In necessary kindling anjail ahmad explores the abundant source of generations of women before her. She also recalls African Americans' laden history and rich heritage. It is the act of remembering that kindles the book's fire- that ignites the narrator's emotional, often angry, always powerful voice. It is when this fire is lit that she also speaks of newer generations- her son, her daughter. These poems suggest a slow-burning rage at the generations-long shadow under which African American women have struggled, and they spark a hope that illuminates how the acts of women - /loving...