This revised and expanded edition was published in 2006
by Harcourt and contains poems from the earlier edition and many new works.
Soto
begins the book with an introduction in which he discusses his early
experiences with poetry, his evolution as a working poet and the poets and poetry that influenced
him. He concludes the book with a conversational
interview of questions and answers in which he responds to inquiries about his
work and poetry in general. His discussion
of how he writes, the inspiration for his work, his writing style and so on
offer thoughtful insights into his life and art.
Narrative
and lyrical poems, drawn from the everyday experiences of Soto's life, will
resonate with middle grade, high school and adult readers and inspire
writers. Each poem is accompanied by a
short anecdote from Soto's life that connects to the verse.
One
of my favorite poems in this collection is "That Girl" with its
hesitant yet eager glimpse into a young man's first tentative interest in a
girl.
The
public library was saying things
In
so many books
And
I, a Catholic boy
In
a green sweater,
Was
reading the same page
A
hundred times.
A
girl was in my way,
And
she was at the other end
Of
the oak table,
Her
hands like doves
On
the encyclopedia, E-G.
