SKU: 72536933445

Spit Back a Boy: Poems

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Spit Back a Boy: PoemsIain Haley Pollock's poems cover the ground from a woman late to catfish supper to an ancient queen who howls, "Sea, you is ugly," from the creaking of slave ships launched from Lancaster to gunfire on a contemporary Philadelphia street. Such lyric moments find grounding in stories woven through this book in one story line, a boy with a black mother and white father wishes he could shed his white skin or carve into what lies beneath: "I flung my

Iain Haley Pollock's poems cover the ground from a woman late to catfish supper to an ancient queen who howls, "Sea, you is ugly," from the creaking of slave ships launched from Lancaster to gunfire on a contemporary Philadelphia street. Such lyric moments find grounding in stories woven through this book--in one story line, a boy with a black mother and white father wishes he could shed his white skin or carve into what lies beneath: "I flung my almost white self / into my mother's embrace--that brown / embrace I hoped would swallow me whole / and spit back a boy four shades darker." Another thread follows a marriage and a woman intertwined with hunger and the blues, a woman who hears a whale song in a refrigerator's hum, who cries hard like the lonely barking of a fox.

Even when these poems soften, they can't be complacent about good fortune: for all the maple seedpods and snow fluttering down here, the poems are always aware of wreckage and car bombs there, and they keep conscious of the mustard gas of old wars and the losses of recent ones. Punctuated with lives that end early, such as those of Hart Crane and Mikey Clark, a high-school classmate who once swiped the Communion wine, Pollock's collection earns its vitality and romance without closing its eyes to violence and sorrow.

Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: University of Georgia Press
Published: 06/15/2011
ISBN: 9780820339085
Pages: 78
Weight: 0.32lbs
Size: 8.54h x 5.57w x 0.29d

Review Citations: Library Journal 08/01/2011 pg. 103
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SKU: 72536933445

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Chris
Port Orchard, US
★★★★★ 3
Nice Artwork
Format: Paperback
This is a very colorful book with nice artwork. A fun book to look at for young kids. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
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Reviewed in the United States on February 22, 2021
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Amazon Customer
Carnegie, US
★★★★★ 5
Funny story for kids.
Format: Paperback
My son who is 7 years old can’t get enough of this book! It a funny story that any child in his age bracket will enjoy. It was a perfect addition to his Easter basket.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 8, 2021
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Kathryn Reynolds
Port Orchard, US
★★★★★ 5
Quality
Format: Hardcover
Grandson loves books
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Reviewed in the United States on May 15, 2026
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Lindsay L Huntington
Grantham, US
★★★★★ 5
A book every teacher/parent should read!
Format: Hardcover
I LOVE this book because the "bad seed" reminds me of my son. I don't believe there are any "bad kids" in the world but I'm sure kids look at themselves as bad if that is all they ever hear. I love how this story gives a sympathetic backstory on how he got "so bad" and how he is trying to do better and change his bad ways. Even though my son isn't perfect, he sure does try to do good and his behavior improves when people notice the POSITIVE instead of the negative. I absolutely love the last lines of the book where the other seeds are gossiping (another lesson) saying, "Hey! There goes that bad seed," and another seed sticks up for him and says, "Actually, he isn't that bad anymore." Then the "bad seed" turns around with a smile on his face and says, "I heard that." Moral of the story.....children are always listening. Focus on the positive rather than the negative and a child's self-talk and behavior will drastically improve. My son's 2nd grade year was so negative and he was always getting into trouble. I rarely heard the good and neither did my son. His 3rd grade year was amazing. The teacher really focuses on pointing out his good choices and what a difference that made in my son's attitude toward school. Thank you Jory John for writing this book. I also love the book, "I Love You Already" which teaches readers about friendship, love, patience, loyalty and forgiveness. :)
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Reviewed in the United States on October 2, 2018
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Patty Rosebourgh
Alexandria, US
★★★★★ 5
Kids learn to keep going
Format: Hardcover
Used for read aloud
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Reviewed in the United States on February 18, 2026

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