Dizzy in your Eyes by Pat Mora

Dizzy in your Eyes

 BIBLIOGRAPHY

 Mora, Pat. 2010. DIZZY IN YOUR EYES: POEMS ABOUT LOVE. ISBN 0375945656

 PLOT SUMMARY

 eloved children's book author and speaker Pat Mora has written an original collection of poems, each with a different teen narrator sharing unique thoughts, moments, sadness, or heart’s desire: the girl who loves swimming, plunging into the water that creates her own world; the guy who leaves flowers on the windshield of the girl he likes. Each of the teens in these 50 original poems, written using a variety of poetic forms, will be recognizable to the reader as the universal emotions, ideas, impressions, and beliefs float across the pages in these gracefully told verses.

 CRITICAL ANALYSIS

 oems about love are difficult to stand apart but this collection does not just want to stand apart but stand alone.  The poems in Dizzy In Your Eyes: Poems About Love stand against many poems as these are honest, revealing, and personal. All written in a young Latino voice.  Through this point of view, many aspects of love are voiced, such as the many aspects of love, family, friendship, and language barriers.  This book takes on an overabundance of forms such as clerihew, sonnet, cinquain, haiku, and blank verse. Although a great collection of poems, there are times when the author fails to capture the real teen voice but rather one hears the voice of a mature adult voice.

The author, Pat Mora, is a Hispanic American Award-winning author.  The connection she has with her culture is seen through her poems. Even if the reader, through very basic knowledge, this book can still be enjoyed whether giving or receiving.

 

REVIEW EXCERPTS

"Mora writes in free verse, as well as a wide variety of classic poetic forms--including haiku, clerihew, sonnet, cinquain, and blank verse--and... the tight structures intensify the strong feelings in the poems." --Booklist

"The poet's voice is multifaceted: tender, humorous, and joyful but also profound ... The author employs an extraordinary diversity of poetic forms." --Kirkus Reviews

"Peppered with Spanish, the selections define the emotion in countless ways...Teachers in need of a fresh new avenue for teaching poetic form...and teens in search of a broader definition of love will find it here." --School Library Journal

"Mora employs a variety of voices and forms, including haiku, sonnets, and free verse, in these 50 poems (including one in Spanish) that evoke the states of love. The first-person teenage voices ring true..." --Book Links

 CONNECTIONS

 An English or reading teacher for grades 7 and up could effectively use this book in a unit about poetry since Mora is mindful of defining the different kinds of poetry throughout the book as she presents them.

Other great books of poetry for adolescents:

• Flake, Sharon. YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW ME: STORIES AND POEMS ABOUT BOYS. ISBN 1423100174.
• Paschen, Elise. POETRY SPEAKS WHO I AM: POEMS OF DISCOVERY, INSPIRATION, INDEPENDENCE, AND EVERYTHING ELSE (A POETRY SPEAKS EXPERIENCE). ISBN 1402210744.
• Soto, Gary. PARTLY CLOUDY: POEMS OF LOVE AND LONGING. ISBN 0547577370.