Book Review: SOS Poems 1961-2013 by Amiri Baraka/Poetry/NETGALLEY ARC/Published in 2015

Hello dear Readers,

I had the wonderful experience to read my first collection of Poems by an African American Author. SOS Poems 1961-2013 by Amiri Baraka. Really liked and enjoyed this book, and would like to share my thoughts on it.

Title: SOS Poems 1961-2013
Author: Amiri Baraka
Genre: Poetry

Publisher: Grove Press

Language: English

Paperback: 560 pages

Book Description

Fusing the personal and the political in high-voltage verse, Amiri Baraka—"whose long illumination of the black experience in America was called incandescent in some quarters and incendiary in others" (New York Times)—was one of the preeminent literary innovators of the past century. Selected by Paul Vangelisti, this volume comprises the fullest spectrum of Baraka's rousing, revolutionary poems, from his first collection to previously unpublished pieces composed during his final years.

Throughout Baraka’s career as a prolific writer (also published as LeRoi Jones), he was vehemently outspoken against oppression of African American citizens, and he radically altered the discourse surrounding racial inequality. The environments and social values that inspired his poetics changed during the course of his life, a trajectory that can be traced in this retrospective spanning more than five decades of profoundly evolving subjects and techniques. Praised for its lyricism and introspection, his early poetry emerged from the Beat generation, while his later writing is marked by intensely rebellious fervor and subversive ideology. All along, his primary focus was on how to live and love in the present moment despite the enduring difficulties of human history.

My thoughts

I gave 4/5 stars on Goodreads

In SOS Poems 1961-2013, we have the opportunity to see a collection of Amiri Baraka's poetry work. He tells us of the life, the experiences of Black people in America. Their struggle for freedom and to find their identity, and show other people they had an identity. I have read other collections of poetry before but never one like this. Baraka's voice, they way he expresses his feelings and thoughts it's so unique and that is in my opinion what makes this book different from other pieces. Something I could feel reading Baraka's poems was his urge, his persistence on making poetry a way not only of expressing but also a way of communication. And also the way he combines politics and poetry, showing us the importance of words but also action. My favorite part of this collection, without making the rest less important, was Black Magic of 1969, and one quote in specific that I will never forget: "I am distressed. Thinking of the seasons, how they pass, how I pass, my very youth, the ripe sweet of my life; drained off..."
This was the first collection of poems by an African American Author I ever read and as a Poet myself, I appreciate his work. Is not just a book you will like and enjoy but also a book you will learn from.
If you are looking for an interesting reador want to accomplish your goals on reading diversily, this book will be a great choice.

This book was sent to me by Net Galley, per my request, in exchange for an honest review.

My Favorite Quote

"I am distressed. Thinking of the seasons, how they pass, how I pass, my very youth, the ripe sweet of my life; drained off..."

Wen

Instagram Giveaway

Hello dear Readers,

Hope you all are having an awesome week.

I recently reached 200 followers on Instagram. I am so happy and thrilled. Thank you very much for all your support. For this reason, in order to celebrate this special occasion, I will be hosting a giveaway.

The rules for this giveaway as follows:

1. You must be following me on Instagram: @thecostaricanwriter

2. Repost the giveaway picture with tag #thecostaricanwriter

3. One entry per person.

4. To be fair, no giveaway accounts allowed.

5. If you are under 18, you must have parental consent to provide your address.

6. This giveaway is open internationally.

Prize:

1. A $15 book from Book Depository OR a $15 book from Amazon (for those who do not have free shipping from Book Depository).

Winner:

1. There will be ONE winner chosen at random. Giveaway starts today and will run through February 28th. I will be announcing the winner on March 1st.

Thank you once again for all your support and for participating.

Wen.

Used Bookstores

Hello dear Readers,

As I promised, here are the pictures and information I want to share with you about Used Bookstores in Costa Rica.

Downtown San Jose or "the Central Valley", is full of these kind of stores. Known as "Libreria de Libros Usados", a used bookstore can be the perfect place for treasure hunt or simply to take a look around. This time I visited two stores: Libreria Luna and Libreria Libro Azul, both located in downtown San Jose. Links down below for more information.

Every time I visit a used book store, it is like stepping back in time. Do not know about other countries but here in Costa Rica, most of these stores are located in old buildings and because they have really old books, you can smell the oldness of it and see it. Very old books, with their yellow pages, but also others classify as "used" but because of their condition, they look like new ones.

Not more important than the book itself but another benefit of buying used books is you can find them at a cheap and good prices and even better when you find one of the ones that look like new at a cheap price, right there, you get a really good deal.

