Dizzy in Your Eyes

Mora, P. (2010). Dizzy in Your Eyes: Poems about Love. Alfred A. Knopf.

ISBN: 978-0375843754

Plot Summary:

Beloved children's book author and speaker Pat Mora has written an original collection of poems, each with a different teen narrator sharing unique thoughts, moments, sadness, or heart’s desire: the girl who loves swimming, plunging into the water that creates her own world; the guy who leaves flowers on the windshield of the girl he likes. Each of the teens in these 50 original poems, written using a variety of poetic forms, will be recognizable to the reader as the universal emotions, ideas, impressions, and beliefs float across the pages in these gracefully told verses.

Also included are the author’s footnotes on the various types of poetic forms used throughout to help demystify poetry and showcase its accessibility, which makes this a perfect classroom tool for teachers as well as an inspiration to readers who may wish to try their own hand at writing.

-Amazon

Analysis:

Pat Mora’s says her collection of poems about love is written like a song with four movements. It takes you through all of the stages and forms of love. Her book includes notations about the form of the poetry. Together, the poems loosely weave a story. 

Some clues about the cultural background of the work are hidden throughout the book: Mariachi Fantasy is whimsical verse about a shiny cholla. Valentine to Papi is memory sweet with emotion. Conversation / Conversación and Spanish show the author finding comfort in language. Oda a las maestras is printed in both English and Spanish.

This collection of poems moves through themes of love without being sticky or schmultzy. Yet it honors the depth and intensity of love in it’s various stages. I enjoyed the book and would recommend it to those who like to play with words and expression.

Book Reviews:

"The poet's voice is multifaceted: tender, humorous and joyful but also profound ... The author employs an extraordinary diversity of poetic forms." 

--Kirkus Reviews

"Peppered with Spanish, the selections define the emotion in countless ways...Teachers in need of a fresh new avenue for teaching poetic form...and teens in search of a broader definition of love will find it here." 

--School Library Journal

Connections:

This book has examples of several forms of poetry. These can be taken out of context easily and examined, or the work could be studied as a whole.

Awards:

 El día de los niños / El día de los libros, 2013-2024, Selection, 2014

Américas Award, 1993-2023, commended

This review was created as an assignment for SHSU LSSL 5361.