Tough Boy Sonatas By: Curtis Crisler

What does the word poetry conjure in your mind?

For many it might bring to mind Shakespeare, emotions, and love. For most, Gary, Indiana, is probably the last place they would think of to find poetry, but in his book Tough Boy Sonatas, Curtis Crisler brings poetry to life in this hardened town. In Tough Boy Sonatas, Crisler portrays the lives of young men who sometimes struggle to survive in Gary, Indiana. There are many different aspects of life covered in his poems, ranging from drug use, abuse, sex, gang violence, to growing up in a neighborhood and surviving the streets. This collection of sonatas portrays how the childhood of many young men is taken away at a young age due to circumstances that are sometimes beyond their control and choices that they make.

One of my favorite poems in this book is “Girlfriend.” It tells the story of how a girl can go from being the tomboy of the neighborhood to being the girlfriend that the neighborhood boys want. As a reader, the words that Crisler uses are common for teenagers to use, so it makes the poetry easier to understand. In addition, the imagery that Crisler creates with his words is very realistic, but it is also supported by the detailed illustrations of Floyd Cooper. Many of the sonatas have an illustration that helps bring the poem to life and makes it easier to visualize. These illustrations also help to draw in reluctant readers, because they make the poems so enticing.

Overall, I found this collection of sonatas, to be detailed and expressive. At times, I had to put the book down because the realism was so overwhelming. With this collection, I believe Crisler has found a way to bring to light important issues that many inner-city teens face, in a creative and engaging manner. I would recommend Tough Boy Sonatas, to students in high school, who not only live in a major city, but in a small town as well. I believe it is very important for teens to see the issues and dilemmas that other teens may face while growing up in this decade.