lreeve's review against another edition
3.0
"Afterlife" alone is 5/5, but not a lot beyond that really resonated with me.
timbo001's review against another edition
5.0
A remarkable book. Franny Choi isn't afraid to bend images to suit her needs, but the results are never strained. They become strange, hard, shining gems amid startling and insistent prose.
ktrain3900's review against another edition
3.0
The only teeth I have are human teeth, I remind him, gently
before opening his throat.
-from "It's All Fun and Games until Someone Gains Consciousness"
If someone told you this was written by a well-schooled cyborg or android or AI, you'd might just believe them, that's how well the author takes on these personas. Heartbreaking, edge-walking, Xacto knife sharp poems. Favorites include "Chi" and "Chatroulette".
before opening his throat.
-from "It's All Fun and Games until Someone Gains Consciousness"
If someone told you this was written by a well-schooled cyborg or android or AI, you'd might just believe them, that's how well the author takes on these personas. Heartbreaking, edge-walking, Xacto knife sharp poems. Favorites include "Chi" and "Chatroulette".
abendlied's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
5.0
maddydeason's review against another edition
4.0
Poetry that's an existential/sci-fi metaphor of the queer/asian-american/feminine body as a machine. I loved it. Another one I'd like a physical copy of in my future library.
Many of the poems within require multiple reads, ruminating, and then reading again.
My favorites were:
The Price of Rain
Jaebal
Chi
Solitude
Introduction to Quantum Theory
Many of the poems within require multiple reads, ruminating, and then reading again.
My favorites were:
The Price of Rain
Jaebal
Chi
Solitude
Introduction to Quantum Theory
cstefko's review against another edition
3.0
3 stars
Being a little generous with my rating here, because although this collection didn't do much for me as a whole, there are quite a few admirable poems that made the reading experience worthwhile.
I was very intrigued by this book in concept (the intersection between humanity and technology and queer identity, as seen through a cyborg) but the execution fell very flat. I think it's easy to fall back on the old "I just didn't get it" phrase when it comes to reviewing poetry, but isn't some of that failure on the poet? This may sound harsh, but I think Choi lost focus in a lot of these poems, throwing whatever she could at the wall to see what sticks. There's an abundance of visual and sensory detail, but not a lot of clarity of meaning. The poems are most successful when Choi takes a straightforward approach and avoids the conceptual ("On the Night of the Election," "Afterlife," etc.). On the other hand, I did enjoy the sequence of moon poems, though I found the frequent shift in subject/speaker jarring.
I'm not against experimenting with form by any means, I just think it's been done better by other poets (Fatimah Asghar's collection [b:If They Come for Us|36477795|If They Come for Us|Fatimah Asghar|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1516802057l/36477795._SX50_.jpg|58187996] comes to mind). I will be interested to read more from Choi in the future.
If the topic of technology is of interest, I recommend checking out Sally Wen Mao's collection [b:Oculus: Poems|40121999|Oculus Poems|Sally Wen Mao|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1528489686l/40121999._SX50_.jpg|62223081]. Very similar themes, less frustrating to read.
Being a little generous with my rating here, because although this collection didn't do much for me as a whole, there are quite a few admirable poems that made the reading experience worthwhile.
I was very intrigued by this book in concept (the intersection between humanity and technology and queer identity, as seen through a cyborg) but the execution fell very flat. I think it's easy to fall back on the old "I just didn't get it" phrase when it comes to reviewing poetry, but isn't some of that failure on the poet? This may sound harsh, but I think Choi lost focus in a lot of these poems, throwing whatever she could at the wall to see what sticks. There's an abundance of visual and sensory detail, but not a lot of clarity of meaning. The poems are most successful when Choi takes a straightforward approach and avoids the conceptual ("On the Night of the Election," "Afterlife," etc.). On the other hand, I did enjoy the sequence of moon poems, though I found the frequent shift in subject/speaker jarring.
I'm not against experimenting with form by any means, I just think it's been done better by other poets (Fatimah Asghar's collection [b:If They Come for Us|36477795|If They Come for Us|Fatimah Asghar|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1516802057l/36477795._SX50_.jpg|58187996] comes to mind). I will be interested to read more from Choi in the future.
If the topic of technology is of interest, I recommend checking out Sally Wen Mao's collection [b:Oculus: Poems|40121999|Oculus Poems|Sally Wen Mao|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1528489686l/40121999._SX50_.jpg|62223081]. Very similar themes, less frustrating to read.
ellies_edition's review against another edition
5.0
This collection of poetry is absolutely stunning.
littlebookjockey's review against another edition
4.0
Choi has a mastery of words that I haven't seen in a while. Reading these poems made me feel like I know her a little bit, and some of them felt like a gut punch. I'm glad I recommended this volume to our library for purchasing. Full review to follow.