A Fire in My Hands

Soto, Gary. 1990. A FIRE IN MY HANDS. Ill by James M. Cardillo. New York, NY: Scholastic, Inc.
ISBN 0590450212

*Summary

Gary Soto’s collection of twenty-three poems tells of his reflections on the “small moments” he has experienced in his life in San Joaquin Valley. A foreword, question and answers from Soto, and simple illustrations by James Cardillo are also included.

*Critical Analysis

Gary Soto’s poetry book, A FIRE IN MY HANDS, begins with a foreword written by Soto in which he explains the beginning of his interest poetry and his inspiration for the poems in the book. A table of contents lists the title of each of the twenty-three poems. Each poem varies in length, yet all of them represent some memory or musing about everyday life. Before each poem is a short anecdote describing some aspect of the poem – the time in his life when it occurred, the inspiration for the first line, why he chose to write the poem. The collection ends with a short “question and answer” section in which Soto tells more about his poetry writing experiences specifically and other questions about poetry in general. The foreword, anecdotes, and “question and answer” sections all convey Soto’s enthusiasm for poetry and his encouragement of young writers to write poetry. This sets the tone for the collection and makes complicated poems in the collection seem less intimidating.

Soto’s poems evoke various moods, but each poem’s details draw readers into the scene and the feelings of the speaker. For example, in “Kearney Park,” the speaker’s joy is obvious as he dances in the park with his girlfriend. “True Mexicans or not, let’s open our shirts/And dance, a spark of heels/Chipping at the dusty cement.” In another poem, “Pepper Tree,” the speaker shows a sense of expectancy in regard to the tree he has planted. “Under this weight, that color,/Stand up, bend a little, be here tomorrow.”In poems such as “Black Hair” and “That Girl” the mood is one of reflection and recreating a scene from his childhood, like enjoying a baseball game or watching a girl from across the library. Although the poems vary in tone and mood, the speaker remains consistent since Soto is using the poems to tell of his experiences.

Poetic elements such as figurative language create imagery and emotion in Soto’s poems. For example, in “Oranges” the fog is “hanging like old/Coats between the trees.” Another poem “Evening Walk” depicts the scene of the walk the speaker shares with his daughter, “…the grandma houses/Quaint as tea cups.” Another striking example is in the poem “Envying the Children of San Francisco.” The speaker states, “I wanted to hear voices/Behind walls, the click-click of a poodle/Strolling to his bowl – a violin like fingers/Running down a blackboard.” Descriptive lines such as these not only create images, they also create an emotional response. Readers might laugh at the boys singing and dancing to the radio in “Heaven” or feel sadness for a homeless man and his wife in “Morning on This Street.” Simple, black and white drawings also add to the appeal of the poetry collection. The simplicity of the pictures compliments the poetry.

A FIRE IN MY HANDS also contains several cultural markers. In his foreword, Soto says the he was “most taken” by Spanish and Latin American poets. In the introduction to “Black Hair,” Soto explains that he went to the baseball game to root “for a player who was Mexican, like me.” He further mentions his own “black torch of hair” and “brown people.” Also the name of the player is Hector Moreno. In “That Girl” Soto refers to himself as a “Catholic boy,” and in “Kearney Park” Soto uses phrases in the Spanish language.

*Response

Initially I was a bit intimidated by a few of Soto’s poems, but as I read them a few more times I came to appreciate his use of language and the feelings he conveys through his poetry. I think that I could share a few of these with older students at my school. His forward and anecdotes would be particularly useful for students who are writing their own poems.

*Review Excerpts

“These simple, free-verse selections skillfully capture that which is commonplace and transforms it into something mesmerizing and lovely.”
School Library Journal

“Teachers and students could use this collection in classes or for enjoyment reading, especially for those fans of Soto's other work. This title could serve as an additional resource if you need to incorporate more poetry into your collection, especially from Hispanic authors.”
Library Media Connection

“…this is a solid collection that includes writing that will give voice to many of the emotions young people experience in the small moments of daily life.”
Horn Book *Starred Review*

*Connections

-Read other works by Gary Soto.
-Write poetry about everyday experiences and share one selection with a partner, group, or the class.
-Discuss how Soto is able to take common experiences and convey emotions using few words. How does he achieve this? Are his poems effective?
-Create an original illustration to accompany one of Soto’s poems.
-Read other poems about common life experiences.