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sutoscience's review against another edition
5.0
A visceral, fascinating read. Erasure poetry at it’s finest.
nearfutures's review against another edition
5.0
Extremely well-crafted collection. It's hard to select favorite poems in a book whose title is a redaction and critique of Standard Operating Procedure during Desert Storm, the Abu Ghraib scandal, and the War on Terror more broadly because they're illuminating such terrible subjects, but each of the poems have effective, beautiful, and devastating language and use unique forms really interestingly and effectively. Metres is a masterful poet and I'll be seeking out more of his work.
abbyzimmerman34's review against another edition
3.5
3.5 stars. A really interesting look at a time period I only remember from the recollection and opinions of others.
hannahvwarren's review against another edition
5.0
I picked up Sand Opera knowing little about Abu Ghraib. I'm too young to remember, and the news swallowed itself into a bad memory no one brought up when I was old enough to understand. Philip Metres did not only write a book of beautiful and heart-wrenching poems, but he also ensured that this story wouldn't go unread or unknown. With great care to the abused bodies in these poems, Metres relays their truths, not shying away from the parts that make us cringe.
Today, I woke up to read that there were two more mass shootings last night—at least one a hate crime. A few lines from Philip Metres' Sand Opera stuck with me throughout the day as I read more and more news:
“This world is centaur: half
daydream, half nightmare,
not knowing if we’re awake or dreaming.”
Today, I woke up to read that there were two more mass shootings last night—at least one a hate crime. A few lines from Philip Metres' Sand Opera stuck with me throughout the day as I read more and more news:
“This world is centaur: half
daydream, half nightmare,
not knowing if we’re awake or dreaming.”
qinglanw's review
5.0
Book as a beautiful object. Book of poetry based on meticulous process & procedural writing. Book of intense trauma and war created through the processing of language.
marydrover's review
5.0
I’m interning at Alice James Books this semester, and, as a final project before I leave, I’ve had to read one of our forthcoming titles and put together a plan for it, the likes of which include reading venues, review venues, other campaign ideas, mock covers, book descriptions, sales handles, a press kit, and a tipsheet for the author. I was assigned Sand Opera, and I am so, so glad I was. It’s an absolutely incredible book of poetry, and I am so excited for it to come out so I can get a copy and read it all over again. I’ve heard some really cool things about how the published book is going to look, too, so I’m even more thrilled to see how it all turns out. It was a pleasure to have been able to read Metres’ new work, and honestly, I want to go back and read it all over again. Definitely keep an eye out for it next winter!
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