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lsmith36's review against another edition
4.0
A moving collection. My favorites were “12 Absolutely True Facts About Richard Wright” and “Black History, Abridged”
sarahdittmore's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-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
4.75
literary_lain's review against another edition
5.0
"the hazard of knowing that you are the wrong kind of alive." Joshua Bennett
kennethtcox's review
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-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
4.0
meagankc21's review
5.0
What an extraordinary poet with such a deft hand. Every single stanza, line, and word is crafted and used carefully to create powerful pieces. And his wordplay is excellent, with many phrases and words used throughout a single poem or multiple poems, holding weight in various ways, and making each iteration just as important as the last. The rhythm and line breaks were so clean and crisp that I kept going back to certain lines and stanzas like I do when I find a new song to obsess over and overplay. This is truly a wonderful collection of poems.
wtfisapoet's review
3.0
I went back and forth on my opinions of this first collection. Where the text is more colloquial I find it to be most powerful because the writer clearly has a theoretical background and is able to endow everyday scenarios with complex ideas and context. However, I found some pieces in the collection losing their hold or sway when this intellectualism felt obtuse or forced into the poems. I am interested to see what else is out there by this writer and would actually be very interested in imagining a novel by them. Nonetheless, there is much to enjoy here I personally felt like I wanted more. A personal favourite from the collection would have to be the poem concerning DMX - stellar work.
timshel's review
Joshua Bennett is a very intelligent and witty poet. His observations and metaphors are arresting and spot on. His perspective and the subject of many of these poems make him extremely relevant. I recognize the intelligence of these poems.
But these are the kind of poems that make you say, “Hmmmm.” These are poems that send you to Google to conduct research that somehow spirals out of control. These are not bad things, but I personally prefer poems that make me look inside myself, poems that make me ask the deeper questions than any search engine can provide answers to.
Once or twice I was moved while reading The Sobbing School, but mostly I thought, “nice play on words/ideas/etc.” My reaction reminds me of my views on hip-hop, which is relevant as several of the poems in this collection deal with hip-hop culture. I've heard it said that some of the greatest lyricist in hip-hop are those that have the cleverest and most inventive lyrics. MF Doom is one rapper that is often mentioned as one of the greats. Doom is clever, but he has nothing to say. His style is cartoonish and follows no logic. Now, I'm not trying to draw a direct parallel between Bennett and MF Doom, because, frankly, Bennett is clearly reaching for a space in between, where wit and relevance meet. Unfortunately, my mind was so tied up with the logic that I was not in the page emotionally. For better or worse, feeling is what I am looking for in hip-hop and in poetry.
Favorite poem in this collection: “Anthropophobia.” That's one I felt.
But these are the kind of poems that make you say, “Hmmmm.” These are poems that send you to Google to conduct research that somehow spirals out of control. These are not bad things, but I personally prefer poems that make me look inside myself, poems that make me ask the deeper questions than any search engine can provide answers to.
Once or twice I was moved while reading The Sobbing School, but mostly I thought, “nice play on words/ideas/etc.” My reaction reminds me of my views on hip-hop, which is relevant as several of the poems in this collection deal with hip-hop culture. I've heard it said that some of the greatest lyricist in hip-hop are those that have the cleverest and most inventive lyrics. MF Doom is one rapper that is often mentioned as one of the greats. Doom is clever, but he has nothing to say. His style is cartoonish and follows no logic. Now, I'm not trying to draw a direct parallel between Bennett and MF Doom, because, frankly, Bennett is clearly reaching for a space in between, where wit and relevance meet. Unfortunately, my mind was so tied up with the logic that I was not in the page emotionally. For better or worse, feeling is what I am looking for in hip-hop and in poetry.
Favorite poem in this collection: “Anthropophobia.” That's one I felt.
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