Gillan, Maria Mazziotti, and Gillan, Jennifer, eds. (1994). Unsettling America: An Anthology of Contemporary Multicultural Poetry. New York: Penguin Books, 384 pp.

Grade Range: 10-12

Genre: poetry

Summary and Critique

Unsettling America is a collection of powerful, diverse poetry that is compelling in its mission—to challenge the idea of a static American cultural mythos. Its five sections each have a message of their own, though they all intersect with each other. Joy Harjo uses the backdrop of Anchorage to paint a picture of loss and survival and gives us a look at the harsh realities of life as a Native American in "Anchorage." in "Praise the Tortilla, Praise the Menudo, Praise the Chorizo," Ray Gonzalez reminisces the food of his boyhood. In the last poem of this anthology,"Growing Up Italian," Maria Mazziotti Gillan realizes that she is proud to be an Italian. The poems in this anthology can be full of quiet longing and loss, and they can be angry and loud. However, the collection's ending suggests a powerful uprising; it is full of hope that these voices will be heard and that all will be welcome at the negotiating table.

In general, it appears that Unsettling America has been well received; however, some critics have noted the absence of an Irish American presence. Of course, the editors'choice to focus on the theme of instability is much more practical than taking on the impossible task of building an all-inclusive multicultural anthology. Regardless of any minor complaints, this anthology is a necessity for any school or classroom library.

Awards

Outstanding Book for the College Bound and Lifelong Learners by Young Adult Library Services Association/American Library Association for 1999.

Themes/Topics

Families

Generations

Race, Ethnicity, and Culture

Challenges and Triumphs

The Individual vs. Society

Editor Information

Maria Mazziotti Gillan, born of Southern Italian immigrant parents, is a member of the faculty of the English Department at Binghamton University in New York (SUNY). At the time of publishing Unsettling America, she was Director of the Poetry Center at Passaic County Community College in Paterson, New Jersey.

Jennifer Gillan is half Italian American and half Irish American. At the time of the publication of Unsettling America, she was an instructor of English at State University of New York at Stoney Brook. She was also working on Recasting America: Indianness and the Construction of American Identities.

For more information on Maria Mazziotti Gillan or Jennifer Gillan:

http://www.iawa.net/mgillan.htm Brief biographical information on and bibliographical information for Maria M. Gillan.

http://www.italianamericanwriters.com/Gillan.html Biographical information on and bibliographical information for Maria M. Gillan, as well as a few of her poems.

http://www.bentley.edu/research/faculty_feature.cfm?id=241 Short interview with Jennifer Gillan.

Media Connections

Movies

My Family/Mi Familia (1995) – Explores the struggles and triumphs of three generations of a Mexican-American family, beginning with one man's emigration from Mexico to Los Angeles in the 1930s and concluding with his descendants in the 1990s.

Selena (1997) Set in south Texas, Selena focuses on the life and eventual murder of Latin music star Selena.

Soul Food (1997) Explores such issues as modern life versus tradition, a matriarchal family, loss of loved ones, and the African American experience.

The Joy Luck Club (1993) Explores the lives of four Chinese women and their relationships with their four Chinese-American daughters.

Godfather II (1974) Presents the life of an Italian mobster and his family. There is a great scene of immigrants arriving in New York, not to mention the classic stereotype of the Italian Mafioso.

Television

The Jeffersons (Nickelodeon & syndication) A sit com focusing on the daily lives of a wealthy African American couple during the 1970s.

The Bernie Mac Show (FOX) An African American couple become guardians of three children.

Everybody Loves Raymond (CBS) Sit com about an Italian American family

King of the Hill (FOX) Animated sit com, set in a small-town Texas neighborhood, with Asian neighbors, Caucasian neighbors, Native American neighbors, and the stereotypical redneck neighbors.

Music

"No Shelter." Performed by Rage Against the Machine. From Godzilla movie soundtrack. Sony, 1998. Critical of American consumerism.

"America." Performed by Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel. From Best of Simon and Garfunkel. Sony, 1999. Addresses the American dream

"America the Beautiful,""Star-Spangled Banner,""Yankee Doodle Dandy," etc. Performed by various artists on various albums. American patriotic music.

