Singing America

Rating:
Summary: A haphazard collection of poems
Review: This book contains a collection of some 93 poems (if I counted correctly) that the editor feels define the United States. Indeed, a very wide net was cast in collecting these poems; there are patriotic poems (such as The Star-Spangled Banner and The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere), and poems disparaging America (including one about an ex-Confederate's hatred for the U.S., and some decrying American culture, racism and/or damage to the environment). There are two wonderful Shaker contributions, seven by Native Americans, some by famous poets, and some that are anonymous.

Overall I found this to be a good collection of poems, though I did find the lack of a unifying theme made the collection seem rather haphazard. Michael McCurdy provided the illustrations for this book, but their stark, black-and-white appearance contributed toward giving the book a negative feel to it. Overall, this book did not impress me, and I give it a rather guarded recommendation.