Breaking Free: An Anthology of Human Rights Poetry

Sometimes the poems in this international collection about freedom and oppressed peoples seem like prose statements broken into lines, selected more for their expression of political anguish than for deft use of language. (Writes one contributor: ``Going to prison/ I can remember the discomfort/ of being handcuffed.'') Nonetheless, when emotion infuses the entries, the effect is powerful-as in works by such diverse poets as Pablo Neruda of Chile and Chen Tzu-lung of China. Other worthy selections take the reader to Romania, Greece, Russia, South Africa and Britain. Intriguing black-and-white photographs and drawings with explanatory captions give the book a textbook tone, but while the volume is perhaps more suitable for social studies classes than for browsing, it bears witness to the fierce and timeless longing for justice and freedom. Ages 12-15. (Oct.)