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Summary
Summary
In her own voice, acclaimed author and poet Nikki Grimes explores the truth of a harrowing childhood in a compelling and moving memoir in verse.
Growing up with a mother suffering from paranoid schizophrenia and a mostly absent father, Nikki Grimes found herself terrorized by babysitters, shunted from foster family to foster family, and preyed upon by those she trusted. At the age of six, she poured her pain onto a piece of paper late one night - and discovered the magic and impact of writing. For many years, Nikki's notebooks were her most enduing companions. In this accessible and inspiring memoir that will resonate with young readers and adults alike, Nikki shows how the power of those words helped her conquer the hazards - ordinary and extraordinary - of her life.
Author Notes
Nikki Grimes was born and raised in New York City. She began writing poetry at age six and is well-known for writing award-winning books primarily for children and young adults. Bronx Masquerade and Talkin' About Bessie both won Coretta Scott King Awards, and her poetry collections featuring Danitra Brown are very popular. Grimes received the NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children in 2006.
She has written articles for magazines including Essence and Today's Christian Woman, as well as hosted radio programs in New York and Sweden. She has lectured and read her poetry at schools in Russia, China, Sweden, and Tanzania. Grimes is also a prolific artist, creating works of fiber art, beaded jewelry, peyote beading, handmade cards, and photography.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (5)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Grimes (One Last Word) presents a gripping memoir in verse constructed from imperfect recollections of the hardship and abuse she endured as a child. Having lost chunks of her memory as a result of traumatic experiences, Grimes relies on her art to fill in the blanks. In recurring entries titled "The Mystery of Memory," and "Notebook," Grimes contextualizes her scattered remembrances to provide a sense of time and place for readers ("Where is the chronology of a life/ chaotic from the start?"). Grimes eloquently conveys the instability of a childhood lived in the unpredictable wake of a mentally ill mother and abusive stepfather alongside hopeful anecdotes about the safe haven provided by her beloved older sister, her growing faith, and the often absent yet doting father she lost too soon. Underlining the idea that "a memoir's focus is on truth, not fact," Grimes courageously invites readers to join her on a journey through the shadows of her past, bridging "the gaps/ with suspension cables/ forged of steely gratitude/ for having survived my past/at all." Ages 12--up. (Oct.)■
Horn Book Review
As poetically written as Woodsons Brown Girl Dreaming (rev. 9/14) with a story as hard-hitting as Sapphires Push. In her authors note, poet Grimes (winner of the 2017 Childrens Literature Legacy Award) says that memoirs focus on truth, not fact. Because of the childhood trauma she suffered, she has limited memories of her early years but has constructed the truths of her life from a patchwork of recollections; photos obtained from friends and family; and a few artifacts salvaged despite the frequent moves of her impoverished family and time spent in foster care. Overshadowing most of the story, her mothers mental illness (paranoid schizophrenia), alcoholism, and marriage to an abusive and irresponsible man made Grimess early life hazardous. In a childhood in which she had to elude rats in her apartments and bullies and gangs in her neighborhoods and in which she was sexually violated by her stepfather, young Nikki found solace and confidence through her identity as a writer. She was supported and nurtured by her sister, from whom she was separated at age five; by her father, a violinist who immersed Nikki in Harlems Black Arts scene; and by an English teacher who insisted on excellence. As her story unfolds (the book is arranged in sections, chronologically, beginning in 1950 and ending in 1966), the striking free-verse poems powerfully convey how a passion for writing fueled her will to survive and embrace her own resilience. My spiral notebook bulges / with poems and prayers / and questions only God / can answer. / Rage burns the pages, / but better them / than me. A must-read for aspiring writers. michelle h. martin September/October 2019 p.111(c) Copyright 2019. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
With Ordinary Hazards, Grimes delivers a memoir in the form of a powerful and inspiring collection of poems. She details her early life through adulthood, and she unabashedly explores the highs as well as the lows. Grimes' struggle with a mother suffering from mental illness, an absent father, and an abusive stepfather plunged her life into turmoil at an early age. Yet through it all, she persevered and used writing as an outlet for her pain. She delves into finding a loving found family after being separated from her older sister and bounced around in foster care, ultimately having to choose between her found family and her birth mother, after her birth mother claims to be well enough for Grimes to come home. Young adults will identify with and connect to the many challenges explored in Grimes' work, which delves into issues of love, family, responsibility, belonging, finding your place in the world, and fighting the monsters you know and the ones you don't. The memoir has heartbreaking moments even soul-crushing ones that will make readers ache for young Grimes and teens grappling with similar circumstances. But inspiring moments bolster her raw, resonant story, showing that there is always light at the end of the darkest of tunnels.--Enishia Davenport Copyright 2019 Booklist
