Homegirls and Handgrenades

by Sonia Sanchez

“Only a poet with an innocent heart can exorcise so much pain with so much beauty.”—Isabel Allende A reprint of Sonia Sanchez’s award-winning collection, which contains some of her seminal work. Winner of the American Book Award. Sonia Sanchez is a poet, activist, and scholar and one of the most important writers of the Black Arts Movement. She is the author of sixteen books and lives in Philadelphia.

Genres: Poetry, Feminism, Short Stories, Race, Fiction, Womens, African American

96 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1984

About the author

Sonia Sanchez was born Wilsonia Benita Driver on September 9, 1934, in Birmingham, Alabama. After her mother died in childbirth a year later, Sanchez lived with her paternal grandmother and other relatives for several years. In 1943, she moved to Harlem with her sister to live with their father and his third wife.

She earned a B.A. in political science from Hunter College in 1955. She also did postgraduate work at New York University and studied poetry with Louise Bogan. Sanchez formed a writers' workshop in Greenwich Village, attended by such poets as Amiri Baraka (LeRoi Jones), Haki R. Madhubuti (Don L. Lee), and Larry Neal. Along with Madhubuti, Nikki Giovanni, and Etheridge Knight, she formed the "Broadside Quartet" of young poets, introduced and promoted by Dudley Randall.

Reviews

[Kati · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Is she a writer too, ma?"

"No, honey. She's a lady who has lived life instead of writing about it."

[Abigail Munson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy shit. Please just read this book.

[Carol Tilley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A deliciousness of words, best read aloud or sounded out.

[Danielle]

Enjoying this book of poetry, but not as much as Morning Haiku

[Eboni Sade · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing read

[Wendy Trevino · Rating 5 out of 5]

Putting this on my "favorites" shelf because of the poem "Bubba." One of my favorite poems ever.

[Staycee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully crafted.

[Sydnie]

plant yourself in the eyes of the children who have died carving out their own childhood. plant yourself in the dreams of the people scattered by morning bullets.
let there be everywhere our talk.
let there be everywhere our eyes.
let there be everywhere our thoughts.
let there be everywhere our love.
let there be everywhere our actions.
breathing hope and victory into their unspoken questions summoning the dead to life again to the hereafter of freedom.

[ayşe · Rating 4 out of 5]

the joy of discovering a new favorite author 💜

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Coming across this book on the library’s recommended shelf the other day, I immediately said “oh ____ yeah,” and I nearly licked my chops (in public). The only adequate comparison to such satisfaction in the anticipation alone would be, say you’re waiting for a bus transfer home in the dark rain, and someone who loves you calls and says “hang in there, when you get home there will be lasagna.” When I realized that was the feeling to describe finding out this book exists, I decided if I ever write a bucket list, I’m scrawling make someone love me enough to surprise me with lasagna when it’s dark and raining and I’m waiting interminably for the bus.”

Bravery and wholeness are two themes here that will stick with me for a while.

Goodreads is always a little sloppy about editions, but I believe I nailed the right one - Beacon Press, 2023. Only criticism is directed at the publisher because as far as I go, I think it needs an introduction. This is a new edition of a book from 1985. Knowing the context of when this was written will help more people get it. I went to a liberal arts college in the “Chicago” mold, which denied historical context of classics. They supposedly either spoke for themselves and we were to understand them, airlifted outta history, or else not. I don’t think that’s fair, I think it’s ridiculous actually. And how many 20 year olds who see this title and think “oh ____ yeah rain lasagne” know about Reagonomics as the undertow that followed the COINTELPRO erasure of radical power, how many of them know who Steven Biko is, maybe they all know, but in that case they could always skip the introduction. Implying all classics need no introduction, today, really just means “Leave it to Google!” Which is the boring TV show running our lives already, with Eddie Haskell played by cookie ads.

[Shila Iris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the way Sonia is with her poetry. She is bold and she hasn't forgotten what it means to be of African descent living in America. America trys to forget and repress the feelings, but no one can hide from the truth. The story will be told through people like you, me and Sonia. This book is excellent.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Haiku (written from Peking)

let me wear the day
well so when it reaches you
you will enjoy it"

Incredible. I felt every emotion while reading this collection. My favorite poems were "Reflections After the June 12th March for Disarmament," "Norma," and "A Letter to Dr. Martin Luther King."

