PARTLY CLOUDY: POEMS OF LOVE AND LONGING by Gary Soto

Review by: Christi De Leon

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Soto, Gary. Partly Cloudy: Poems of Love and Longing. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2009. ISBN 9780152063016

PLOT SUMMARY

This poetry collection by Gary Soto consists of eighty free-verse poems from various point of views of teenagers about young love. Including poems written by those of both genders, the compilation is split into two sections called “A Girl’s Tears, Her Songs” and “A Boy’s Body, His Words.”

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

In this unique book of poetry, readers will find quite the variety of young perspectives on love expressed through thoughts, emotions, and experiences. Among these are romantic infatuation, falling in love, rejection, jealousy, and loneliness. Although the topics themselves are somewhat emotional, most of these poems are light-hearted and funny. They are not likely to bring the reader to tears, but maybe giggles at times. Middle and high school students are sure to relate to a poem or two in this humorous collection. An outstanding component of this book is the fact that both girls’ and boys’ voices are included, giving everyone something to read all in one poetry collection. The poems are also written clearly and can be understood easily.

There is subtle evidence of diversity among these poems depicted through details such as descriptions of hairstyles, sports, and other varying interests. Multiple settings are also mentioned including the classroom, school cafeteria, the baseball diamond, the basketball court, the bookstore, and outside in nature. Although this book is written by an award-winning Hispanic American author, there is not many representations of the Hispanic culture. One poem called “Barriers” describes a Mexican American and a Japanese American as they question whether their relationship could be understood. “What do we know-Gracias, por favor, Arigato, sayonara. Who will understand us?” In general, the collection captures the individual feelings of a diverse group of teenagers without focusing on cultural references. However, there is emphasis on poetry in Hispanic American literature.

REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

From The Horn Book: "…the free-verse poems all somehow ring true: appropriately corny, rich with image, accessible and believable…the simple, open design encourages browsing, and readers flipping through are bound to find the right words when they need them."

From School Library Journal: "Since many of the narrators are 13 or 14 years old, these short, accessible poems will appeal to middle schoolers, especially. A great addition to poetry collections."

CONNECTIONS

Gather other Gary Soto poetry books to read such as:

You Kiss by th’ Book: New Poems from Shakespeare’s Line. ISBN 1452148295

Gary Soto: New and Selected Poems. ISBN 0811807584

Gather novels written by Gary Soto to read such as:

Taking Sides. ISBN 0152046941

Buried Onions. ISBN 0152062653

Possible activities:

Have students select a poem in which they can relate to, and write an extension of their own.

In a class discussion, reflect upon the differences between the poems written by girls and the poems written by boys.