School Library Journal Review
Gr 7 Up--From a young age, Grimes released her heartbreaking childhood into spiral notebooks, and the act of writing gave her hope. Her tumultuous early years were punctuated by her mother's swings between mental illness, alcohol, and sober detachment. This memoir, written in verse and read by the author, takes the listener through locked closets, street fights, many schools, and many homes: some filled with fear, others with kindness. Ballasts for the young writer, her older sister Carol, and musician father, came and went physically but were ever present in her consciousness. There are no background sounds or music, just the author's own voice and poetic cadence which lend gritty authenticity to her story. VERDICT This will appeal to Grimes's many fans, as well as high school writers searching for their own voice and those relying on hope and strength to navigate a rough and complicated road.--Jane Newschwander, Fluvanna County Public Sch., VA
Kirkus Review
For award-winning children's and YA author Grimes (Between the Lines, 2018, etc.), writing, faith, and determination were the keys to surviving her tumultuous childhood.In the face of her father's abandonment and the revolving door of her alcoholic mother's psychiatric hospital stays, Grimes becomes savvier and more resilient than any young child should have to be. After being abused by a babysitter when she was 3, Grimes and her beloved older sister, Carol, enter another set of revolving doors: foster care, sometimes loving, sometimes not. At a dark moment when she is 6, Grimes finds escape and comfort in prayer and writing. Despite the instability and danger she endures, Grimes blossoms into a gifted teen with a passion for books, journaling, and poetry. Her personal, political, and artistic awakenings are intertwined, with the drama of her family life unfolding against the backdrop of pivotal moments in Civil Rights-era America. Grimes recounts her story as a memoir in verse, writing with a poet's lyricism through the lens of memory fractured by trauma. Fans of her poetry and prose will appreciate this intimate look at the forces that shaped her as an artist and as a person determined to find the light in the darkest of circumstances.A raw, heartbreaking, and ultimately uplifting story of trauma, loss, and the healing power of words. (Verse memoir. 12-adult) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Excerpts
Excerpts
ON OUR OWN 1. No one warned me the world was full of ordinary hazards like closets with locks and keys. I learned this lesson when Mom, without her cousin to fall back on, left us daily with a succession of strangers while she went to work. One woman was indisputably a demon in disguise, full lips grinning slyly as Mom waved goodbye each morning. "See you after work," Mom said that first day. The second she was out of sight, Demon's smile melted like hot paraffin. Snatching up Carol and me, she dragged us, kicking, to the bedroom closet. She shoved us in, quick as the witch in "Hansel and Gretel," jamming the key in the lock. "You tattle to your mom about this," she growled, "I'll comeback and beat the black off ya." Deadly threat delivered, she left for the day. 2. I screamed, my puny fists pounding the door till Carol caught me by the wrists and held me still. "Shhhh," she whispered. "It's okay. I'm right here." Once my breathing slowed, Carol left me long enough to navigate the darkness. She found suitcases to sit on. Sniffling, I perched on the edge of one and pressed my fingertips together. "Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep." I repeated those words like a chant. I was three years old. It was the only prayer I knew. 3. I should've prayed not to pee my pants. The cramped and stuffy space made me wheeze. Brass fittings on the Samsonite case dug into the flesh behind my knees. But worse yet, the occasional roach skittered along my calf, up a thigh, and I would scratch and stomp and cry till it was off. No one was around to wipe away my tears, except my sister, who had tears of her own. 4. Day after day, the routine remained unchanged. Demon locked us up in the morning, then let us out and fed us just before Mom came home from work. Despite the witch's threat, the minute Carol saw Mom, she poured out the horrors of that first day, but Mom waved her away with a warning to quit lying. 5. One afternoon, when I thought we'd live in the dark forever, I heard what sounded like a familiar voice. "Girls?" "Mommy?" I screamed, afraid to believe. But the lock turned, the door flew open, and I leaped into Mom's arms. "My God!" she said. "How long have you two been in here?" "All day," snapped Carol, keeping her distance. "I told you! I told you, but you called me a liar!" 6. The slap of words sent Mom to her knees, please written all over her face. "I'm so sorry," she whispered, reaching for my sister. Carol backed away. "Jesus," Mom said. "What did this woman do? Are you all right?" Where to begin? There were too many answers. Even my big sister lacked the language needed for them all, so we chose silence. Besides, it was impossible to guess which atrocities Mom was prepared to hear. 7. Thankfully, my sister and I never laid eyes on that bit of walking evil again. Still, Demon lived inside us for years, embedded in our twin fears of the dark. Excerpted from Ordinary Hazards: A Memoir by Nikki Grimes All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
