Voices in the Air: Poems for Listeners
By Lucinda Dyer,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Captivating, unforgettable collection of free-verse poems.
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What you will—and won't—find in this book.
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What's the Story?
In VOICES IN THE AIR, readers discover that Maya Angelou "loved the jingle of the massive key ring carried by cable car conductors" and that John Steinbeck would sharpen 24 pencils each day and write until they were dull. Nye writes about eating Chinese food with friends in Georgia and the challenges of being a first-grader in a fifth-grade poets' workshop. In "Unbelievable Things," she remembers wearing a gray linen shift dress when having lunch with the president of Finland and a shopping cart stolen in a Home Depot parking lot. She recalls a day spent with Jack Kerouac’s widow, Stella, where they "talked, ate tuna fish, pawed through closets and didn't answer the phone." Poems like "What Do Palestinians Want" reflect her own background as the child of an American mother and a Palestinian refugee journalist father, who grew up in St. Louis, Jerusalem, and San Antonio, Texas.
Is It Any Good?
These poems will inspire readers to slow down, turn off their digital devices, and find a quiet place to lose themselves in an unforgettable collection of free verse. For readers who may be intimidated by the unfamiliar names of artists and writers in Voices in the Air, there's a section of biographical notes with a few lines about each person. An index of first lines makes it easy to locate a favorite poem or be intrigued enough by a line ("Up late watching TV commercials while waiting" or "Fifty years before you did your homework") to try a poem they haven't yet read.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how many of the poems in Voices in the Air shine a light on injustice in the world. Do you think poetry can actually inspire social activism and change?
In today's digital world filled with social media and breaking news, do "quiet" books of poetry still have a place?
What person or issue does Nye write about that you now want to learn more about?
Book Details
- Author: Naomi Shihab Nye
- Genre: Poetry
- Topics: Book Characters, History
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Greenwillow Books
- Publication date: February 13, 2018
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 13 - 18
- Number of pages: 208
- Available on: Nook, Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
- Last updated: March 19, 2018
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