Poetry Review: African American Poetry

My People by Langston Hughes
Photographs by: Charles R. Smith, Jr.







Bibiliographic Citation: Hughes, Langston. My People. Photographs by Charles R. Smith, Jr. New York: Ginee Seo Books/Atheneum Books for Young Readers. 2009.
ISBN: 978-1-41693-540-7

Review: This beautifully written poem is illustrated with poignant photographs that are so purposefully chosen to depict the words of the page. The smiles, the eyes, even the souls are seen in each picture as stated with each word.  The tone of the poetry is that of pride for the many generations of people. The poetry is easy to read and understand with a repeating theme of "my people". Langston Hughes makes you think about what makes a person beautiful.

Excerpt from My People:
The stars
are beautiful,
so the eyes
of my people.

Introduction to Share: This excerpt from the poem is a great example to share with students in having them think about why the author compared stars to eyes.  What picture comes to your mind when you hear these words? Do you see a little kid's face/eyes when they open the best gift on Christmas morning? or do you see the stars on a clear night and the sparkle in someone's eyes?  It makes you think about the wording and the comparisons of the two concepts.