Carver: A Life in Poems

Carver: A Life in Poems
Author Marilyn Nelson
Country United States
Language English
Genre Novel
Publisher Front Street, an imprint of Boyds Mills Press
Publication date
1997
Media type Print
Pages 103 pp

Carver: A Life in Poems is a 1997 collection of poems written by the American poet Marilyn Nelson about George Washington Carver.

Overview

Carver was an American inventor and educator; he was first born a slave in Diamond, Missouri, in about 1864. He lived with many struggles growing up while being raised by a white couple who owned his mother. Carver’s life as a slave is described in poems written by those who once knew him during his lifetime, such as his friends and family all in one book.

The book was first published in April 23, 1997. It received positive reviews and was awarded with the John Newbery Medal. The author of the book, Marilyn Nelson, is an American award-winning writer. Nelson was born on April 26, 1946 in Cleveland, Ohio.[1] She began writing in elementary school and attended the schools, the University of Minnesota and the University of Pennsylvania.[1]

Individual poems

Critical reception

Critics have found Carver: A Life in Poems to be a great portrayal of George Washington Carver’s life. Nina Lindsay, of School Library Journal, found Carver: A Life in Poems to be “a beautiful and intricate interior biography of a man whom many readers will be familiar with from much drier introductions." [3] Alison Follos, of School Library Journal, writes off Nelson’s collection of Carver’s poems to have “eloquent verses told in different voices that come together as a tight-knit documentary." [4] "Marilyn Nelson has engaged the extraordinary George Washington Carver as a biographical subject in a book which renews our appreciation of his creative legacy." [5]

Awards

Newbery Medal [6] Honor Book in 2002.

References

  1. 1 2 Poets.org. Academy of American Poets, n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2014. http://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poet/marilyn-nelson
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Nelson, Marilyn. Carver: A Life in Poems. Asheville, NC: Front Street, 2001. Print.
  3. Lindsay, Nina. "Carver: A Life In Poems." School Library Journal 51.4 (2005): 57.
  4. Follos, Alison. "Carver: A Life in Poems." School Library Journal. N.p., n.d.
  5. "Project MUSE - Carver: A Life in Poems (review)." Project MUSE - Carver: A Life in Poems (review). Callaloo, n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2014.
  6. "2002 Newbery Medal and Honor Books." American Library Association. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2014 http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/newberymedal/newberyhonors/2002newberymedal>

See also

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