The story of one of the most influential American poets, Gwendolyn Brooks
A review of A Surprised Queenhood in the New Black Sun by Angela Jackson (Beacon Press)
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Review by Kelly Drescher
Gwendolyn Brooks was the first African-American to receive the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry. She was a teacher and a legend to many aspiring authors of her time. Brooks faced many challenges in her home of Bronzeville in Chicago, primarily segregation. Angela Jackson’s ability to analyze Gwendolyn Brooks’s life as one with drama, tribulation, and sacrifice was expressed consistently and sensitively. Jackson’s talent creates personal connections between the reader and Brooks through the intricate design of this remarkable memoir. Not only does Jackson highlight Brooks as a prestigious poet, but she emphasizes Brooks’s limitless capabilities as a teacher, a mother, and a citizen. Despite a few minor flaws, Jackson effectively illustrates the life of Gwendolyn Brooks as revolutionary, compelling, and inspiring.
An entire book would seemingly not be enough to capture the tragedies that Brooks had overcome in her childhood, yet Jackson was able to cram these challenges about racism, sexism, self-image, and more, into two beautifully formulated chapters. The first and second chapter of A Surprised Queenhood in the New Black Sun are incredibly insightful and show many of Brooks’s strategies for coping with the struggles she encountered in her childhood. Optimism is one of the more strongly encouraged coping strategies in these chapters. A notable example of this is found in the quote, “. . .a jewel of colored masses in a segregated place…They were the salt of the earth and birds who managed to fly with cramped wings.” Jackson effectively shows the rainbow of colors found in the seemingly dark neighborhood of Bronzeville. She beautifully expresses how strong the community and Brooks are, despite the constant struggles they faced.
There were some minor distractions within the first chapter such as using three O’s in the word, “know,” on page thirteen, “He responded coldly… ‘I get so many of them you knooow.’” The final paragraph on page six describes how she was, “isolated,” too excessively, especially when Jackson uses the metaphor, “She was a black canoe in a sea of whiteness.” The metaphor is unnecessary considering Jackson stated in the sentence before that Brooks was in a school that was, “… predominately white…” The author also explained how Brooks felt, “… isolated because she was isolated.” The paragraph and the chapter would be much stronger without the metaphor.
As the book carried on, it began to feel like a novel instead of a memoir. Jackson attentively illustrates Brooks’s every struggle with such emotion and creativity that it seemed as if Jackson knew the superhero Gwendolyn Brooks personally. From being published in neighborhood children magazines to being a press person of the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) and then ultimately earning the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, Jackson emphasizes the growth of Brooks’s abilities and character. It’s hard to believe Brooks ever perceived herself as, “…timid to the point of terror, silent. . .” Jackson expresses the internal and external battles that Brooks had faced. Whether it was lack of confidence in her work, racists, or the press trying to bring her down, she always found a way even farther up the ladder, to the point where no one could reach her.
Jackson not only tells the story of Brooks’s life and career, but also correlates the meanings behind Brooks’s poems into her achievements such as, “Stand Off, Daughter of The Dusk,” and, “Rise,” which express the naturality of prejudice and how racism kept many of her works from getting published. Another poem found in A Surprised Queenhood in the New Black sun is, “The Mother,” a poem regarding the issue of abortion. The perplexing monologue about such a delicate topic was simplified in a meaningful manner. Her ability to explain these poems shown in this book with sensitivity and emotion makes the reader feel personal connections with Brooks’s work and even contemplate issues that they wouldn’t normally think about.
Jackson begins the closing chapter with the quote, “Poets and writers are immortal; they live as long as their words are spoken and speak to people.” This perfectly concludes the ending of Brooks’s life and introduces her legacy. Jackson then continues these final pages with messages from those who were inspired by Brooks and her work. Some writers explain how Brooks motivated them to begin writing; others would explain how she was an influential mother and citizen. The emotion captured in these concluding paragraphs really represent how real, how genuine, and how extraordinary of a person Gwendolyn Brooks was. She impacted the hearts of so many people with words, rhymes, and rhythms and Jackson covered it all with a grace and generosity to match.
