A review by backonthealex
The Great Migration: Journey to the North by Eloise Greenfield

5.0

In a series of free-verse poems, Greenfield chronicles the great migration through the eyes of those who have decided to leave their homes in the south and to head north for a better life. The poems are written chronically, beginning with news about life up north, away from the fear and violence of the Ku Klux Klan. It is followed by a number of poems exploring the mixed feelings of those who have decided to make the move. Each person is left unnamed, identified only as, for example, man, woman, boy and girl, giving them a somewhat Everyman persona, even as they are personalized by expressing their feelings about leaving. At the center is a lone poem called "The Trip." It details the train ride and what the riders experienced as they leave everything familiar behind them. This is followed by a poem that speaks to the fears of the travelers about having made the right decision, as they arrive at their destination. The last poem, "My Family"is the most personal poem, a tribute to the author's family and their move north when she was only 3 months old. Gilchrist's mixed-media collage illustrations perfectly compliment the Greenfield's poems. You will notice, as you explore these details illustrations, that she has incorporated faces taken from photographs into them. And do explore each page, as there is so much to notice and talk about.