Does Your House Have Lions ? Paperback – January 28, 1998

I come from a skewed perspective because I had the privilege of watching the great Sonia Sanchez perform this work in person. Not read, perform. Sanchez's work on the page is a script and a catalyst for the performance of verse and characterization, as if, when reading, she's filled with the writing rather than presenting it. That means that with Does Your House Have Lions, the gorgeous tale of rebellion, loss, and reconciliation is presented exactly as it should - as a maelstrom of free-floating unresolved emotions, pain and disappointments that only grew in the face of death. It's a work of magnificent gusto to convey, with unwavering and elegant lyricism, a consummate identity of everyone involved, a family, before and after death, and the continued dialogue of what seems like a whole community of life being unwound by the most powerful unfinished buisness.

Such a gifted poet, with an ability to tap into the human spirit like no other. I am thrilled that I decided to start a Sonia Sanchez collection. Long overdue, I know. But, it's never too late to open your arms to brilliance.

I know i have to read this book a few more times to get it to sink in but it is well worth it

Sonia Sanchez was born in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1934. She then moved to Harlem with her sister in 1943. In 1955, Sanchez earned a BA in political science from Hunter College and also did some post-graduate work at New York University where she studied poetry along with Louise Bogan. During the 60s, she was an integrationist who accepted the philosophies of Islam and of Malcolm X. She has written plays, children’s books, and many poetry books. She retired in 1999 and currently resides in Philadelphia.Sanchez’s contemporary poetry falls underneath a new genre/trend of writing that appeared at the turn of the 21-century. African-American authors took a renewed interest in autobiographical material and telling stories of what it was like growing up black in American.Sanchez published Does Your House Have Lions? in 1997. The chapters are the “voices” of several personas- her sister’s, brother’s, father’s, and family/ancestor’s. Her poems speak on the topic of growing up black. The collection of poems tend to be directed towards, and about, the brother. Her brother seems to be a symbol of being black in a white man’s world- the pain, the struggle, poverty, violence. Hidden within the poems is a legacy of violence, and shown are the effects it has had on the African-American population.In a poem titled “Sister’s Voice,” the persona addresses “brother,” which actually seems to mean “black people in America.” The poem begins with: let the spirit raise up echoes in my spine brother. let our histories bleed no boomerangs let my accent shrink the itch of undermine brother. let our mouths speak without harangue (184)This appears to be a message, a call to action, for all of Sanchez’s black brethren. “Let our histories bleed no boomerangs” is a warning to not get caught up in the legacy of violence from which black people were born (Sanchez 184). Being angry and extremely resentful can eat at one’s soul and actually hurt the victim even more. Her message in “let our mouths speak without harangue” could be interpreted as encouragement to be more proactive instead of reactive; actions speak louder than words (Sanchez 184).