INTRODUCING POETRY: AFRICAN AMERICAN POETRY: The Crossover by Kwame Alexander

The Crossover: By Kwane Alexander

Bibliography:

Alexander, Kwame. The Crossover.

Review:

The Crossover by Kwame Alexander is a verse novel that tells the story of Josh Bell a.k.a. Filthy McNasty. Josh Bell and his twin brother Jordan Bell (JB) are the star basketball players for their junior high basketball team. The reader learns about the wholesome Bell family through the eyes of Josh Bell.  Each poem begins with a title that doubles as the first line in the poem, and the poems vary from short, four words per line, two lines per stanza, to multi-lines, multi-stanza, and multi-page poems. Alexander also uses a range of poetic elements including, figurative language, word position, and repetition. The novel is divided into four quarters that, like a basketball game, become more intense as they progress. Alexander also spinkles in "Basketball Rules" that double as life rules; leaving a trail of advice and lessons for the reader. The poems give an incredible insight into the mind and spirit of a junior high boy while still being completely relatable for the reader. I would recommend this to any reader interested in the life and struggles of young males. 

Spotlight Poem: 

Ode to My Hair

If my hair were a tree

I'd climb it.

I'd kneel down beneath

and enshrine it.

I'd treat it like gold

and then mine it.

Each day before school

I unwind it.

And right before games 

I entwine it.

These locks on my head, 

I designed it.

And one last thing if 

you don't mind it:

That bet you just made?

I DECLINE IT. 

Kwame Alexander's voice is so strong in this poem that I can hear an eighth grade boy speaking it as I read. I would use this poem to spotlight for students the use of voice in a poem. I could point out all the active verbs and how they give the poem its personality. I would also use this poem to teach rhythm. The poem does have a clear cadence as you are reading, but the rhyme scheme is not strict. I would have students mimic this quality in their own writing. I would ask them to choose a feature they feel confident about and have them write an ode where I can hear their voice through the rhythm and cadence.