{"product_id":"america-a-love-story-wesleyan-poetry-series","title":"America, A Love Story (Wesleyan Poetry Series)","description":"New poems on love, family, and art from the author of Soil: The Story of a Black Mother's Garden\n\nAmerica, A Love Story is Camille T. Dungy's powerful testament to living and loving as a Black woman and mother in today's America, and her first book of poetry in almost a decade. Piercingly honest and deeply compassionate, this poetry moves through the mounting griefs of contemporary American life with unwavering clarity. The book is part indictment, part celebration―full of gratitude, fear, resistance, and hope. Dungy explores intimacy, parenting, racism, history, and the natural world with clarity and depth. Some poems reflect on the past; others respond to the work of contemporary Black artists. Many are formally playful, including a series of 700-character poems inspired by the 700 hours of sleep a mother loses in her child's first year. Gorgeous, bright, and bold, these poems speak from the edges―between mother and child, body and earth, self and country. They hold tension and tenderness in equal measure, creating a space for love amidst uncertainty.\n\n[sample poem]\n\nTo enter our own empty house\n\nShe was seven when we stopped\nusing keys. One less thing to lose.\nNow we punch a combination.\nEasy, but hopefully not so easy\na stranger could guess. This is where\nI should stop. They are bound\nto be angry, my beloveds. I am\ngiving away all our secrets again.\nVulnerability is the root of much fury.\n=\nI was small. A stone in the yard\nhid a metal case with a lid\nthat slid like a matchbox top\nto reveal our key. Lifting that rock\nI thought of bashing someone's head.\nI thought of harm lurking, dressed\nin the body of some stranger.\n=\nSometimes, I wrestle my daughter.\nI make her tiny body work itself\nout from under the weight I make\nof my own. In this way I try\nto teach her how it feels to break free.America, A Love Story\u003cbr\u003eASIN: 081950226X\u003cbr\u003eVSKU: DBV.081950226X.G\u003cbr\u003eCondition: Good\u003cbr\u003eAuthor\/Artist:Dungy, Camille T.\u003cbr\u003eBinding: Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eNote:\u003c\/b\u003e Any images shown are stock photographs and product may differ from what is shown.  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCondition Notes\u003c\/b\u003e: Gently used with minimal wear on the corners and cover. A few pages may contain light highlighting or writing, but the text remains fully legible. Dust jacket may be missing, and supplemental materials like CDs or codes may not be included. May be ex-library with library markings. Ships promptly!  \u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Dream Books Co.","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":41598243110970,"sku":"DBV.081950226X.G","price":13.25,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/shop.dreambooksco.com\/products\/america-a-love-story-wesleyan-poetry-series","provider":"Dream Books Co.","version":"1.0","type":"link"}