Wade in the Water: Poems

Wade in the Water by Tracy K.

Smith is a powerful and luminous book that boldly ties America's contemporary moment to its fraught founding history and a sense of the spirit, the everlasting.

Through poems of varying scales, Smith explores what it means to be a citizen, a mother, and an artist in a culture arbitrated by wealth, men, and violence.

The collection includes erasures of The Declaration of Independence and correspondence between slave owners, as well as accounts of near-death experiences, letters written by African Americans enlisted in the Civil War, and survivors' reports of recent immigrants and refugees.

Smith's signature voice - inquisitive, lyrical, and wry - turns over these themes with a sense of urgency and importance.

This is a must-read for anyone interested in understanding the complexities of American history and culture, and the ongoing struggle for justice and equality.