Taking the Arrow Out of the Heart - by Alice Walker (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Presented in both English and Spanish, Alice Walker shares a timely collection of nearly seventy works of ... poetry that bears witness to our troubled times, while also chronicling a life well-lived. From poems of painful self-inquiry, to celebrating the simple beauty of baking frittatas, Walker offers us a window into her magical, at times difficult, and liberating world of activism, love, hope and, above all, gratitude"--

Book Synopsis

* WINNER of the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work *

Alice Walker, author of the National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning The Color Purple--"an American novel of permanent importance" (San Francisco Chronicle)--crafts a bilingual collection that is both playfully imaginative and intensely moving.

Presented in both English and Spanish, Alice Walker shares a timely collection of nearly seventy works of passionate and powerful poetry that bears witness to our troubled times, while also chronicling a life well-lived. From poems of painful self-inquiry, to celebrating the simple beauty of baking frittatas, Walker offers us a window into her magical, at times difficult, and liberating world of activism, love, hope and, above all, gratitude. Whether she's urging us to preserve an urban paradise or behold the delicate necessity of beauty to the spirit, Walker encourages us to honor the divine that lives inside all of us and brings her legendary free verse to the page once again, demonstrating that she remains a revolutionary poet and an inspiration to generations of fans.

Review Quotes

"[A] strong addition to her mulitgenre literary canon. Walker offers the prodding wisdom of an elder suggesting that we can cope by taking comfort in beauty, friendship, and human kindness; by always expressing gratitude; and by turning inward to hold ourselves accountable for what we contribute."-- "Booklist, Starred Review"

"A book that meditates on these contentious times, but also on life, love, hope, and gratitude, it's just what our literary souls were aching for."-- "Marie Claire"

"The [poetry] collection is moving and timely, and highlights the still-raw trauma from our nation's recent past."-- "Vanity Fair"

"Walker forthrightly addresses our despair while ultimately offering poems of love and hope for all readers."-- "Library Journal"

About the Author

Alice Walker, winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award, is a canonical figure in American letters. She is the author of The Color Purple, The Temple of My Familiar, Horses Make a Landscape Look More Beautiful, The Way Forward Is with a Broken Heart, Now Is the Time to Open Your Heart, and many other works of fiction, poetry, and nonfiction. Her writings have been translated into more than two dozen languages, and more than fifteen million copies of her books have been sold worldwide.