mlindner's review
5.0
Heard her read from this last night (6 April 2011) at her poetry reading at Briar Cliff University.
14 April 2011
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and hope to write more about it on my blog soon. But as a first pass after a glass of wine after a long day ...
I found this an excellent cultural view into assorted Japanese and Japanese American experiences. There are poems from the viewpoint of those incarcerated in the American internment camps of WWII, from that of atomic bomb survivors, and from first generation Japanese American kids growing up in the American West. There are also exquisitely tasty poems about eating. Erotically charged poetry with an especial Japanese bent, that is, highly subtle yet potently erotic, are also prevalent. I am definitely looking forward to reading her other two more recent books.
14 April 2011
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and hope to write more about it on my blog soon. But as a first pass after a glass of wine after a long day ...
I found this an excellent cultural view into assorted Japanese and Japanese American experiences. There are poems from the viewpoint of those incarcerated in the American internment camps of WWII, from that of atomic bomb survivors, and from first generation Japanese American kids growing up in the American West. There are also exquisitely tasty poems about eating. Erotically charged poetry with an especial Japanese bent, that is, highly subtle yet potently erotic, are also prevalent. I am definitely looking forward to reading her other two more recent books.
timshel's review
4.0
Beyond Heart Mountain is a beautiful collection of poems full of voice. These poems are at their absolute best when they display the two worlds and cultures close to the author's heart. Roripaugh has a wonderful grasp of language and employs it here to create a series of poems that are thought-provoking, fun, and heartbreaking. An excellent debut collection; I look forward to reading more from the author.
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