Channeling Mark Twain: A Novel

by Carol Muske-Dukes

Fresh out of graduate school, Holly Mattox is a young, newly married, and spirited poet who moves to New York City from Minnesota in the early 1970’s. Hoping to share her passion for words and social justice, Holly is also determined to contribute to the politically charged atmosphere around her. Her to successfully teach a poetry workshop at the Women’s House of Detention on Rikers Island, only minutes from Manhattan.Having listened to her mother recite verse by heart all her life, Holly has always been drawn to poetry. Yet until she stands before a class made up of prisoners and detainees–all troubled women charged with a variety of crimes–even Holly does not know the full power that language can possess. Words are the only weapon left to many of these outspoken the hooker known as Baby Ain’t (as in “Baby Ain’t Nobody Better!”); Gene/Jean, who is mid-sex change; drug mule Never Delgado; and Akilah Malik, a leader of the Black Freedom Front.One woman in particular will change Holly’s life Polly Lyle Clement, an inmate awaiting transfer to a mental hospital upstate, one day announces that she is a descendant of Mark Twain and is capable of channeling his voice. And so begins Holly’s descent into the dark recesses of the criminal justice system, where in an attempt to understand and help her students she will lose her perspective on the nature of justice–and risk ruining everything stable in her life. As Holly begins an affairwith a fellow poet–who claims to know her better than she knows herself–she finds herself adrift between two ends of the social and political spectrum, between two men and two identities. National Book Award finalist Carol Muske-Dukes has created an explosive, mesmerizing novel exploring the worlds of poetry, sex, and politics in the unforgettable New York City of the seventies. Written with her trademark captivating language and emotional intuition, Channeling Mark Twain is Muske-Dukes’s most powerful work to date.From the Hardcover edition.

Genres: Fiction

288 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Carol Muske-Dukes (born in St. Paul, Minnesota, in 1945) is an American poet, novelist, essayist, critic, and professor, and the former poet laureate of California (2008–2011). Her most recent book of poetry, Sparrow (Random House, 2003), chronicling the love and loss of Muske-Dukes’ late husband, actor David Dukes, was a National Book Award finalist.

(from Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poetry, prison, and literature combine together in this story of expression and revelation through words.

[Kristen Lund · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love poetry and poetry playing a role in a book plot is always enjoyable. This novel is about a woman who teaches poetry at high-security prison for women near New York City. Several members of her class have mental illness, including the one who believes she is a descendent of Mark Twain. The poems the author attributes to these students are believable and moving. The the double plot involves the personal life of the poet/teacher and the lives (and jail break) of several of the inmates. It's a short book and moves quickly. I recommend it to anyone who likes poetry and believes in its power to help people understand life. No happy ending here, however.

[Jenna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Plot summary: Holly, a young and idealistic Minnesotan woman poet, comes to live in the Big Apple with her wholesome, rather boring husband, a neurology resident at Columbia Presbyterian. There, she starts teaching poetry writing to the female inmates on Rikers Island, an endeavor that, quite predictably, changes the way she views herself a woman, a poet, a wife, a daughter, a leftist, and a member of society.

There is a thought-provoking scene in which the poet and the doctor are discussing a patient who has fluent aphasia, a medical condition that makes all her utterances sound like nonsense. For example, when the patient tries to say, "Doctor, it's so cold; I need a shawl," the words come out as "Doctor, the windows are crying; I want to talk to you about the wings on my shoulders." The poet's instinctive response is to exclaim, "What lovely imagery she uses!", but the doctor, who is more pragmatic, says, "I think this patient is trying to tell us that she's cold and needs a shawl. Now, are you going to sit here and wax poetic about how lovely her imagery is, or are you going to give her that shawl?" At first, this rebuke deflates the poet, and she starts to wonder whether writing poetry is a useless activity compared to doctoring and social activism. In the end, though, she realizes that a great poem is just as real and tangible as a shawl or a gun, and a great poem therefore has real power to help its readers survive cold and dehumanizing situations.

Holly grapples with many of the issues that I'm interested in: how to reconcile a Midwestern past with an East Coast present, how to strike a balance in one's life between artistic ambitions and political concerns, how to find enough room in one's heart for both feminist views and the desire to be loved. Other than Holly, the characters in this book are rather one-dimensional and caricature-ish: in particular, the literary-magazine editor with whom Holly has an affair is an implausible, totally unlikable cad. But the prose is very readable, the first-person narrator is likable, and the characters (pimps, prostitutes, prison guards, and the like) have distinctive styles of speech that sound realistic and are enjoyable to read. Plus, this book provides a valuable window on prison life and the inner lives of the kind of people who end up there.

