Another America (Otra America) FROM THE PUBLISHER
"Another America" is a deeply moving book of poetry that gives voice to themes ranging from resistance to violence to finding one's inner courage and strength as a woman. Kingsolver's poetry rings with a richness of language and spirit, eloquently expressing her insights and compassion as one of this century's most admired writers.
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
The citizens of Kingsolver's ( The Bean Trees ) other America are demonstrators whose silent vigil on the eve of Desert Storm defies the ``opera of assent'' to war. They are Nicaraguan peasants whose arrival at voting polls is ``like a pulse,'' though they risk ``any foreign bullet.'' In this first volume of poetry Kingsolver identifies with the other America's struggles so powerfully that she has her poems translated into its mother tongue--Spanish. This identification sometimes makes for strong, moving poetry. The reader shares the life sentence of emotional entrapment and betrayal that a rape victim endures when her trust, like her ``kitchen knives / and other things of mine . . . have been used against me.'' Frequently, however, Kingsolver's representations are far less compelling. ``For Sacco and Vanzetti'' fails to move beyond a tearful plaint for the unjustly executed immigrants. Stylistically, too, Kingsolver is uneven, offering intriguingly detailed descriptions of a sleeper's R.E.M.s--``Your eyes swim quick strokes / in sealed wet caves''--and abstract uses of abstract terms, wishing for a day ``when justice / is not a word / because it is air and we breathe it.'' (Mar.)
School Library Journal
YA-- This powerful collection of poetry deals with protest against political and social repression experienced by ordinary people, particularly women, under military regimes in Central and South America during the last 20 years. Through vivid imagery and compelling messages, Kingsolver makes a passionate appeal to end the suffering of victims of revolution, oppression, and war. The face-to-face bilingual presentation makes for an exciting language comparison for students who speak Spanish, but the poems, charged with emotion, stand by themselves in English. Mature YAs will see how people cope under conditions of extreme poverty and danger, and will identify with the rich characterizations and profound voices full of courage and the will to survive.--Deanna Kuhn, Thomas Jefferson Sci-Tech, Fairfax County, VA
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