{"product_id":"counting-descent-9781938912658","title":"Counting Descent","description":"\u003cb\u003eFrom the author of \u003ci\u003eHow the Word is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e* Winner, 2017 Black Caucus of the American Library Association Literary Award \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e* Finalist, 2017 NAACP Image Awards \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e* One Book One New Orleans 2017 Book Selection \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e* Published in \u003ci\u003eThe New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, Poetry Magazine, The Paris Review, New Republic, Boston Review, The Guardian, The Rumpus, and The Academy of American Poets\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSo many of these poems just blow me away. Incredibly beautiful and powerful. -- Michelle Alexander, Author of \u003ci\u003eThe New Jim Crow\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCounting Descent is a tightly-woven collection of poems whose pages act like an invitation. The invitation is intimate and generous and also a challenge; are you up to asking what is blackness? What is black joy? How is black life loved and lived? To whom do we look to for answers? This invitation is not to a narrow street, or a shallow lake, but to a vast exploration of life. And you're invited. -- Elizabeth Acevedo, Author of \u003ci\u003eBeastgirl \u0026amp; Other Origin Myths\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThese poems shimmer with revelatory intensity, approaching us from all sides to immerse us in the America that America so often forgets. -- Gregory Pardlo \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eCounting Descent\u003c\/i\u003e is more than brilliant. More than lyrical. More than bluesy. More than courageous. It is terrifying in its ability to at once not hide and show readers why it wants to hide so badly. These poems mend, meld and imagine with weighted details, pauses, idiosyncrasies and word patterns I've never seen before. -- Kiese Laymon, Author of \u003ci\u003eLong Division\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eClint Smith's debut poetry collection, \u003ci\u003eCounting Descent\u003c\/i\u003e, is a coming of age story that seeks to complicate our conception of lineage and tradition. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eDo you know what it means for your existence to be defined by someone else's intentions?\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSmith explores the cognitive dissonance that results from belonging to a community that unapologetically celebrates black humanity while living in a world that often renders blackness a caricature of fear. His poems move fluidly across personal and political histories, all the while reflecting on the social construction of our lived experiences. Smith brings the reader on a powerful journey forcing us to reflect on all that we learn growing up, and all that we seek to unlearn moving forward.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sureshotbooks-com.myshopify.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=AUTH-318931\"\u003eClint Smith\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Write Bloody Publishing\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 09\/15\/2016\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 84\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.30lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.80h x 5.90w x 0.20d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781938912658\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1938912659\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBISAC Categories:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e- \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sureshotbooks-com.myshopify.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=CAT-POE\"\u003ePoetry\u003c\/a\u003e | \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sureshotbooks-com.myshopify.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=BISAC-POE005050\"\u003eAmerican | African American \u0026amp; Black\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e- \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sureshotbooks-com.myshopify.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=CAT-POE\"\u003ePoetry\u003c\/a\u003e | \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sureshotbooks-com.myshopify.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=BISAC-POE023000\"\u003eSubjects \u0026amp; Themes | General\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Write Bloody Publishing","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42709215936749,"sku":"9781938912658","price":18.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0550\/8097\/6621\/products\/img_815bf46e-b6e3-49c9-ae82-6dbf34a4fb36.jpg?v=1650118814","url":"https:\/\/sureshotbooks.com\/products\/counting-descent-9781938912658","provider":"SureShot Books Publishing LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}