[YoSafBridg · Rating 2 out of 5]

If a novel were trying to talk big in an attempt to make itself look tough i think it just might be Channeling Mark Twain by Carol Muske-Dukes. This seems to be the first book in a while that didn't touch me personally, (other than reminding me of Vida~probably my least favorite Marge Piercy novel, or parts of The Handmaid's Tale, or my one ex-roommate). Before i figured out that it was actually set in the seventies i thought it was a little too hippy-heavy-handed~actually not a mixed metaphor however much it may sound like one.
I didn't find the narrating character all that likable~nor her motivations so easy to grasp~but with those caveats it wasn't the worst book i've ever read (hmmm...damning with faint praise anyone?) Holly Mattox is a Midwesterner (Minnesota to be exact in New York. She has just finished grad school, teaches at the New School and has some big ideas on social justice, feminism, radicalism, and all those other isms.
She has been part of an after-care program Women's House of Detention on Rikers Island and has just been granted permission to teach a poetry class there. One of the woman in her class, a Polly Lyle Clement, an epileptic inmate who was found floating in the East River and is currently awaiting transfer to a psychiatric facility (as about half the women in the detention center are), claims to be a direct descendent of Mark Twain and also claims to be gifted with "second sight", to be able to see into the future and the past and to be able to channel communication from her famous ancestor.
This was not an emotionally difficult book to read (nor was it painful to slog through). It was interesting despite my mis-connection and i'm not sorry i read it~though it did take me a while because i put it down several times (just not my highest recommendation here...)

[Mmars · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was really looking forward to reading this book. The theme fascinated me and I'd read good reviews. But unfortunately I finished it with mixed reviews.

What worked for me: Characterizations and conversations. The inmates are very well drawn and their interactions with each other and the narrator were compelling and interesting. The set-up of Riker's island and the first chapter drew me in. I enjoyed how she tied in Mark Twain and I liked the ending.

What didn't work: The narrator's self-centered and self-serving attitude quickly wore on me. I thought the book would be about the women and the role the poetry workshops played in their prison lives. Realistically (I guess) the interaction of the workshop had an impact, but the poetry itself was merely an excuse for the narrator's story. Possibly the most irritating thing about the whole book was that the story is written in a "popular" style (i.e. for the masses) but whenever Dukes wrote of poetry it just flew over my head and out the window - and I am an average poetry reader. Therefore, using a critical analysis, the book as a whole didn't work for me.

[Benjamin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is tough to grade, as there are elements of this book that I thought were perfectly handled (I found myself getting more and more wrapped up in the prisoners' meetings, and Polly Lyle came away as the true protagonist; the "writing about writing" aspect, which I often find tedious, was entertaining, especially the contrast between the Columbia classes and the inmates' lessons, the pacing felt right) while some parts were disappointing (I found little sympathy for Holly in the non-workshop scenes, as she struck me as hopelessly self-centered. I am weary of the heroine who feels trapped by the institutions of marriage and child-bearing. It was tedious when Edna Pontillier suffered through it, but at least that was before women's suffrage. Holly, it's not all about you. Get over yourself. And I cringed when I saw Gene/Jean for the first time... too dangerously close to the "Listen, Girlfriend" homosexual caricature for my taste). But ultimately, it was about writing without feeling cliched. A rare feat. As a teacher and a would-be poet myself, I have to support my people.

[Vanessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

You can tell that this is a poet writing a fiction book, which is not to say that it couldn't be enjoyed by someone who reads mainly fiction. Thematically, it is very preoccupied with poetry (it includes poetry, it discusses the process of poetry-writing and the protagonist is a poet). As a poetry-nerd, I loved this aspect of the book and then its focus on New York and the Women's House of Detention on Rilker's Island was fascinating. I don't know if the characters in this book are particularly likeable, not even Holly Mattox, from whose perspective we see almost everything, but that doesn't seem to be the point. I've recently bought 'Twin Cities', a kind of collection of Muske-Dukes poetry, and I can see that she has thematic preoccupations that crop up both in her poetry and in this work of fiction, which she explores in a unique way.

I also wouldn't be surprised if Holly Mattox is based loosely on experiences from the author's own life; when Mattox is teaching a poetry workshop she instructs her charges to 'write what they know' and I think that Muske-Dukes is doing just that.

[Coffeeboss · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is the late 70s, and a young idealistic woman named Holly goes to the "House of D" on Riker's Island in NYC to teach poetry to the women inmates. Initially volunteering to go to the prison because of a radical women's group that meant to pass money to the inmates to post bail, she decides she can be more helpful getting to know the women. The poetry workshop is full of a cast of colorful characters, including a woman who was part of a Black Panther-type group, and another with shock-white hair who claims Samuel Clemens (aka Mark Twain) was an ancestor of hers. The book is an enjoyable, fast read, and includes poetry created by the inmates. It is written in such a way that you can't help but wonder if the author wrote from her own experiences.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Carol Muske-Dukes draws you into the weird and frightening world of the women's unit on Rikers Island, populated by women with fractured lives and tormented minds. The narrator is an young idealistic poet teaching them poetry and trying to survive in the New York scene of the '70s, walking on eggs amongst the literary and revolutionary monsters of that time.
Best of all, the characters are fascinating and each one has a poem embedded in the novel.
The last 1/3 is when the book really engages, when Polly, the tragic, doomed and heroic woman with the connection to Mark Twain—comes to the fore.

