Bibliographic citation:
Smith, H.A. 2003. THE WAY A DOOR CLOSES. New York: Henry Holt and Co. ISBN
9780805064773.
Smith, H.A. 2003. THE WAY A DOOR CLOSES. New York: Henry Holt and Co. Ill. by Shane W. Evans. ISBN 9780805064773.
Hope Anita Smith’s The Way a
Door Closes chronicles the events in the life of thirteen-year-old
C.J, the oldest of three siblings. Ms. Smith won the Coretta Scott King/John
Septoe Award for New Talent for this book in 2004, it was the first book
published by the author for young readers.
While not a verse novel
per se, the poems flow from one to the next in a logical order to tell the
story of C.J.’s family. The poems are from C.J’s point of view as a young
middle school boy, and show his understanding of his parents, his grandmother,
his younger sisters and how they all fit together for him. The book features a
table of contents and beautiful illustrations by award-winning artist Shane W.
Evans.
The quality of the
seventeen poems is consistent throughout the book. It is inspiring to re-read
the poems to see how the author weaves the family’s story through the eyes and
voice of C.J. The poems include every day occurrences at school, at home
and show the effects of job loss on C.J.’s father and family. Through
representing the generation of his ‘grandmomma’ in the book, young readers will
be able to see, both through the poems and the illustrations, the connection
between the multi-generational family members. The thoughts and emotions which
the poems stir up in the reader range from happiness to tears, to laughter and
contemplation.
Evans’s colorful
illustrations enhance the meaning found within the text of the poems. Not all
of the poems are accompanied by an illustration, so that is helpful for the reader
to focus on the meaning and language used in the poem. One example of this is
“The Pull of the Moon”. The text features C.J.’s thoughts on why his father
left their family suddenly. Guided by his Grandmomma’s wisdom, C.J. wonders
about the possibility of second chances, if two full moons could actually
appear in the same month.
The poem is in the style
of free verse (as many of the poems in the book are), and the emotional impact
on the reader is intense. The imagery of an individual thread connecting
everyone to the moon is an image young readers will be fascinated to discuss
and think about. Here is an excerpt from the poem:
…She says sometimes it’s
so strong
folks can’t help but
put on their traveling
shoes.
I wonder if that’s what
made Daddy leave.
If he felt the pull of
the moon…
(Smith, 25)
This poem represents the
other poems in the book, each in some way have a reflective mood, revealing the
most private thoughts of a young man struggling to understand the actions of
his father and why things are happening in his life that hurt his family. This
book is a powerful collection of poems. It could be used in a book discussion
group or class of students ages 12-16 years old, especially with a focus on
African-American poets. Through reading and re-reading Smith’s poems, young
readers in similar situations will be able to know that they can persevere
their difficult experiences.
The way a door
closes. JPEG. Retrieved from
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