Intimate, edgy, and unapologetic, Blues: For All the Changes bears the mark of Nikki Giovanni's unmistakable voice.In a career that has spanned three decades, Giovanni has created an indispensable body of work and earned a place amoung the nation's most celebrated and controversial poets; Gloria Naylor calls her "one of our national treasures." Now, in these fifty-two new poems, Giovanni brings the passion, fearless wit, and intensely personal self that have defined her life's work to a new front.

Invoking the fates and exalting the rhythm of the everyday, Giovanni writes with might and majesty. From the environment to our reliance on manners, from sex and politics to love among Black folk, Blues is a masterwork with poems for every soul and every mood: The poignant "Stealing Home" pays tribute to Jackie Robinson, while "Road Rage Blues" jams on time and space; Giovanni celebrates love's absolut power in "Train Rides" and laments life's trasience in "Me and Mrs. Robin." With the tenderness that has made her on of our most accessible and beloved poets, Giovanni evokes a world that is not only just but also happy. Her powerful stand engages the world with a truth telling that is as eloquent as it is elegant.

From the poignant "Stealing Home," Ms. Giovanni's tribute to Jackie Robinson, to the defiant "Road Rage Blues," a jam on time and space, these fifty-one poems challenge the fates and invoke the precarious state of our environment, Giovanni's battle with illness, manners, and other topics seminal to one of our most compassionate, outspoken observers.

With a reverence for the power of language, Blues For All the Changes will once again enchant Nikki Giovanni's extensive following and inspire those who are newly discovering her work.

This book is divided into two main sections. The first 32 poems are called 'flatted thirds and sevenths.' Some of the poems in this section are short elliptical pieces that are hard-hitting while others are long flowing prose pieces without any punctuation --meant to be read with the natural breathing rhythm of the reader. My favorite in this section is 'Visible Ink'(p.15) This poem which starts out describing the imperfections of folks from the Bible to Hollywood is a an extension of the blues being " . . . about truth-telling." Yes, we all have imperfections, but it is through those imperfections that we learn what true living is all about. Through imperfections, real heroes arise and become the forerunners in the necessary changes we see and need in our lifetime. Other great poems in this section deals with topics that range from the Underground Railroad, civil rights, and hatred to special tributes to key people in our society like Betty Shabazz and Jackie Robinson.

The final 20 poems in this book are called 'fugue.' All of the poetry in this section depict the daily rhythm of human life coming together as we know it. These poems reflect our changing seasons, our dreams and aspirations, as well as our transient from this life to the next. This book is filled with poetry for every mood, emotion, and celebration!

Despite some critics believing that BLUES FOR ALL THE CHANGES is just another book about black anger in poetic form; or that Giovanni's opinions, though based in reality, are wrong subjective conclusions . . . I find her work representative of the emotions and ideas that many Black people have about life in this country. I believe BLUES FOR ALL THE CHANGES resonants in truth and is an excellent read for National Poetry Month!


5 Stars and then Some!   September 7, 2004
Rukiya Faizah
This book is just as wonderfully insightful and emotional as her works always are. Real. Life is not always about being nice and when you've spent your life in the struggle there are going to be times when you feel anger. So, to the reviewer who couldn't understand, maybe it's because you haven't known struggle. Contrary to what was stated, I didn't feel this book was based on anger but rather, as I stated before, it's just REAL.

This book begins with a poem called "The Wrong Kitchen" which talks about self-love. For those of you who know what a "kitchen" is on a black woman then you would know where she is going with it. This poem instantly became one of my favorites. It's not an angry poem but an insightful and emotional piece that is really about the conditions of society that need to be corrected. Two of my other favorite poems in this collection are "Invisible Ink" and "Truman's Baby".

This book is a great buy for any lover of poetry. Giovanni is actually the poet that inspired me to write because she knows how to lay the truth in your lap like a protected child but she also knows how to slap you in the face with truth when it needs to be done.

With that said....BUY THE BOOK!


(I also recommend: Love Poems and Black Feeling/Black Talk/Black Judgement ... all by Giovanni)


Author of Poetic Thoughts From the Heart of a Woman   April 7, 2007
Kathryn S. Carrington (Laurel, Maryland)
1 out of 2 found this review helpful

Fun! Exciting! Serious! Real! Powerful! I felt all of these things and more, reading this particular book by Nikki Giovanni that often lifted my spirits to the top of mountains high and then slowly drifting me down to the valley of reality. I am such a big fan of this poet who has proven through time, that saying what you mean and meaning what you say can be a phenomenal characteristic, allowing one to free the mind, body and soul.