Review of "You Hear Me"
By Betsy Franco (editor)Candlewick Press, 2001
Review by Liz Bass on Apr 6th 2002

It would be easy to say that the young male writers featured in You Hear Me? are not hijackers, nor could they ever be. But in a world turned on its ear by the rash actions of youthful males, we are beyond saying "never" when it comes to predicting what any of them will or will not do. If there is one thing we know now that we didn't realize before that fateful date, it is that we don't know enough about how young men think, especially those who live on the margins of society. In that sense, You Hear Me? is a book we need to read. Equally as important as the individual pieces in it is who wrote those pieces, and a reader inevitably tunes in as much to the tone of the young voices as to what they are actually saying. The in-your-face title even demands that you do that.
The You Hear Me? writers are not skilled enough in the
use of language to create multi-dimensional works that resonate
in a reader's mind after the book is put down. One of them, however,
comes close. He is fifteen-year-old Tito D.Tate, who writes:
how women say
My name
"Tito. . ."
"Tito. . ."
--saying it
over and over
as if they don't want
to let go.
Another poem is called "He Shaved His Head" and it is
written by thirteen-year-old Rene Ruiz. It reminds me of the hijackers.
He shaved his head to release his imagination
He did it to get a tattoo on his shining head.
He did it to lose his normality.
He did it to become a freak.
He did it because he was angry.
He did it to make people angry.
He did it for himself.
You Hear Me? begs for an answer, so I will give one, and
it is this: Yes, I hear you but tell me what you want me to do
next.
© 2002 Liz Bass