Pole Dancing to Gospel Hymns

 

What's Up With the Title? 

The title comes from the first poem of this collection Pole Dancer. The first line of the poem is "She pole-dances to gospel hymns." this is not meant to be taken literally. I interpret this as gospel hymns representing the bible, something that is supposed to be considered sacred or holy. (As we all know, the bible does not support homosexuality.) Then her pole-dancing as a sort of suck it to you, type move. She has all the power and will do what she wants. (Although, pole-dancing is often considered disgraceful.) Therefore, she is disgracing the ideas in the bible. Ultimately, taking a stand for all of the LGBTQ community. The title is interesting also for the fact that it makes a bold statement right of the bad where anyone would be intrigued to open it.

 

Narrator Point of View

The whole book is from Andrea's point of view.  Which is interesting because the reader does not get to receive a different perspective. Although, Andrea comes at things very black and white. It is either this way or it is not and that makes sense. Gibson tells all she knows right from the beginning so the reader can choose where they want to be on the spectrum. Her point of view is very modern. It is a new way of thinking that older generations won't listen to. But the youth and middle aged haven't gone. It is a progressive way, she is trying to change how people see things with art. Her point of view is based on her opinion, but in my mind, her opinion is right in most cases. She has a large amount of support. She uses her work to spark people with action and they join her fight. 

 

Trivia 

1. What was the name of Andrea's girlfriend? 

2. What next book by Andrea Gibson featured multiple break up poems?

3. What was the name of the poem that told a story of Andrea and Heather's love from an inanimate object?

4. How many poems has Andrea Gibson written total?

5. Although she's only published two books how many forms did she release her poetry on?

 

Steaminess Rating (This refers to general quality of the book)

Overall I give this book a 4.5/5. This book is hot! Everyone should be reading it, everyone who has should read it again. It makes you smile and enjoy life, realize the things that are wrong and go out and try to fix them. I am a sucker for a good love story as well, and this book features so much love between Andrea and her girlfriend that you smile along saying "I remember when that was me" or "I wish I could have that." This book tells a lot of stories and is relatable to the average reader. I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone I meet.