Title: The Pain Tree and Other Teenage Angst-Ridden Poetry
Author: Esther Pearl Watson and Mark Todd collected materials and created the illustrations,
while the poetry was completely teen generated.
Genre: Poetry
Awards: I was unable to find any awards presented for this book.
Plot Summary:
Included within The Pain Tree and Other Teenage Angst-Ridden Poems are 25 poetry selections written by teenage poets. As you can imagine, teenage poetry can and does address the full spectrum of human emotion, in addition to the unique emotions experienced by adolescents. This particular collection of poems addresses the darker emotions which teenagers experience. Some of the poems are rhythmic in form while others are more of a free verse format. Content clearly focuses on the young adult and the issues typically faced in young adulthood. Friendship, frustration, trust, hate, conformity, school, time, pain and being different, are all emotions which are confronted in the poems within this book.
My Reaction:
I read several poetry titles focused on the young adult reader before I selected this book. My eyes were opened to the degree to which teens will open up and spill their emotions onto the page while writing poetry. In this sense, I think poetry in not only educational but also may be therapeutic for young adult students to read and write. The selections in other YA poetry books which I read, had incredible emotion, language inappropriate for school, sexuality, and expressions of immense pain.
The Pain Tree and Other Teenage Angst-Ridden Poetry contains poems which I think nearly all teens can relate to, without being on the verge of being edgy. The poems are well written and the reader can clearly understand the poets' perspective and point of reference. I enjoyed reading the poems in this collection.
My Recommendation:
I would highly recommend this book to any young adult to read. Although the content is serious and slightly depressing, it is real to teens and their typical emotions, and experiences. I would however suggest that (like other genres) librarians and parents research works of poetry titles carefully and to be aware and familiar with the content addressed, as some of the content may not be appropriate for younger students. In most cases our young adult students have emotionally surpassed the Shell Silverstein ("There's Too Many Kids In This Tub") poetry that we all fondly remember from elementary school. Therefore, it is our responsibility to make available the best of young adult poetry so that our students can continue to enjoy poetry, at their emotional level, as they grow and mature.
Book Talk Hook:
I would first read a couple of poems to the students. Then, I would ask, "Have you ever been frustrated with the schools' rules, with your friends, with your boyfriend/girlfriend?" Read The Pain Tree and find out what students your age have expressed about these issues and more in their poetry.
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"I think poetry in not only educational but also may be therapeutic" is stated perfectly in my opinion. I think young adults don't realize that an outlet is healthy and necessary for emotions to run their course. For some it could be sports or hobbies, but for others it could be writing. I always felt better after I wrote out what I was feeling. It's like the emotions flow from your heart to your brain and through your fingers onto the page - released from your body forever.
ReplyDeleteGreat Hook idea! Depending on the poems you choose to read and how powerful they are, I can definitely see young adults being drawn to this book! I agree with what you said about poetry being therapeutic to adolescents, and think this is true for all ages.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree that poetry is also therapeutic. The poetry book I read for this week definitely illustrated that as well. I really like how the poetry you read was actually written by teenagers. I think teens would really appreciate the poetry even more because it is written by their peers.
ReplyDeleteThis book is in the school library collection. It attracts attention whenever it is displayed. Having poetry written by other teens is always appealing. Teens can really identify with some of the poems. Several of the teachers have used The Pain Tree in their classrooms. There are always a number of budding poets in my school. This year one of the young ladies produced a collection of peer written poetry as her senior project. She self published it. I'll try to remember to bring it with me to class tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Mary Ann. As the teenage author of (very bad) poetry, I would've loved collections of poems written by authors my own age. Not only does it allow readers to connect to the material, but it fosters their creativity and encourages them to continue writing in the hopes of publishing their own work.
ReplyDeleteI like your point that it is "our responsibility to make available the best of young adult poetry so that our students can continue to enjoy poetry, at their emotional level, as they grow and mature".
ReplyDelete