BIBLIOGRAPHY
Franco, Betsy. 2000. YOU HEAR ME?
Cambridge, MA: Candlewick. ISBN 9780763611590
PLOT SUMMARY
In this innovative compilation of
poetry and essays written by teenage boys, Betsy Franco allows their voice to
be heard with no added opinion or filter. The perspective of the male youth is
dark, frightening, abrasive, witty, and heart wrenching. The age range begins at 12 to 20 years
old. Shocking words from personal
experiences of young boys being tortured by their peers for having a mental
illness, like Tourette syndrome to cursing the daily toll of monotonous school
and droning adults always telling them what to do and how they should feel.
Each poem is unique and yet similar. Their thoughts are dark and riddled with
pain and fear. They cry out for help and attention, but they refuse to
voice it out loud in favor of remaining in the shadows where eyes cannot touch
them. The poems touch on the subjects of
sex, anger, conformity, jealousy, family, rejection, drugs, homosexuality, and
bullying. These are all topics that are relevant to the life of young boys, and
yet generally shied away from being discussed and usually swept under the rug.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Franco produces jaw-dropping
poetry in all forms; some are lyrical while others are blank verse. The voice
of teenage boys is disturbing. The rhyming words capture the intensity of their
words, and purposeful separation of words with spaces and punctuation create a
resounding effect of crying or screaming. Some of the poems are very short with
only 12 words and some taking up two pages in paragraph form. For example, the
essay entitled “The Bus Stop” is written in a journalized paragraph in first
person form. The tale discusses a young boy’s day at the bus stop where he
watches a girl and boy he “kind of knew” physically fight with the baby in
their arms. It is straight forward with no deeper meaning or discussion of
feelings or symbolism. In other poems, like “Broken Glass” that is full of
symbolism and alliteration and very short.
Cursing jargon litter the pages
of some poems, referencing particular body parts and comparing religious
figures to cleaning products. While, the
imagery and irony of secret emotions are sometimes titled and other times left
blank. Each author is listed with their work, along with their age to epitomize
their individuality as singular voices in a collective group.
REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
“The poetry is rooted in a wide
range of neighborhoods, families, and classrooms, and the language is direct
and frank, with a rhythm ("I'm / not a / hip hop / Dred / retro /
4-pierced brother") and a physical immediacy in the imagery. Some voices are
more private, about secrets, sadness, the weariness of the blues, and the
loneliness when a girlfriend leaves ("the photograph torn in half").
In one of the best pieces, a boy thinks about his birth mother ("What if .
. . ?"). There are no intrusive illustrations, just the images and music
of the words, and lots of white space that makes it easy to browse. Many teens
will recognize their search for themselves.” – Booklist
“Others speak of the fear of
alternately being abandoned and loved, of being shunned or ridiculed.
Obviously, there's some harsh language and tough situations but they add to the
believability and timeliness of the words. You Hear Me? is a fresh approach to
hearing what today's youths have to say, and it's refreshing that the words
came straight from them.” – School Library Journal
CONNECTIONS
If you are prepared to handle
shock and revulsion by parents, this book is an empowering vision into the mind
of teenage boys. It will definitely raise topics of discussion without much aid
from the librarian or teacher. This book was actually listed in the “Restricted
List” by Texas Library Association in 2006.
Other teenage poetry:
Aquado, Bill. PAINT ME LIKE I AM:
TEEN POEMS FROM WRITERSCORPS. ISBN 9780064472647
Franco, Betsy. THINGS I HAVE TO
TELL YOU: POEMS AND WRITINGS BY TEENAGE GIRLS. ISBN 9780763610357
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