Skin Deep and Other Teenage Reflections

Overview

Offering a powerful-but-playful portrait of urban teens—especially teens of color—this collection of poetry is at once rife with contemporary issues as well as the timeless challenges of high school. Whether focusing on topics such as troubled families, racism in the streets, and depression or boy-girl obsession, the joys of graduation, sports triumphs, and personal achievement, Angela Shelf Medearis writes with wry humor and a direct honesty with which young readers will immediately identify. This is an excellent resource to engage adolescent readers and writers in a discussion of issues they will recognize from their own lives.

Reviews

"Written as if spoken by teens, the poems in Skin Deep give a thought-provoking picture of adolescent life today. Teens and adults will gain insight and enlightenment as they read silently or aloud. Here’s a great opportunity for educators to motivate poets and engage teens in discussion or in acting out the poetry." —Children’s Book Review Service

"The accessibility of the plain-spoken style coupled with the volume’s topicality may engage those who normally avoid this genre." —Kirkus Reviews

"This is one book that will not stay long on the shelf! It is small but packed with powerful contemporary poems." —Tri-State YA Book Review Committee

"Many readers will find pieces of themselves here, and they’ll be encouraged to find their own voices and write about their lives." —Booklist

Author Biography

Angela S. Medearis is the author of more than 100 books for children based on African American history and culture, as well as the author of seven cookbooks. She is the president of Diva Productions, Inc., a multimedia company, and the producer and star of The Kitchen Diva!, a syndicated television cooking show. She is also the founder of Book Boosters, a nonprofit organization that provides support for community literacy and health projects. She lives in Austin, Texas.