I Heard God Talking to Me-Biography

I have never seen a biography quite like this.  I Heard God Talking to Me tells much of the story of William Edmondson through twenty- three poems by Elizabeth Spires.  Each poem is the voice of one of Edmondson’s stone carvings describing who they are and how they are feeling.  Four of the poems are Edmondson’s own voice taken from interviews. 

William Edmondson began these stone carvings taken from cast off pieces of limestone in the early 1930s following a vision from God.  He said that God told him to begin carving and so he did.  He began with tombstones.  He was already in his late fifties.   This humble man was discovered and asked to have an exhibit at MoMA in New York and later in Paris.  He carved daily until 1948 and passed away in 1951.  Many don’t know about this inspiring man but they should.  Thankfully, his work is now on permanent exhibit in many museums. 

What I like about this biography is that you learn so much about him in a very unique way.  After you read the poems, you have a true sense of the man.  At the end, the author has a chapter called About William Edmondson and she fills in the details about his life and career.  As a teacher, it would be very interesting to ask high school students to read these poems and then summarize what they learned about the carver.  They would be surprised by how much they learned just through poetry!  Then, they could read the end chapter to fill in the blanks.  They would never forget this unique book or the man himself. 

A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year