{"product_id":"and-then-we-became-devorah-major-9780872867260","title":"And Then We Became","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eTop Poetry Books of Fall 2016 - \u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eWho are we humans, with our differences and our personal histories, mythologies and urgencies, as well as our collective struggles and dreams? Why are we here?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eQuestions of culture, ethnicity and gender--and the denial of those borders--infuse these poems, rich with social and political commentary, and filled with compassion, love, anger and hope. Even while writing of one child, one homeless person, one soldier, one war survivor, devorah major connects these individual stories to a contemplation of humanity's place in the cosmos\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Four sections of this long-awaited volume: 'spirit', 'other selves', 'fragile', 'whole' reveal a writer and life experiencer at the height of her poetic powers. Whenever I become too self-satisfied in intellectual games, I find my heart upended by these impassioned verses of humanity and what it means to be fully alive and present. From 'nommo-how we come to speak' to 'war memories', this former San Francisco Poet Laureate and worldly cosmonaut handles politics, war, and love in equal measure as the best poets of the people do. Pablo Neruda. Bob Kaufman, June Jordan. Wanda Coleman. Ears to the ground and eyes to the sky.\"--\u003cb\u003eGiovanni Singleton\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"In \u003ci\u003eand then we became\u003c\/i\u003e, devorah major steps out of the way and allows creation to craft creation. The structures and paints of her descriptions have incredible range of effect: the ascension into the first history a free people teach, the short story perceived through possession, the melodic start-stop motion of a debilitated life, the flash of your torturer's dream; all part of a collaged panoramic of spirit and flesh. She is at home in all dimensions of her subject. The voices of this work walk straight toward you holding out moments of violence, lament, beauty, and invincibility for you to embrace, offering a face to become your own.\"--\u003cb\u003eTongo Eisen-Martin\u003c\/b\u003e, author of \u003ci\u003eSomeone's Dead Already\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"devorah major remains one of our premier storytellers. She wraps myths and headlines, family lore and visions in language that is both delicate and tough, enticing us to dive in even though the poem she serves up may have dangerously sharp edges. Her poems eagerly call forth the African deities who give her voice as she wrestles with the mysteries of this plane from why a woman may want to be a soldier to how we learn to love. These poems are like prayers to which you return each night.\"--\u003cb\u003eJewelle Gomez\u003c\/b\u003e, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Gilda Stories\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eName Poems\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"I hate to turn on the radio each morning where I hear that men haven't changed, staying in office for generations and generally acting the fool. devorah major uses the many voices of women to explore a world that we know less about than the oceans of Enceladus. The great thing about devorah's book is that we can't interrupt as she rolls out the indictment poem by poem.\"--\u003cb\u003eIshmael Reed\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"major's book could not have come at a more appropriate time as now when the clamor of despair is being spoken into the universe. But as many of us know, these are also times for listening to our hearts and minds and doing what's right for the greater majority, the global world of which we are a part. Reading and really reflecting on the messages in these poems will help us to become our better selves.\"--\u003cb\u003eOpal Palmer Adisa\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Devorah Major\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0872867269\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780872867260\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e City Lights Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 11\/01\/2016\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 88\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.20lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 6.80h x 4.90w x 0.40d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e 10\/15\/2016 pg. 92\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e 10\/17\/2016","brand":"Devorah Major","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":44072856813823,"sku":"9780872867260","price":12.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_e0a8d645-cb3c-4a59-ba86-56d44ab62722.jpg?v=1685444339","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/and-then-we-became-devorah-major-9780872867260","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}