[Pam · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am for the most part too pragmatic to really live in poetry - so my sympathies didn't really ly with Holly.

I liked the juxtaposition of 70s idealism between Holly and her husband (I saw some readers call him "boring" - but I think he was fighting just as hard as Holly - to make a difference and find out what someone might really need).

Her hobnobbing with glitterati was belittling to her character, I thought - see? I just didn't get her.

I did enjoy the class - I thought Molly was there much more for herself than for the students - and could argue that everyone who sets out to change the system is doing it for themselves.

[Wendy Brown-Baez · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a thought-provoking, hilarious, troubling description of teaching a writing workshop inside the pen, something I have always wanted to do. The combination of political idealism, the reality of prison life, the precise descriptions of the characters drew me right into the story. Holly's metamorphasis as she struggles to understand herself and what she wants from her life and as she brashly and naively stands up for what she believes is right added another layer of identification. I loved the "poems" that the inmates wrote.

[Samira · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am not sure that this is great literature, but it was a good read,which reminded me, in some ways, of Shakespeare behind Bars, only in novel form. (Shakespeare Behind Bars is presented as more of a memoir.) The basic premise is the same: young, idealistic, and somewhat naive teacher teaches in a Woman's prison and is botgh introduced to a horribly unfair system and,at times, is duped by the system.

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the best books I've read in a while. I found myself wanting to sit in on the poetry class the main character tought at Riker's Island. Holly Mattox is an inspiration. It was really hard to put down.

Fav. Quote from novel:

"The difference between the almost-right word & the right word is really a large matter-it's the difference between the lightening-bug & the lightening." - Mark Twain

[zespri · Rating 4 out of 5]

I happen to like poetry, so on reading the blurb on this book took this one home.

Holly Mattox is a young graduate with a passion for poetry and social justice. This finds its expression in teaching a poetry workshop on Rikers Island, to a group of women inmates. Holly's class is an interesting mix of prisoners, and as often happens, the teacher becomes the one who is 'taught'.

A well written, interesting read, especially if you like poetry.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book about a young Minnesotan transplant to NYC's Columbia who takes on the task of volunteering to teach a poetry class at Rykers Island Womens Detention Facility. Each chapter ends with a poem (loose term) composed by one of the inmates in her class. One student claims to be a direct descendant of Mark Twain's and piques the protagonist's interest.

[Lisa (Elizabeth)]

I was excited, as a poet, to read a book that was so steeped in poetry and a young author's struggles with writing. I loved reading about teaching on Riker's Island. I think the first half of the book was well tied together, and I liked the philosophical bent of the second half, but I felt as though Muske-Dukes got lost in a web of her own making at the end.

[Deborah Bogen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don't miss this

Maybe you were there...a white girl at the time of rising black power trying to be human, that is -- to do right and to claim your own life. Maybe not. Either way your spirit needs this book, these words which reach for reality and come so very close. Thank you Carol Muske-Dukes.

[Ann]

This story is set in the 60s and at first the political angst and relentless talk of fascist pigs and male chauvinists and Marx and Mao was cute, and then it just... wasn't. And I found that I didn't care what happened to these folks.

[gina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting. Woman teaches poetry to female inmates at Rikers Island in the 60s/70s (I don't remember exactly). I don't know much about poetry, but I found the concept fascinating. The main character went through a lot of growth throughout the book; fun to be a part of her journey.

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pimps, poetry and Mark Twain converge in a dingy classroom at the Women's Prison on Riker's Island. Incredibly honest and unmerciful portrait of how the stories you carry on your skin and can mingle with the experiences tucked away in your soul to become it's own poem.

[Nick · Rating 3 out of 5]

the best parts of this novel are set in the Women's Prison on Rikers Island in New York. Muske-Dukes is writing based on direct experience, and it shows in her vivid portrayal of prison life and the women who live it, as guards and inmates.

[Sheri Hansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an engaging, lovely book-a truly unique story. There were some parts I wish had been fleshed out better, but the story really captured the moment when naievete disapperars and real hope emerges.

[Tricia · Rating 1 out of 5]

That I need to re-read Twain and Keats! How idealistic we were in the 60's and how I once believed that poetry could return this country's soul and that it should be part of every day's adventures.

[Rima]

This book has some wicked lines and poetry by the prostitute inmates - a couple really chilling ones. The plot picks up at the end and wraps up nicely.

[Wendie Joy]

Still reading. Very intriguing. A little long in spots trying to develop the main character, but I still want to read on, so that is always good.

[Susieq · Rating 3 out of 5]

decent- sept 08 book group read. liked the poetry-main character is a writer & teaches poetry in women's prison @ Riker. Plot only so-so.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting novel--especially fun to read if you love language.

[Pleasantree · Rating 3 out of 5]

recommended by Bonnie Devereaux. Strange, but I enjoyed it.

[Toni Silver · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just started this for book group. Loving it!

[Tina · Rating 1 out of 5]

You have to love poetry for this one.