Another interesting thing about the stores, the owners take used books you have at home or you do not want anymore. You can either get money for them or you can exchange the books you do not want for books you do want, as long as they have the ones you want at the store.

From costa rican text books for school to English literature. You will find used books in English almost in every used bookstore.

Another item is very common to find at a used book store are magazines. One of the stores I visited, they had a vast selection of National Geographic from the 90's. Time Magazine, and also newer numbers of  People Magazine. 

In my case, I was looking for costa rican books. Specific books written by Costa Rican Authors. Some of them books that I read in High School and I wanted to own and re-read them. Its very interesting the titles you can find at a Used Bookstore. And is also interesting to see the demand that some books have. For example, great sagas and trilogies: The Lord of the Rings, The Hunger Games and books like The Hobbit and how we can forget Harry Potter, very popular books among readers.

For some people visiting a Used Bookstore is an interesting and fun thing to do but for other people, they represent the only way the can buy and get books because of the low cost and also what I mentioned before, in some cases, why to go to the regular bookstore and pay $30 for a paper back when you can possibly find the same title, used but in a decent condition, for $8 or $10. These are prices for books recently published or consider popular but you can also find books which its price can be $1 or less. I found the Spanish version of "Just one day" by Gale Forman, in a pretty good shape, at $7, you cannot tell is used.

Nothing compares to the feeling of being in a used bookstore and find, touch, and smell books that for example were published before you were born or books that were part of people's lives for years but for different reasons, they ended up in a Used Bookstore. All the stories, all the memories these books represent. Its interesting to think about how many people own a specific book through the years. We cannot forget that the same people getting used books today, can go back to the same or a different store years later and sell or exchange that book, Then, that same book can have a different owner. This does not always happen but it does happen sometimes.

Used bookstores. They do not always look good or pretty as the regular and bigger bookstores but inside, they keep treasures that can always put a smile on our faces: books, books and more books

Libreria Libro Azul

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Libreria-libro-azul/189546691168129

Wen.

February 2015 TBR

Hello dear Readers,

These are the books I am planning to read during the month of February.

Not sure if I will be adding more book to this list but definitely, I want to get my hands on The Girl on the Train, specially after the good comments, the Master, Stephen King expressed about this book.

I already started reading The Book Thief by Markus Zusak and I am loving it. Hopefully, I will finish it this month. 

The third book, "En una Silla de Ruedas", (In a Wheelchair). This is a classic of the Costa Rican literature. Written by Carmen Lyra in 1918, who was the first prominent female Costa Rican writer. I read this book when I was in High School and still is one of my all time favorite. 

This book portrays national customs and manners through the eyes of a paralysed boy who grows up to become an artist, with a strong dose of sentimentalism and intimations of the bohemian life in San Jose, Costa Rica.

What are you guys reading in February? Feel free to share.

Wen.

January 2015 Book Haul

Hello dear Readers,

In the month of January, I got a total of nine E-Books and six physical books, which are all books I have purchased during my trip to Costa Rica and that is basically the reason why they are in Spanish.

The only one not in the picture below, is the hardcover of All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven. I got the copy a few days before I went on my trio but did not bring it with me. I purchased and read the digital copy instead.

I also got two ARC copies sent by Net Galley. A Memoir, Pieces of my Mother by Melissa Cistaro. And S O S Poems by Amiri Baraka.

E-Books

After the Ending

Sonny

Until Midnight

Alienated

Looking for Alaska

Ignite

Ciudades de Papel

The Girl on the Train

All the bright Places

Physical Books

La Ladrona de Libros by Markus Zusak

Unica Mirando al Mar by Fernando Contreras

Madre, Segura de Si Misma by Joyce Meyer

Solo un Dia by Gayle Forman

En una silla de ruedas by Carmen Lyra

Cocori by Joaquin Gutierrez

Wen.

January 2015 Wrap Up

Hello dear Readers,

I want to share with you what I read in January 2015.

I did not read a lot but very, very happy with the books I did read, specially because with these three books, I completed three of the tasks of The Book Riot 2015 Read Harder Challenge.

If you want to know more about this challenge, please visit the link below. They also have a discussion group on Goodreads which I will leave the link down below as well.

http://bookriot.com/2014/12/15/book-riot-2015-read-harder-challenge/

https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/152441-book-riot-s-read-harder-challenge

All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven: 5/5 Stars

The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros: 5/5 Stars

The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery: 5/5 Stars

Wen