Does Your House Have Lions?

Ms Sanchez is an African-American poet and playwright, who was a distinguished professor of English at Temple University in Philadelphia. Does Your House Have Lions?, which was nominated for both the National Book Critics' Circle Award and the NAACP Image Award in 1997, is a poem in memory of Ms Sanchez's brother, who died of AIDS in the 1980s. It consists of short, electric bursts of anger, bitterness, fear, and ultimately love and reconciliation, from the voices of Ms Sanchez, her brother, their father, and his stepmother, along with the voices of African ancestors. My only regret is not hearing Ms Sanchez read this poem; if anyone is familiar with this book and knows of a performance or audio book of it, please let me know!

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.

This is a great book for any age. This book is not to difficult to read. It is great for a little short reading each day. SHe has little short poems on each day that give you depth and insight without being to hard to understand. She also gives you something to think about through out the day. This is a good book.

Beautiful, sad, and real; a poem within a book about her brother's death of AIDS and the feelings of her, her brother, his family, and his ancestors. Alternating voices, Sanchez turns the tragedy into a haunting beauty.