Discussion Guide Teachers' Notes Look Inside *Reviewed by Booklist, School Library Journal, Library Media Connection, Teacher-Librarian and many more! *Selected as Cooperative Children's Book Center Book of the Week and on their 2014 Best of Year list! Anthology including over 50 works of poetry by 20th century writers on issues related to social justice. America is not easy. Its a land of high ideals and stirring icons, but it is also a land of harsh realities. We celebrate the incredible achievements of individuals as we turn our gaze from hunger and homelessness in the streets. We have a difficult time matching our words with our deeds. This is where poetry comes in. A poem has the ability to personalize the ideal, to make it tangible in a way that a speech or news report cannot. It can widen the angle through which we view society. It can move us to action. The poems in this anthology do just that: confront, challenge, and inspire. They take us on a journey toward social justice, starting in the shadows and slowly working our way home. CONTRIBUTORS COMMON. The Foreword is written by COMMON who is a hip hop artist, actor and social activist. He is also the founder of the Common Ground Foundation. Gail Bush is a prominent professor emeritus of education and library science. Randy Meyer is a middle school librarian and has worked as an editor and writer in the library and educational journal and book publishing fields.