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Fear Not the Fall NewSouth Books In three dozen poems and a two-act play, MacArthur Fellow Billie Jean Young honors the tradition of struggle, resistance, and survival common to generations of women descended from African slaves. The tradition she dramatizes in her acclaimed portrayal of Fannie Lou Hamer (here for the first time in book form)—the tradition of making a way out of no way—is the same tradition she celebrates in remembering her mother's "rub-board hands." Her poetry also reveals the deeply painful, often hidden costs of living in a tradition of resistance, costs not readily apparent in her own stellar resumé of accomplishments and awards. In this collection, Young celebrates her personhood as well as her African-American womanhood and the power of self-creation and re-creation in the face of personal rejection, abuse, systemic exploitation, and oppression. Organized chronologically with each section indicating a significant turning point in her adult life, her poems may be read as road markers from her life's journey. For Young, the road is not a freeway; it is not even always paved. It is, however, a familiar path and one any of us can enter.
Reviews “At last, I have a copy of Ms. Young's Fear Not the Fall in my hands. This gives me access not only to her breath-taking poetry but to her play This Little Light . . . Fannie Lou Hamer which I have seen eight times. As a former teacher, I would recommend this book to both junior and high school and college faculties. Students will devour it . . . and be grateful in the same way we are indebted to all those who have introduced us to greatness in prose and poetry. Thank you, Billie Jean Young! And I look forward to seeing the performance again. Until that time, I have the words!” “I was thrilled to learn about the publication of this book, as I have been in awe of Billie Jean Young's talents since first hearing her speak in the late '70s. I very much enjoy and appreciate the soul-baring prose in this book—so much so that I have purchased a copy to donate to our local library. I find it especially eye-opening for those of us with the ‘privilege’ of white skin, who have much to gain by better understanding the issues facing women of African American descent. I especially like her searing and sometimes gut-wrenching poems in Part 1. The excellent preface and introduction put her writings in context and give us greater insight into the ‘why’ of her writings. It is definitely worth reading—and reading again.” Amazon.com reviews |