Online Resources

http://english.binghamton.edu/faculty/mgillan/ More information on Maria Mazziotti Gillan.

http://www.edjustice.org Mission is to"promote quality of education for all students of all races and cultures…"

www.nameorg.org/resources/films.html List of films on Racism, Race, Culture, sexual harassment.

http://www.tolerance.org/teach/expand/index.jsp Activities and resources for teachers.

http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/teachers/index.cfm Resources, activities for educators/parents/students, lesson plans.

http://www.thinkquest.org/library/site_sum.html?tname=20619&url=20619/ Immigration timeline built as a school project- very informative.

http://www.nativeweb.org/ Native American History Archive (NAHA), lists resources.

Related Texts

Gillan, Maria M. and Jennifer Gillan, eds. (1994). Growing Up Ethnic in America: Contemporary Prose About Learning to be American. New York: Penguin/Putnam. 374pp. A variety of short stories about children from various cultures growing up in America.

Taylor, Mildred. (1976). Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry New York: Dial Press. 276pp. Cassie, a twelve-year old girl, comes of age in a small 1930's Mississippi town filled with racism, hatred, injustice, and poverty.

Morrison, Lillian (Ed). (2001). More Spice Than Sugar: Poems about Feisty Females. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. 80pp. A short anthology of poems about heroic, inspiring, and strong women.

Yep, Laurence. (1977). Child of the Owl. New York: Harper and Row. 217pp.
Twelve-year old Casey stays with her grandmother in Chinatown while her father is in the hospital. The grandmother, Paw-Paw, enlightens Casey about her Chinese heritage and her family.

Say, Allen. (1993). Grandfather's Journey. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. 32pp. Caldecott Medal winner. Say describes his grandfather's immigration to America and the complex love both men have for their native land of Japan and for America.

Cisneros, Sandra. (1983). House on Mango Street. Houston: Arte Publico Press. 103pp. Esperanza describes her life in a poor Latino neighborhood in Chicago.

Soto, Gary. (1990). A Summer Life. Hanover, NH: University Press of New England. 115pp. Soto describes his youth in Fresno, CA through thirty-nine short essays.

Mohr, Nicholasa. (1986). El Bronx Remembered. New York, NY: HarperTrophy. 272pp. A series of vignettes about life in a Puerto Rican community in South Bronx.

Jimenez, Francisco. (1997). The Circuit: Stories from the Life of a Migrant Child. Albuquerque : University of New Mexico Press. 134 pp. An autobiographical account of a child from a family of migrant farm workers.

Soto, Gary. (1995). Canto Familiar. San Diego: Harcourt Brace. Ill. Annika Nelson. 75 pp. 25 poems beautifully-illustrated poems celebrating a Mexican-American childhood.

Teaching Ideas

(1) "A Closer Examination of Songs and Poems" Have students write about and present their own examples of the "American Dream," the immigrant or minority experience using song lyrics, magazine covers or ads, or film or TV clips. This would be a great way to introduce persuasive techniques and encourage students to analyze what they see in their everyday lives. Also, this activity would focus on contemporary examples of these themes to compliment the contemporary writers in this anthology.

[Summarized/adapted from "A Deeper Look at Songs and Poems" by Ann C. Federico in Ideas Plus #19. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English. Pp. 23-25.]

(2) "Poem Illustrations" Have students illustrate a poem, capture a mood, character, scene, or illustrate something in their own lives that the poem reminds them of. A major emphasis in the philosophy of teaching language arts is on students developing ways to identify with what they're reading, have an emotional response, and be able to articulate what they're feeling and thinking about what they've read. Don't ignore the "art" in "Language Arts"!

[Summarized/adapted from "The Poetry-Art Connection" by Marilyn Bates in Ideas Plus Book 14. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English 1996. pp. 9-12.]

(3) "Performing Poetry" Ask students to select a poem and write about why they like it. Ask them to read it aloud at home using different voices and tones of voice. Have students research a poet's background and influences on their writing. What is the historical setting for some of their ideas? Have students come into class in costume and use props (or provide a box of "idea" pieces) and have them perform or recite a poem in character.

[Summarized/adapted from "Poetry Performances" by Rose Reissman in Ideas Plus Book 14. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English 1996. pp. 32-33.]

(Review written by Alicia Smith and edited by Jennifer E. Moore)