le_lobey's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
5.0
I loved these poems. Choi puts her words together delicately and viciously in equal measure. The collection unites the machinic and erotic, the human, cyborg, and ecologic, and explores the minds of the future to examine womanhood, consumption, predation, and intimacy at a primordial level.
Standouts include: The Turing Test series that frames the whole collection; On the night of the election,; A Brief History of Cyborgs; The Price of Rain; Afterlife; Chi; You’re So Paranoid; Ode to Epinephrine; Chatroulette; Solitude; and several parts of Perihelion: A History of Touch.
Standouts include: The Turing Test series that frames the whole collection; On the night of the election,; A Brief History of Cyborgs; The Price of Rain; Afterlife; Chi; You’re So Paranoid; Ode to Epinephrine; Chatroulette; Solitude; and several parts of Perihelion: A History of Touch.
twohandedbook's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
3.25
Loved the intersection of human/cyborg/other and dominant societies constant demand to prove yourself human or good enough. Especially in relation to race and immigration. The poems also seem to have the singular voice of cyborg girl. That was cool.
Some poems were definitely hard to follow but had an element where if you look at it slanted a feeling manifested itself.
"But for that one first night, everything cold-flecked and whispering was ours, the pink light ours, sent from another world so we could, for a night, feel untouched. So we could feel like sugar - crumbling, and perfect for it."
Some poems were definitely hard to follow but had an element where if you look at it slanted a feeling manifested itself.
"But for that one first night, everything cold-flecked and whispering was ours, the pink light ours, sent from another world so we could, for a night, feel untouched. So we could feel like sugar - crumbling, and perfect for it."
rencordings's review against another edition
5.0
Ah, I love Franny Choi so much, my favorite Asian American writer. I read this in one sitting in a bookstore because I didn't have money to buy it, but if I did I'd probably be writing essays about her poetry. I wish I had a physical copy to dive deeper in between her words. She always brings new things to the table, from subject matters to perspectives and techniques. Something I noticed is that I'm often unable to grasp her poetry on the first, second, even third read, but it's not so much obscurity but the mesmerizing genius of Franny's imagination, that which pulls me in effortlessly like I'm viewing a painting I don't understand but am captivated anyway. I'm so happy she writes.
catastrophic_maybe's review
4.0
Still have no idea how to review poetry. But this book did make me feel things.
loosetoothfool's review against another edition
challenging
dark
medium-paced
3.5
hard for me to rate this or talk about it because it's safe to say I didn't "get" a lot of these poems, though they did feel quite visceral and gross at times, and kind of disturbing. my favourites were afterlife, perchance to dream, jaebal, chatroulette and introduction to quantum theory. these poems were sad and kinda spooky with the robot ai human mix, a real contrast and combination throughout of imagery of life (bodies, decay, animals, body parts, slugs, mouths, dirt etc) and technology (wires, systems, signals etc). that was quite unsettling to me, the intertwining of the two. I think that a lot of these poems, or all, are about being a woman perceived by men and the male gaze, relationships with men, patriarchy, domination, desire, yearning. the struggle to be your own person when U can't break from the expectations and wants of others, like a robot or an ai whose purpose is to serve others. I don't quite know what a lot of these poems were about but I felt them, if that makes sense. quite cool, deserves further reading and more time allocated to it, perhaps hearing these read out loud would help me find the tone.
emilyann15's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
5.0
Two words: rotting machine. This book of poetry pushed me to my limits, and I loved it. It’s explorative in a way I haven’t encountered; at times the imagery was so vivid I felt nauseous. Choi also has some of the best titles I’ve seen, along with cool experimental forms. It’s an experience for sure. I’d recommend this to people who want to travel outside their comfort zones and delve into new ways of viewing the world.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, and Body horror
bpello2020's review against another edition
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced