A Fire in My Hands

by Gary Soto

Few writers capture the everyday moments of life like Gary Soto. In direct and vivid poems, he draws from his own youth in California's Central Valley to portray the joys and sorrows of young people. His writing focuses on Latino characters, yet speaks to readers of all ethnicities.     Acclaimed by educators since its original publication in 1998, A Fire in My Hands has been revised and expanded in this new edition. Old and new fans of Soto's work will welcome the return of his compelling poems.  This title has been selected as a Common Core Text Exemplar (Grades 6-8, Poetry)
Includes an introduction and an interview with the author.

Genres: Poetry, Young Adult, The United States Of America, Middle Grade, Chapter Books, Childrens, Teen

76 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1990

About the author

Gary Soto is the author of eleven poetry collections for adults, most notably New and Selected Poems, a 1995 finalist for both the Los Angeles Times Book Award and the National Book Award. His poems have appeared in many literary magazines, including Ploughshares, Michigan Quarterly, Poetry International, and Poetry, which has honored him with the Bess Hokin Prize and the Levinson Award and by featuring him in the interview series Poets in Person. He has received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Guggenheim Foundation. For ITVS, he produced the film “The Pool Party,” which received the 1993 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Film Excellence. In 1997, because of his advocacy for reading, he was featured as NBC’s Person-of-the-Week. In 1999, he received the Literature Award from the Hispanic Heritage Foundation, the Author-Illustrator Civil Rights Award from the National Education Association, and the PEN Center West Book Award for Petty Crimes. He divides his time between Berkeley, California and his hometown of Fresno.

Reviews

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

The right audience will surely like it more, as Soto is def. talented. I've never been anything like a Mexican-American teen boy so I had a little trouble relating to those poems, but when he spoke about his experiences raising his young daughter I was enchanted. The Q&A in the back is wonderful, to help a young person understand poetry, and even creativity, in general, not just these poems.

I do recommend it to anyone who likes accessible, but still 'real' poetry, and anyone who does feel a connection to any of the subjects & themes.

[Sujan Gurung · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book “A Fire In My Hands” by Gary Soto is a book of poems. Some Types of poems in that book are funny, sad, emotional, happy, songs, and sports.


One thing I liked about the book is that it didn’t just stick to one kind of themes. The book had a lot of different themes so people who like different things can also enjoy the book.
Another thing I liked was the fact that the book wasn’t that long, It was only like 75 pages long.


One thing I didn’t like was that the book had to many words I didn’t understand so that made it hard for me to understand what the poem was about.
Another thing I didn’t like is the poems were to long, and I lost interest in most of them halfway through the poem.


In the end the book wasn’t the worst book nor was it the best book, so I would recommend this book to anyone who likes poems and people who are looking for short books.

[Kaitlin Dennis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this during independent reading time with my 8th graders, and I thought it was a really good way to get teenagers into reading poetry, specifically teenage boys. I had trouble really connecting with the poetry because of that strong masculine experience in his writing, but I’m glad to say I own this book because it would be great for my male students to read this and discover a passion for reading that they all drastically lack.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very concrete poetry from a writer who evokes the details of a young man's life in California and all of the subtle ways that kids experience the world around them as they are coming of age - pets, friendships, rivalries, dating. I loved what Soto says at the end of the book, when asked where his poems come from - "Most of the poems in this collection come from real experiences. But, like other artists, I treat the experiences with a measure of creativity" (69). Recommended for adults and teens alike.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Soto's revised version of an earlier book of poetry, with added poems.

I am not sure if this is written for teens, adults or kids, but the teen poems are thoughtful and poignant. Soto writes with an honesty and clarity of remembering childhood that I wish I had. The heartbreak of stumbling through first love and the ackwardness of being a teenage reads very true.

His adult reflections to his childhood are not as powerful as the in-the-moment poems, but are still worth reading.

[Michelle Hamlyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love Gary Soto. Love the simplicity of his poems, even though they're not as simple as they seem.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did not think I would enjoyed poems written for Young Adults, but I did. Some of these poems were funny, poignant, and very identifiable with me. For those people and young adults who are hesitate to read a book of poems, this is the book for them. It is short and will not taxed your brain to figure the meaning behind each poem. I think it is a good book for teachers of English to read to your students.

[Author Leticia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection reminded me of my childhood. Reading through this collection was a refreshing and poignant experience. The ones I enjoyed the most were, "Mating Season," "Eating Mexican Food," and "Knowing Your Limits." Some poems will make you laugh and some poems will pull at your heartstrings. Growing up I enjoyed reading his short stories, and as an adult, it was a pleasure to reconnect with this author's work: It surely inspired me to start writing my own poems. Thank you, Gary!

[Rosie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gary Soto is one of my favorite authors because he always writes about everyday things kids and teens can relate to, especially readers who are Hispanic. The poems show how the author ages and reflect on his feelings about things around him and being from a Mexican-American background. This poems can be read and enjoyed by teens and adults.

[Shirley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love Gary Soto’s capturing the awkwardness around young relationships. His decisions around where to insert a line break, and interview at the end around his journey into poetry. His message is a good one to pass along to young aspiring writers who may have a block around approaching poetry. Mating, Mr. Meow and Morning on This Street were three of my favs.

[C · Rating 2 out of 5]

An interesting collection of free verse poetry. I like the answer and question section at the back of the book.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve been building a classroom library and have started adding books of poems. This book engages all readers with clear and thought provoking imagery.

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This small book contains powerful poetry.

[JL Salty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read over the course of two weeks to curate collection for 7th grade poetry project.

[Eira · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing. It only got better and better. I apire to be such a poet as Gary Soto.

[Anne Jennen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Free verse poems for young adults. I liked Oranges, Hope, How I learned to Fly and Eating Mexican Food.

Not a fan of this type of poetry.

[Theodore Heil]

Unappreciated, but the GOAT.

[Danielle Dominguez · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Fire in My Hands is a collection of poetry by Gary Soto that follows him throughout his life. His experiences that he chronicles in this collection of poems are not only enjoyable, but also relatable. Whether is be the awkwardness of adolescence or the feelings of first love, there is something that everyone can relate to. Soto is Mexican American, and his poems brought back memories of the culture for me.

In the classroom, this could be used to introduce a new culture to students, and to just increase cultural awareness in general. I would probably choose several poems for the students to read versus having them read the entire collection. Students could read and respond to a poem for bellwork, or write how they relate to it. The book could also be used to show a different style of poetry than the typical rhyming poems that students have encountered.

My one critique of of Fire in My Hands are the little annotations that are written above and before each poem. Although the tell the setting or the inspiration for the poem, it would be far more beneficial to the reader to have them after the poem instead. I just found them to be a bit distracting to the actual works at times.

Overall, I enjoyed Soto's book, and I will definitely make it an addition to my classroom library.

[Lanell Gardiner · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a very simple yet deep look into the life of Gary Soto as a child and young man. Bunch of little stories and feeling that he thought. It really delves into the thoughts of a child.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Fire in My Hands consists of the poetry of Gary Soto. The poems in the beginning are about Soto’s childhood, and they “age” throughout the book, ending with poems about his life as a father. Soto is Mexican, and some of the poems reflect on what his heritage means to him. Oranges also play a part in a number of the poems, and they inspired the title, because in the poem “Oranges” he states that an orange looked like a fire in his hands.

Soto’s poems did not rhyme, but they had a good rhythm and meter. The imagery was very strong – I could picture every scenario Soto described, and I thought that was the best aspect of his poetry. The poems describe everyday situations in a new light. They’re relatable, but they’re written with a simple beauty that not many people could achieve. I think the poems about Soto’s younger days are good for children because they describe situations that kids can actually understand and experience. They describe the experience of growing up, so any person can relate to them, but there are also many poems that are perfect to use in a classroom when discussing Mexican heritage.

Soto’s poems are refreshing because they are simple and honest, describing incidents that anyone could experience. They are never pretentious, and the imagery is striking. I would not have my students read this whole collection of poems, however, because I do not think the poems about Soto’s teenage and adult years would be meaningful to them. I would rather select a few poems that I think would interest them. Although I did not find every poem to be interesting, I did enjoy some of them. My personal favorite was “Heaven,” which was about Soto and his friend dancing and just having fun.

