Young Adult Poetry

Poetry Speaks Who I am With CD:  Poems of Discovery, Inspiration, Independence and Everything Else by Elise Paschen and Dominique Raccah

Poetry books have to be read differently than the way other things are read.  First, you can't just plunge through the whole thing, going from page to page until it's finished.  Rather, poems should be read singly, and slowly.  Like sipping fine wine rather than guzzling a water bottle.  You have to let a poem sit for a day or so and thing about it and come back to it.  Also, some poems are just better read aloud, either by you or someone else.  A poem sounds completely different hovering in the air rather than just floating inside your skull.

Fortunately, this book has both those things covered.  This book is a compilation of poems by some of the greatest poets ever, both living and dead.  I has some old favorites like Robert Frost and Langdon Hugher and newer poets I've never heard of but enjoyed nonetheless.  The topics range the full gamut of emotions and circumstances.  It is targeted as a book for young adults but there is really enough meat in here for the savviest adult.  What makes this book so much more enjoyable was the CD that came with it.  There are several of the authors reading their own work.  It was amazing to me how much different the poems sounded when the authors read it than when I heard it in my head.

If you're not a poetry lover or never really found a book you could really sink your teeth into, I suggest giving this one a try.  While not every poem will resonate with you, you are sure to find at least one you love.