Behind the Wheel: Poems About Driving by Janet Wong

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Wong, Janet. 1999. Behind the wheel: Poems about driving. New York: Margaret K. McElderry. ISBN 0689825315

ORGANIZATION OF COLLECTION

Wong uses free verse to share her comparison of learning to drive and life’s trials. Thirty-six poems are arranged in a thin volume about teens, their family and driving, including such issues, as teen angst, hitchhiking, teen drinking and death. A table of contents lists the poems in no particular order. Praise for Janet Wong’s previously published works, including mention of her Chinese and Korean heritage, appears on the inside back jacket.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Authenticity is apparent as Wong relates her life experiences in monologue fitting free verse. There is a universality and timeliness in poems related to teen driving, as all young adults cope with learning to drive under the microscope of their watchful family. Spacing and line breaks help to identify this collection as poetry that easily reads as prose. In the poem titled “Crash”, onomatopoeia is present as the “crackety-crack” of grandmothers knuckles right before a car wreck. In another poem titled , “Restraint”, personification and imagery are present in the lines, When the poet came / to visit our school / to make us write some poetry, / people from our families / turned into trees / and owls and slugs. / My sister was a hurricane. / … .

REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Review from BOOKLIST: “Wong's brief, clear lines will be accessible even to the most reluctant poetry readers, and readers of all ages will be moved by the intersection of poignancy and humor as she describes the thrilling freedom of the car and an emerging adult's awareness that, although she's traveled, her road still leads to home.”

Starred Review from VOICE OF YOUTH ADVOCATES: “In her fourth book of poetry, Wong writes for soon-to-be driving teens in thirty-six free verse poems that describe this American rite of passage. Told through different voices, most have the sound perhaps of an older cousin or sibling-someone close but not so close that the trappings of rivalry or jealousy get in the way of hearing sound advice.”

CONNECTIONS

Other poetry books by Wong
Wong, Janet. 1999. The rainbow hand: Poems about mothers and children. 0689821484
Wong, Janet. 1996. A suitcase of seaweed and other poems. ISBN 0689807880
Wong, Janet. 1994. Good luck gold and other poems. 0689506171

Activities

*Share with high school students during a class poetry break.
*Encourage students to create a poem about their own related teen driving experience.
*Invite students to visit Janet Wong’s webpage to listen to audio clips of her poems online. http://www.janetwong.com/