One Hundred Plus American Poems

by Malloy

Anthology

Genres: Poetry

Paperback

First published January 1, 1979

Reviews

[Michele · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not a textbook by any means, just a good solid collection of American poetry, but it happened to be a book that was part of my sixth grade class. The contents, grouped thematically, range from "Dogs and weather" by Winifred Welles to Carl Sandburg's complex love/hate portrait of Chicago to "Incident" by Countee Cullen to the elegy that begins "Down in Dallas, down in Dallas / where the shadow of blood lies black" to the silliness of Ogden Nash. That I still have this book, still revisit it with great pleasure, and can still quote portions of the poems it contains, despite the passage of more than four decades, should be evidence enough of how good it is.

[Stephy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even as a 17 year old runaway, living in the streets, I have always had poetry. Poems are familiar friends when one is alone. This book has served me well since 1970 or so. It has many signs of use and love, but the words on the pages are still as worthy as they ever were. I have at this point so much poetry, so many volumes by so many poets, oh, never mind. I could never let this go. If you have never read poetry outside a classroom, Send me a message and I will give it to an individual who would love it. Not for sale. It would be a gift.

[Emanuella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Купих този сборник от благотворителния базар - над 100 поеми от Робърт Фрост, Хенри Дейвид Торо, Джон Ъпдайк, Огдън Наш, Емили Дикинсън и много други американски автори. Творбите са тематично разделени и придружени от наградени снимки (Scholastic-Kodak Photography Awards 1964 – 1978). В края на изданието има интересни студентски бележки.

[Hank Hoeft · Rating 4 out of 5]

100 Plus American Poems, a poetry anthology published by Scholastic Books and aimed at middle- and high school kids, was originally published in 1970, and revised in 1978. The back cover blurb states, “This anthology of poems is all about America: America the beautiful, the funny, the sad, the brave, the tragic. America of the trains, the jets, the prairies, the small towns, the big cities. America of the people —the pioneers, the Indians, the soldiers, the farmers, the city-dwellers, the kids, the dreamers and doers, the hopeless and forgotten.” Accordingly, I noticed a definite late-60’s and early 70’s liberal vibe in the selection of poems. But I couldn’t help but notice that the slant is liberal, not left-wing. The collection celebrates America rather than condemns it, which is what one might expect of a poetry anthology compiled and published today. There are poems about some of the less-than-admirable traits of America, but there are poems about America’s greatness, too; all facets are presented. In fact, one famous poem, Carl Sandburg’s “Chicago,” captures this in microcosm in its depiction of the city of Chicago, which Sandburg states is “hog-butcher for the world,” as well as “wicked,” “crooked,” and “brutal,” but also “with lifted head singing so proud to be alive and coarse and strong and cunning.” Much the same could be said for America as a whole, and editor Paul Molloy does a good job of trying to present all these varied aspects, from the heroic to the tragic (and people who are heroic in their dignity in the face of tragedy), and from the serious to the whimsical.

[Paula Baron · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’d give Poetry U.S.A., edited by Paul Molloy, a 4 out of 5. I wasn’t expecting to connect with it, but it honestly surprised me. One of the poems I recognized was “Birches” by Robert Frost, and it brought back something familiar and comforting. The way he talks about wanting to escape just for a little while really stuck with me. There’s this quiet hope in his words that I didn’t know I needed. A lot of the poems felt honest, like they weren’t trying too hard—they just told the truth. Some were confusing at first, but that made me want to read them again and sit with them. The book doesn’t pretend life is easy, but it finds beauty in all the mess. I liked the variety—different voices, different moods, but all with something to say. I’d definitely recommend it to anyone who loves poems that feel real, reflective, and full of heart.

[Rae Phoenix · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very basic, surface-level anthology of American poetry. A decent introduction to the classics! No complaints!

[Shanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well-rounded collection, grouped into themes such as lifestages, animals, people and places, etc. Lots of "accessible" poems here for the average reader, along with a few more "cerebral" exercises for the thinkers.

[JL Salty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read for 7th grade poetry project.

[Kathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

As with any anthology this collection was hit & miss. I'm glad I read it, but this is not one of the collections I will be keeping & rereading. There were some gems in there, but overall it felt rather dry.

[Alea · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting compilation of American poetry but I was disappointed with the lack of variety and didn't really understand why some of the selections were chosen.

[Sheherazahde · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good collection of classic American poetry.

[Tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good introduction/overview of "classic" American poetry.