Honeybee: Poems & Short ProseReview:
The introduction to this collection of poetry ends with some words of wisdom that are sort of frightening. Albert Einstein allegedly said, "If all the honeybees disappear, human beings have four years left on earth." If this is true, then we are in big trouble! I loved the title of this book and her explanation as to why she chose it. I never really thought much of the "honeybee" and now I view them differently.
Although most of the poems and prose in this collection range on topics of love, memory, and our planet, the pieces that stood out the most were the political poems and prose. I felt that a few poems were somewhat disturbing and I'm not sure if she has the right audience in mind for this particular book. The reading age level is 9-12 year olds and the themes in my opinion are definitely much more advanced. In comparison with both her YA novel Habibi and two YA poetry collections A Maze Me: Poems for Girls and 19 Varieties of Gazelle: Poems of the Middle East, this collection really speaks more to a high schooler.
Here's a list of poems that stood out for me.
- The United States Is Not the World
- My President Went
- Ted Kooser Is My President
- Cult of Life
- Missing Thomas Jefferson
The prose piece that stood out the most for me is entitled, "Before I Read The Kite Runner".
