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forgereads17's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
elianavazquez's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.0
toniclark's review against another edition
5.0
Hoagland is one of my favorites among contemporary poets, though I’ve liked some collections more than others. I think this is one of the better ones. I really liked What Narcissism Means to Me, but this one may surpass it. Hoagland, a stranger neither to anger nor sadness nor awe, explores the interplay, the push and pull, between the personal and cultural realms — the ways that we as individuals with all of our passions, beliefs, hopes, failings (and recognition of our looming mortality) are shaped by and react to the realities of the world in this oh-so-confusing present. The poet uses anecdotes and details of everyday modern life to explore what it means to be human and how far can we trust ourselves to be humane. He is cynical, self-critical, intense, and illuminating.
The collection also stands as a good example of the necessary connections between the personal and the political. (“Like it or not, oneself is always the test case for the human condition.”) Hoagland addresses some difficult topics (race relations in present-day America, class inequalities, corruption, suffering) and the collection strikes me as a wake-up call, leading us gently or not-so-gently to face up to the realities of the present and prospects for the future, to examine our own responses to what’s going on around us. At the same time, Hoagland shares and encourages an acceptance of the way things are. No, we’re not the greatest country in the world, the greatest show on earth, and our individual efforts don’t mean much in the grand scheme of things, but it’s important — it’s critical — to keep learning, saying, trying. Making the effort to be a responsible person in the world is meaning enough.
The poems are easy to read and sometimes Hoagland’s informal and conversational style belies his deeper and darker themes. Yet the poems constantly delight us with unexpected wit.
This is my favorite kind of weather, this cloudy autumn-ness—
when long wool coats make shoplifting easy. . . .
— from “Application for Release from the Dream”
There is . . .
No verb for accidentally
breaking a thing
while trying to get it open
— a marriage, for example.
— From “Special Problems in Vocabulary”
The reality TV show brought together fat white Alabama policemen
and African American families from
Detroit
to live together on a custom-made plantation for a month.
America: stupidity plus enthusiasm is a special kind of genius.
— from “Eventually the Topic”
“The surgeons compare the human heart to an engine;
the car mechanics compare the engine to a heart.
The metaphor works for both of them. . . .”
— from “Eventually the Topic”
Obviously, it’s a category I’ve been made aware of
from time to time.
It’s been pointed out that my characters eat a lot of
lightly braised asparagus
and get FedEx packages almost daily.
Yet I dislike being thought of as a white writer.
When I find my books in the White Literature section of
the bookstore,
or when I get invited to speak on “The State of White
Writing in America. . . .”
— from “White Writer”
“Ode to the Republic” is a poem that I read earlier online and have since read many times. That’s probably my favorite here and one of my favorite poems, period. And it’s a shining example of the tenderness that goes hand-in-hand with Hoagland’s critique of contemporary life: “My country, ’tis of thee I sing.” I would quote further, but it’s much better to read the entire poem.
Another favorite is “The Hero’s Journey,” that ends with the fair knight Gawain camped for a night beside a cemetery. In the morning, he’ll gallop back to safety, having learned however that,
the glory of the protagonist is always paid for
by a lot of minor characters. . . .
. . . now he knows
there is a country he had not accounted for,
and that country has its citizens:
the one-armed baker sweeping out his shop at 4 a.m.;
the prisoner sweating in his narrow cell;
and that woman in the nursing home,
who has worked there for a thousand
years,
taking away the bedpans,
lifting up and wiping off the soft heroic buttocks of Odysseus.
Hoagland is a joy to read, a poet of great wit, wisdom, humor, and humanity. Trying to do the book justice in this brief review just makes me want to read the whole thing again.
The collection also stands as a good example of the necessary connections between the personal and the political. (“Like it or not, oneself is always the test case for the human condition.”) Hoagland addresses some difficult topics (race relations in present-day America, class inequalities, corruption, suffering) and the collection strikes me as a wake-up call, leading us gently or not-so-gently to face up to the realities of the present and prospects for the future, to examine our own responses to what’s going on around us. At the same time, Hoagland shares and encourages an acceptance of the way things are. No, we’re not the greatest country in the world, the greatest show on earth, and our individual efforts don’t mean much in the grand scheme of things, but it’s important — it’s critical — to keep learning, saying, trying. Making the effort to be a responsible person in the world is meaning enough.
The poems are easy to read and sometimes Hoagland’s informal and conversational style belies his deeper and darker themes. Yet the poems constantly delight us with unexpected wit.
This is my favorite kind of weather, this cloudy autumn-ness—
when long wool coats make shoplifting easy. . . .
— from “Application for Release from the Dream”
There is . . .
No verb for accidentally
breaking a thing
while trying to get it open
— a marriage, for example.
— From “Special Problems in Vocabulary”
The reality TV show brought together fat white Alabama policemen
and African American families from
Detroit
to live together on a custom-made plantation for a month.
America: stupidity plus enthusiasm is a special kind of genius.
— from “Eventually the Topic”
“The surgeons compare the human heart to an engine;
the car mechanics compare the engine to a heart.
The metaphor works for both of them. . . .”
— from “Eventually the Topic”
Obviously, it’s a category I’ve been made aware of
from time to time.
It’s been pointed out that my characters eat a lot of
lightly braised asparagus
and get FedEx packages almost daily.
Yet I dislike being thought of as a white writer.
When I find my books in the White Literature section of
the bookstore,
or when I get invited to speak on “The State of White
Writing in America. . . .”
— from “White Writer”
“Ode to the Republic” is a poem that I read earlier online and have since read many times. That’s probably my favorite here and one of my favorite poems, period. And it’s a shining example of the tenderness that goes hand-in-hand with Hoagland’s critique of contemporary life: “My country, ’tis of thee I sing.” I would quote further, but it’s much better to read the entire poem.
Another favorite is “The Hero’s Journey,” that ends with the fair knight Gawain camped for a night beside a cemetery. In the morning, he’ll gallop back to safety, having learned however that,
the glory of the protagonist is always paid for
by a lot of minor characters. . . .
. . . now he knows
there is a country he had not accounted for,
and that country has its citizens:
the one-armed baker sweeping out his shop at 4 a.m.;
the prisoner sweating in his narrow cell;
and that woman in the nursing home,
who has worked there for a thousand
years,
taking away the bedpans,
lifting up and wiping off the soft heroic buttocks of Odysseus.
Hoagland is a joy to read, a poet of great wit, wisdom, humor, and humanity. Trying to do the book justice in this brief review just makes me want to read the whole thing again.
wmmcmanlypants's review against another edition
3.0
3.5* I still admire Hoagland's way with words. He makes verse look so, so easy. I enjoyed several lines and stanzas within this collection, however, as a whole, it wasn't for me. These poems were just a bit too political for my taste. My favorites were: "The Social Life of Water", "Because It Is Houston", and "Update" (for its Red Wheel Barrow twist).
hagbard_celine's review against another edition
4.0
The poems tended to make me laugh a lot in that certain way that trails off into a sad sigh.
mariefleurie's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
losethegirl's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-paced
3.5
For the first while of reading this book, I thought it was going to be a five star read. It fell off around halfway through for me, and never came back up. Not a bad read, and there are some poems I'll come back to, but I won't read the whole book again.