by several different authors such as Allen Brown,Lucille Clifton, George Barlow, and Maya Angelou, and many more. I have always loved reading poetry and it was an enjoyable read. The poems varied from experiencing slavery, spirituality,feminism, relationships, and many more. There were different poetry styles such as rhythm, propse, and Haiku.