In this jaunty and intimate collection, Kevin Young invents a language as shimmying and comic, as low-down and high-hearted, as the music from which he draws inspiration. With titles such as

Jelly Roll: A Blues

In this jaunty and intimate collection, Kevin Young invents a language as shimmying and comic, as low-down and high-hearted, as the music from which he draws inspiration. With titles such as â€œStride Piano,â€ â€œGutbucket,â€ and â€œCan-Can,â€ these poems have the sharp completeness of vocalized songs and follow a classic blues trajectory: praising and professing undying devotion (â€œTo watch you walk / cross the room in your black / corduroys is to see / civilization startâ€), only to end up lamenting the loss of love (â€œNo use driving / like rain, past / where you atâ€). As Young conquers the sorrow left on his doorstep, the poems broaden to embrace not just the wisdom that comes with heartbreak but the bittersweet wonder of triumphing over adversity at all.

Sexy and tart, playfully blending an African American idiom with traditional lyric diction, Youngâ€™s voice is pure American: joyous in its individualism and singing of the self at its strongest.

Country	USA
Brand	Random House Books for Young Readers
Manufacturer	Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
Binding	Paperback
PartNumber	unknown
Color	White
IsAdultProduct
Height	7.95274
Length	6.06298
Weight	0.59965735264
Width	0.55118
ReleaseDate	2005-02-01
NumberOfItems	1

Jelly Roll: A Blues