[Rebecca Moon · Rating 5 out of 5]

1. Book Information:
Author: Gary Soto
Illustrator: n/a
Title: A Fire In My Hands
Publisher: Harcourt Children’s Books
Copyright date: 2006
Number of pages: 96
Grades: 6th – 9th
Where you identified the author: School Library Journal

2. Book Annotation: Gary Soto writes accessible poems that help children understand the intricacies of growing up in a Latino community.
3. Literary Category: Historical Fiction
4. Reading Notes: Gary Soto’s poems for children, much like his literature for adults, shed light on what it’s like to grow up and live in a Mexican-American community. Gary Soto’s family was poor and Catholic, which is reflected in his writings. My personal students have really enjoyed Mr. Soto’s poems because they remind them of themselves and the trials of adolescence, regardless of their ethnicity. Because I teach many students of Hispanic decent, they frequently laugh and nod while reading, as if Gary’s words confirm or authenticate their own experiences with their families and in their neighborhoods. Most of the poems in this collection are about everyday events that kids easily relate to and appreciate.
5. Characters: This question is difficult for poetry as all characters aren’t named…most of the main characters live in the Latino community where Gary Soto grew up (and, sometimes archetypically, represent stock characters in Latino culture.)
6. Related Books: I would enjoy pairing these poems with one of my favorite pieces of Latino literature, the vignettes of House on Mango Street.

[Julie Suzanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay, so I take it back. I had claimed that Soto's works in my classroom anthologies were timeless but it was the fact that my favorite Soto poem has indeed temporarily expired that led me to search for new material in this book. Here's what happened:

I love the poem "Oranges" as a teaching tool in the classroom. The kids experience a narrative poem that inspires the appropriate discussion and interest, and it's easy to understand, similar in theme to a Soto short story ("Broken Chain") and overall it just provides everything I need. Well! This year, for the first time, it caused my students to fail miserably at containing their erupting laughter behind interested faces, when for 6 years, no one so much as giggled!

Apparently, in 2010, a poem that uses the word "fingering" in any context is asking for trouble. And, it turns out, even the concept of two oranges seems too much like testicles to my darling 7th graders. Who would've thought? I guess I should've---but I never had any of this nonsense before! :) So, I need to find a similarly-themed, similarly easy-to-understand, similarly concise poem for next year until the word "fingering" can be disassociated from its most popular association. How many years is that?


Any suggestions for great, easy poems for 7th grade that deal with 7th grade issues? This collection didn't have anything that interested me.

[Miss · Rating 4 out of 5]

Category:Poetry

Suumary:

This book is a book of poetry from experiences from his life. They include lessons on kids learning how to be bargainers early on to the warm fuzzy feelings boys get when they see a girl they like.

Personal Reaction:

I am not a fan of reading poetry, so I really didnt get into the book all that much. However I did like on of the poems, "How Things Work" that talked about social issues, which is something that I enjoy reading about.

Critical Insight:

I think the book of poems dealt with a lot fun. However, there were also some social and human problems that he pointed out that I think would be worthy of discussion. For example, in his poe, "Failing in the Presence of Ants," he points out how the ants "live for the female/Rescue their hurt, and fall earthward/For their small cause." This is a critical insight because he contrasts that with human beings who "live for our bellies.../give me give me, they say." It's almost as if she pointing out the human faults, hoping that we would consider being kind and more caring toward our fellowmen.

Suggested Audience:

I would suggest kids between 16-18 yrs. Poetry can sometimes be difficult, and I don't see younger students pouring over this. It's not fast pace, and they are not interesting in reading and then rereading. They are usually upset that they have to read in the first place.

[Adam Zaobiedny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Title: A Fire in My Hands
Author: Gary Soto
Illustrator: none
Publisher: Harcourt Children’s Books
Year Originally Published: 1990
Appropriate Grade Level / Reading Level: 6th - 9th

Gary Soto writes from his heart and also speaks through his poetic words. In the book, A Fire in my Hands, Soto carefully looks at several topics. A prominent feature in his poems is about relationships between young men and women. He writes these poems from the perspective of a young Hispanic male, still finding himself and his place in the world.