An entire book would seemingly not be enough to capture the tragedies that Brooks had overcome in her childhood, yet Jackson was able to cram these challenges about racism, sexism, self-image, and more, into two beautifully formulated chapters. The first and second chapter of A Surprised Queenhood in the New Black Sun are incredibly insightful and show many of Brooks’s strategies for coping with the struggles she encountered in her childhood. Optimism is one of the more strongly encouraged coping strategies in these chapters. A notable example of this is found in the quote, “. . .a jewel of colored masses in a segregated place…They were the salt of the earth and birds who managed to fly with cramped wings.” Jackson effectively shows the rainbow of colors found in the seemingly dark neighborhood of Bronzeville. She beautifully expresses how strong the community and Brooks are, despite the constant struggles they faced.
There were some minor distractions within the first chapter such as using three O’s in the word, “know,” on page thirteen, “He responded coldly… ‘I get so many of them you knooow.’” The final paragraph on page six describes how she was, “isolated,” too excessively, especially when Jackson uses the metaphor, “She was a black canoe in a sea of whiteness.” The metaphor is unnecessary considering Jackson stated in the sentence before that Brooks was in a school that was, “… predominately white…” The author also explained how Brooks felt, “… isolated because she was isolated.” The paragraph and the chapter would be much stronger without the metaphor.
As the book carried on, it began to feel like a novel instead of a memoir. Jackson attentively illustrates Brooks’s every struggle with such emotion and creativity that it seemed as if Jackson knew the superhero Gwendolyn Brooks personally. From being published in neighborhood children magazines to being a press person of the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) and then ultimately earning the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, Jackson emphasizes the growth of Brooks’s abilities and character. It’s hard to believe Brooks ever perceived herself as, “…timid to the point of terror, silent. . .” Jackson expresses the internal and external battles that Brooks had faced. Whether it was lack of confidence in her work, racists, or the press trying to bring her down, she always found a way even farther up the ladder, to the point where no one could reach her.
Jackson not only tells the story of Brooks’s life and career, but also correlates the meanings behind Brooks’s poems into her achievements such as, “Stand Off, Daughter of The Dusk,” and, “Rise,” which express the naturality of prejudice and how racism kept many of her works from getting published. Another poem found in A Surprised Queenhood in the New Black sun is, “The Mother,” a poem regarding the issue of abortion. The perplexing monologue about such a delicate topic was simplified in a meaningful manner. Her ability to explain these poems shown in this book with sensitivity and emotion makes the reader feel personal connections with Brooks’s work and even contemplate issues that they wouldn’t normally think about.
Jackson begins the closing chapter with the quote, “Poets and writers are immortal; they live as long as their words are spoken and speak to people.” This perfectly concludes the ending of Brooks’s life and introduces her legacy. Jackson then continues these final pages with messages from those who were inspired by Brooks and her work. Some writers explain how Brooks motivated them to begin writing; others would explain how she was an influential mother and citizen. The emotion captured in these concluding paragraphs really represent how real, how genuine, and how extraordinary of a person Gwendolyn Brooks was. She impacted the hearts of so many people with words, rhymes, and rhythms and Jackson covered it all with a grace and generosity to match.
Kelly Drescher is a junior at Deltona high school who strives to go to college and eventually become a psychology major. She is very involved with in her school and is a part of the National Honors society, the Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) and the varsity soccer team. As the reporter of her HOSA chapter she creates the HOSA newsletter every month and has competed at the state and national HOSA conventions. Outside of school Kelly enjoys playing with her dogs Bear, Bodhi and Buddy as well as her hedgehog Harry. She also enjoys kicking the soccer ball around with friends, reading, and writing short stories.