The Annie Casey Foundation
The Annie E. Casey Foundation’s site provides informed perspectives on the plight of disadvantaged children and their families in the United States, and so forms a valuable supplement to the works in this section, especially Barbara Kingsolver’s essay “Somebody’s Baby. ”
Lyrics 1962-2001 by Bob Dylan
This site includes lyrics and background for all of Bob Dylan’s music, helping to provide context for further study of the American poet and songwriter of “It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding) ” as well as the culture of the revolutionary 1960s.
Al-Anon/Alateen
This site provides information and resources for family members and friends of those suffering from alcoholism, providing visitors with facts about the disease and how it affects loved ones. It can serve as an aid to understanding Thomas Lynch’s struggles with his own alcoholism, and that of his son, as discussed in “The Way We Are. ”
The Academy of American Poets: Sylvia Plath
This site provides biographical information and many other resources for the study of the troubled poet. More specifically, it provides context for your reading of Sylvia Plath’s angry depiction of her father in “Daddy. ”
History Link Essay: Theodore Roethke Remembered
This site provides background information on Roethke’s childhood and his relationship with his father that will help inform your reading of “My Papa’s Waltz. ”
Artful Dodge: A Conversation With Gwendolyn Brooks
This interview with Brooks not only provides context for her poem “Life for my child is simple, and is good, ” but also gives insight into the writing processes of this American poet.
Holocaust Survivors
This site presents background information on the Holocaust as well as personal narratives by its survivors. Readings some of these stories can lead to a deeper understanding of Aryeh Lev Stollman’s “Die Grosse Liebe. ”
Edwidge Danticat
This site provides background information, a biographical sketch, and essays about the author of Breath, Eyes, and Memory, which is excerpted in this section of The Conscious Reader.
Native Web: Books: Criticism & Analysis
This site provides links to a wealth of information on Native American culture that will help inform your study of Louise Erdich’s “A Wedge of Shade. ”
