Life According to Motown

by Patricia Smith

In the 1960s, the live of black children were shaped by the glittery specter of Motown--a world of furious flash, undeniable glamour, and impossible romantic ideals. Some discovered the truth before it was too late. Others still drape their blues in the silken sounds, swirling in dimly-lit rooms in an endless, blinding slow dance.

Patricia Smith, born and raised on Chicago's West Side, grew and thrived on the bright promise of Motown. Life According to Motown, the new collection by the five-time champion of Chicago's famous Uptown Poetry Slam, recounts in vivid imagery the lessons taught by and learned from Motown, as well as a thrilling collection of new works.

Genres: Poetry, African American, Feminism

76 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

Reviews

[Michael Brockley · Rating 4 out of 5]

The expression "wabi sabi" refers to the appreciation in Japanese culture of flawed beauty, to the aesthetic value of the hairline crack in an heirloom vase. This appreciation could, perhaps, be summarized by saying, "Nothing lasts, nothing is finished, nothing is perfect." In "Life According To Motown," Patricia Smith has created imperfect perfection. She acknowledges this in her preface to the tenth anniversary collection of these poems about being an Africsn-American girl in Chicago who came into her adolescence learning about life and love by listening to the wisdom of the Temptations and the Supremes. Smith compiled this selection of poems from stage utterances, cocktail napkin poems, anguished journal entries and dimming memories which she assembled at the request of Luis Rodriquez who asked her if she had a manuscript he could publish (Smith days, "When someone asks if you have a manuscript, you always say yes, whether or not you actually do). And Smith acknowledges that these are gems with flaws. Several of the poems would benefit from a focused editing and adjectives, at times, do the boorish work of adjectives. At times, in poems like Your Man, the poem continues with an extra stanza while the reader is gobsmacked with an in media res ending like "Your man hurls light at my skin/and forgets your name when that's what I need." But "Life According To Motown" is a greatest hits collection of a poet doing her 10,000 hours. These are the poems of a girl whose father died too early. A child kidnapper, a pedophile father and the other woman dwell in this world where a girl with beautiful brown eyes endures the suffering that accompanies efforts to dye her eyes blue and where the boys who slow dance with her drool in her ear and sing Smokey Robinson off-key. But Smith's jukebox always cues a glorious Motown single, that hope that love will stay, that the "fine thang" with the wavy hair will walk across the dance floor to ask the girl with poems hidden under her blanket to slow dance to "Just My Imagination." When the music fills her and she finds her sweet spot on the dance floor, Patricia Smith soars.

[Zee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was really good. Probably some of the strongest imagery I've ever seen, which tracks for everything I've read from this poet. I also loved that there were side notes for most of the poems explaining a general "prompt" to them. This made reading the collection a lot more accessible.

[Mills College Library]

811.54 S6563L 1991

[Sebastian]

First read: August 1, 2023, Tuesday

[Biscuits · Rating 4 out of 5]

A key stop in the necessary voices to hear tour