Module 2: Poetry Book Review: Multicultural

Wong, Janet S. 1996. A Suitcase of Seaweed and Other Poems. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-0689807886.




Janet S. Wong's collection of poems in A Suitcase of Seaweed and Other Poems is autobiographical. She has cleverly organized the poems into 3 sections, each one representing a portion of who she is:

Part I: Korean poems (her mother's heritage)
Part II: Chinese poems (her father's heritage)
Part III: American Poems (her heritage)

This inspiring, multicultural book of poems is filled with short, thought-provoking poetry which clearly touch upon the difficulties and joys that come from mixing very different cultures. Wong's style is direct and clever, as demonstrated in Hospitality:

Hospitality
by Janet S. Wong

My guest
must not have noticed
how I removed my shoes
as we stepped inside my house.

My guest
must have missed
the neat line of freshly shined shoes
near the door.

My guest apparently did not see
my mother's shock as she watched
his shoes walking toward her,

muck-covered shoes
impossible to ignore
when she offered him
nothing to eat.

Subtle yet powerful poems such as these will be devoured by children ages 10 and up, especially those who come from diverse backgrounds or who have suffered through adversity.

Prefacing each section of poems are a few paragraphs which provide the reader with more information about Wong's cultural background.

If you would like even more information about Janet S. Wong, her website (http://www.janetwong.com/) is filled with her works and personal information. She even has audio clips of her reading her poetry!