These poems are not only hilarious to read (as a male, I appreciate these poems a lot), but also for their genuineness. Soto gives readers a preface on each poem about why he was writing the poem. Students will love the easy style of writing that Soto uses as he seeks to explain why he feels the way he feels. Particularly, my favorite poem of his within this collection is "Mating Season," a look at the differences in thinking between young men and young women. This book is terrific for middle and high schools students, especially males.

[Jaci Millette Cooper · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a reader who is seldom interested in narrative poetry, I felt that Gary Soto's poems shine because they are authentic and accentuate the beauty in the everyday, and serve as glittering examples of poetry that appeals to adolescents (but can still be appreciated by an older audience). However, the anecdotes preceding the poems, as short as they were, were too telling of the poems and, I think, severed rather than framed or formed the chance a reader had at developing a personal relationship with each poem. These excerpts are easily things a poet might include as an introduction at a reading, but on the page they felt forced and mawkish. Many of these imagery-rich poems celebrate Soto's hometown and his relationship with his daughter. "Eating Bread," "Oranges," "Failing in the Presence of Ants," and "Teaching Numbers" serve as strongest poems of the collection, and are worth a revisit.

[Alyssa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Fire in My Hands is a short book of poetry for young adults. I really enjoyed the poetry in the book because it focused on everyday parts of life. It didn't incorporate a lot of highfalutin language, but incorporated beautiful diction to illuminate ordinary things. By far my favorite poem was "Oranges" which effectively describes an orange as well as young relationships. I also liked the theme of oranges throughout the work because it made me more fully understand an orange. I think the book would be great for middle school students who are interested in poetry because it is a relatively accessible book of poetry (particularly because it includes descriptions above each poem). My only complaint about the book is that some poems were not my favorite and not nearly as effective as others, which I realize is a matter of opinion and is common with any book of poetry.

[Liz Strode · Rating 4 out of 5]

The poems in this collection resonate with young adults from any culture. Gary talks of love, friendship, keeping secrets, making mistakes, and other common themes in young adult life. I especially love the poem "Orange." There is an easiness to Soto's style that invites young readers into the poems and allows them to visualize and interpret without being intimidated.

These poems could be read aloud to students or paired with other poems or texts in a genre or thematic unit. I might also pair them with some of Gary's stories, such as ones from "Baseball in April"

The edition I read had a great introduction by Soto and little tidbits from him on each page to describe where the poem originated from. Gary encourages young adults to write, so this book would be an excellent mentor text in a writing classroom.

[Christina M Rau · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked a lot of these poems. I was irked by the little anecdotes that appear before each. The poetry would be so much more powerful if the anecdotes were either after the poems or maybe not there at all. Perhaps he can make a version that has tabs that hide the anecdotes for those of us who can't help but read them when they're right in front of us even when we'd rather not.

It also has pictures. I'm very much aware, as you may be by now, that this collection is aimed at younger people. I did enjoy the pictures. I think more poets should include pictures.

These poems discuss a Mexican-American boyhood. The tone and content reminded me of Sandra Cisneros's works. I don't think she's Mexican, but she does share a Latino background. The culture is vivid and inriguiging in her works, and Soto brings the same across in his poems.

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not a teacher or a student, just an old white guy who enjoys contemporary poetry. And I enjoyed this book. It's not only for kids. Gary Soto is an adult writer who happens to write in an accessible style. My favorite is "Morning on this Street" about a homeless man who pulls his crippled wife around on a cart covered by a cardboard box in the rain. It's a poem about love, and man-oh-man does it move me. It starts with two boys on bunk beds, one talking of the girl "he'd jump from a tree to die for," and it ends with the homeless man passing outside:

It's for his wife
That he lives and pulls a rope
To its frayed end. The sky
is nothing and these neighbors
Wincing behind windows
Are even less. This is marriage,
A man and a woman, in one kind of weather.

[Kimberlei Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy Soto's poetry!