[Rowena · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't like this book as much as I liked Shake Loose my Skin but I loved the short stories she included in this book. They were definitely very poignant.

[Gabriella · Rating 4 out of 5]

She's amazingly in tune with her time and surroundings. I felt a part of every poem in this collection, and can't wait to read more by her!

[Book Gossiping · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't believe I didn't know of her sooner. I was introduced to Sonia Sanchez from another book I read. Check out my podcast review:
https://www.spreaker.com/episode/1933...

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sanchez is such a visionary of a poet.

Note: some overlap of content with her other collection titled Shake Loose My Skin, but not much. Maybe 10%.

Some favourite excerpts are below.



and i cannot look up at you.
my body
trembles and i mumble things as you
stand tall and sacred
so easily in yo/self
but i am here
to love you
to carry yo/name on my
ankles like bells
to dance in
yo/arena of love.
you are tattooed on the round/soft/
parts of me
and yo/smell is
always with me.

***

who am i to have loved you in rooms
lit by a single wall?
who am i to have loved at all as the
years come like water and the
madness of my blood drains rivers.

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not feel moved by this, some of the narratives were good but I did not feel like there was a connecting theme.

My favorite of all was Nora. That is a story I have seen and while I know it will happen again and again I pray it does not.

[l · Rating 4 out of 5]

Favouries: Haiku, Depression, Ballad & Reflections After the June 12th March for Disarmament

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still trying to get into poetry - would love to revisit this once I get more interested. With that being said, I loved the poetry and short stories in this book. Especially the last section of the book, Grenades Are Not Free. This entire section was written during the historical moment of the early 1980s during the nuclear arms race/Cold War, the Reagan era - the new conservative political climate after the politically-charged decade of the 1970s. However, reading it I felt as if absolutely everything I could translate over to the current neo-nazi, neo-liberalism, alt-right political climate. "Reflections After the June 12th March for Disarmament," "Letter to Dr. Martin Luther King," and "MIA's" are SO AMAZING.

My favorite passage from "MIA's":

"they came that nite to the village.
calling peace. liberty. freedom.
their tongues lassoing us with
circus patriotism
their elbows wrapped in blood paper
they came penises drawn
their white togas covering their
stained glass legs
their thick hands tatooing decay
on los campaneros till their
young legs rolled out from under them
to greet death
they came leaving a tatoo of hunger
over the land." (p. 75)

[Gabriella · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought I would prefer the poems to the short stories, but that wasn't the case. Her short stories are wonderful, but I didn't find myself as captured by many of the poems. Though, as far as the poems go, Reflections after the June 12th March for Disarmament was especially powerful. MIA's as well.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

She paints a realistic picture of the situations that some of face most of the time.
I truly loved the After saturday comes Sunday story. I was so embedded into the story I felt concern for the twin babies when they lit up a cigarette.

[Karen]

* Understanding Oppression: African American Rights (Then and Now)

Home-girls and Hand-grenades by Sonia Sanchez | Sonia Sanchez is a poet, activist, and scholar and one of the most important writers of the Black Arts Movement. #activist

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent

[RK Byers · Rating 5 out of 5]

"After Saturday Night Comes Sunday" was shocking. if being on dope makes you not even wanna bone Sonia Sanchez, you can bet your ass i'd never touch the stuff!

[Doris Raines · Rating 4 out of 5]

A. Book. Of. Excellence.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. So impactful.

[Meri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read it..Read it..Read it!!!Thank You for this beautiful work Sister Sanchez!:)

[amma.keep.reading · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now that Sonia Sanchez is my life, she is here to stay. Hashtag: Better Late Than Never.

[Simi Kaur]

A particularly close to home poetry collection on black humanity and the oppression African Americans went through from slavery onwards.

[Cindy Lofgren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Specifically picked up this book for the short story titled “Norma” but thoroughly enjoyed all the poems. Read from front to back. It’s a journey.