Reviews

American Sonnets for My Past and Future Assassin by Terrance Hayes

handflex2005's review

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emotional funny inspiring reflective slow-paced

5.0

classiccarissa's review

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4.0

It was amazing getting to hear him speak!!

caramels's review

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5.0

THESE POEMS ARE SO BEAUTIFUL AND POWERFUL AND TERRANCE HAYES IS SUCH A WORLD-WRECKING WORDSMITH I AM GOING CRAZY


“Still, I speak for the dead. You will never assassinate my ghosts.”

“When the wound
Is deep, the healing is heroic. Suffering and
Ascendance require the same work. Our sermon
Today sets the beauty of sin against the purity of dirt.”

“I thought we might sing
Of the wire wound round the wound of feeling.”


“I ain’t mad at you,
Assassin. It’s not the bad people who are brave
I fear, it’s the good people who are afraid.”


my favorite poem is probably (first line) “In the saddest part of the story the brother says”

Going to read everything he has ever written now brb

leanneymu's review

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challenging dark emotional reflective medium-paced

4.5

Absolutely stunning collection of poems, and one that I'll be returning to again and again. 

alccx__'s review

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challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

4.0

annabranson's review

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challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

5.0

bookshelfmonkey's review

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emotional reflective

4.25

benjaminconnor's review

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fast-paced

4.0

akingston5's review

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“It’s not the bad people who are brave I fear, it’s the good people who are afraid.”
•••
This thin collection lives in the meaning of assassin, America, love, race, hopes, trauma, and more. It’s truly a stunning collection and demands a lot of attention. Hayes won the National Book Award for poetry in 2010, and this was shortlisted for the award last year. Check out any of his stuff!

cmcrockford's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

Fuck it full five.