Reviews for Been to Yesterdays: Poems of a Life

The average rating for Been to Yesterdays: Poems of a Life based on 2 reviews is 4.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2012-03-30 00:00:00 Andy Bell Someday you will understand that life can't flow as you always planned. from "Since" Lee Bennett Hopkins opens up his world to readers who have treasured his poetry collections and anthologies with this tender, touching memoir. My thoughts keep returning to the 29 cent butter dish ("Woolworth: Downtown Newark") that Lee gifts to his mother in the memoir, thinking again about the gifts that Lee has given us within the poetry community. Someday we'll be rich I thought Rich enough to own a dish like that We are all richer for Lee's sharing his gift with all of us. From a divorce to moving to a lesson learned about the power of words found in "Clutching." Lee moves through this memoir discussing "uncles" who might become fathers, the teachers who laughed at Lee's desire to be a writer and those with vision and heart who saw something within him and affirmed his dream. Lee weaves a story of growth and maturity in the midst of loss and unpredictability. A super example of how poetry can be used to render a snapshot of a person's life to create something memorable. A must-have title if you are collecting Lee Bennett Hopkins titles for your classroom library.

Review # 2 was written on 2009-05-16 00:00:00 Bradley Sachs The Indiana DOE recommends this book for middle schoolers, but unfortunately, I don't know a single middle school student who would pick this up willingly because of the unfortunate cover. The 1950s school picture on the front may give a good idea of the time frame and topic of the poems, but 6th-8th graders wouldn't be able to see past the old-fashioned photo (no offense to Mr. Hopkins!). It's a shame because the poems really do tell universal truths about family, divorce, racism, and school. Many of the poems could stand alone, but taken together they present a comprehensive picture of Hopkins' childhood--a childhood many of today's students could relate to.