Curtis Crisler

This whole collection indeed lives in the grey in the best possible ways. Life and death, history, social justice, personal memories, frighteningly deep contemplations, random moments of humor, and more musical references than a record store - it's all in these poems. But while other poets might place such subjects largely in black or white, Curtis Crisler summons both the dark and the light. This book embodies that Whitman variety of yin-yang, that Prince variety of precision. Each additional reading reveals another layer of complexity, another shade of grey. Highly recommended for anyone who appreciates how experimental language can speak of both personal expression and humanity's universal truths.… (mehr)

Tough Boy Sonatas includes acknowledgments and author information, this gives the book a personalized touch and allows the reader to find out why the author wrote this book and what influenced the author. The images in the poem are powerful and artistic but I do not think they all match with their perspective poems, but I can feel the pain through each individual. The poems reflect the troubles of those who live in ghettos/projects and the pain and troubles they experience everyday. If you have not experienced this life first-hand, or are close to someone who has, after reading the poems, your idea of these types of living conditions may be broadened. However, unless you experience it yourself, you won't have half of an idea as to what that life actually entails.… (mehr)

Personal Response: The author presents a collection of poems about growing up in Gary, Indiana. The poems are written in the voice of the young African American male. The poems are graphic and they are ranging from violence to the struggles to claim a mature, male identity.

Curricular or Programming Connections: Poetry & Short Stories – Creative Writing
Poetry and short stories express many ideas, feelings, travels, holidays, events, school, work, jobs, relationships and life as a whole.… (mehr)

If you have ever taken the South Shore train from Michigan to Chicago, you have passed through Gary, Indiana. Odds are that if you are white, you pass right on through, perhaps noting the soot and the brute industrial feel. Odds are that if you are black, you too pass straight through this town living in the shadow of Chicago. Crisler tattoos Gary into memory in a way that is lyrical, poignant, and filled with strength. He makes you long to pull that stop cord and take a closer look at a place many of us only know in stereotype. The poems are beautiful even when describing the ash and grit of a place some of us are too afraid to visit. Many of the references are dated and some of the images don't match the poems, but overall the voice is excellent and the language is skillful and evocative. Some of the poems are downright stunning. Even though I don't think teens will get many of the references, they are appropriate and consistent and well chosen. It is like historical fiction in verse. I know a bit about Gary and this book takes me there. It is a grim book with gems of hope hidden among the cracks. Cooper's shadowy grey artwork is a perfect compliment to the text; his cover will pull in reluctant readers. The language will win over even the fussiest purist. Recommended for high school and even middle school readers. Give this to the reader who mistakenly believes that poetry is for wimps.… (mehr)