Review by Booklist Review
For this uniquely intimate anthology, Irish poet and theologian Tuama brings together 50 poems designed to expand the mind and soul, like "fifty little doors to open up the world of a reader." Each entry includes a snapshot anecdote that describes Tuama's personal connection to the selection, as well as a brief essay appending each poem. Tuama's unassuming prose welcomes readers into an unfettered enjoyment of poetry for the sake of introducing new ideas, new lands, and new ways of being in the world. This is evident in the eclectic gathering of poets from a wide range of backgrounds and from a variety of stages in their careers, including current Poet Laureate Ada Limón, Native Hawaiian newcomer No'u Revilla, prolific Ohioan Hanif Abdurraqib, and Vietnamese American wunderkind Ocean Vuong, to name only a few. Besides American writers, Tuama includes poets from England, Israel, Jamaica, Australia, and Iran, as well as "poets from the diaspora, colonized countries, occupied countries, poets in exile," and others. The book is ideal for novices, while poetry devotees will surely find a handful (or two!) of new poets to relish.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
"The poems collected in this anthology ask essential questions about how to thrive in a complicated world, about how to love when life hasn't been easy," Ó Tuama writes in his preface to this sensitive anthology that builds on his podcast of the same name. Offering keen reflections on poems by Margaret Atwood, Ilya Kaminsky, Ada Limón, and Ocean Vuong, Ó Tuama juxtaposes critical insights with appealing personal anecdotes ("There are poems I repeat to myself, almost like a hum, or a prayer, or a spell," he writes, elsewhere noting, "The first poem I wrote was an idiotic one about a ten-foot dog. I was twelve."). The book's epigraph borrows lines from "Consider the Hands that Write This Letter" by Aracelis Girmay, a poem also included in the collection: "I pray for this to be my way: sweet/ work alluded to in the body's position to its paper:/ left hand, right hand/ like an open eye, an eye closed:/ one hand flat against the trapdoor,/ the other hand knocking, knocking." Ó Tuama has succeeded in organizing a valuable introduction to poetry for those just familiarizing themselves with the form, and a timely way to renew and deepen that appreciation for seasoned readers. (Dec.)
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Review by Library Journal Review
This fascinating collection began life as a podcast on Krista Tippett's On Being public-radio program; hence its intimate feeling, as if you were listening to a friend recall an interesting experience or a memory shared as a gift. With only 50 poems in 384 pages, the text focuses on Ó Tuama's personal reflections intermingled with personal memories or meditations evoked by something in the poem. With grace and insight, he demonstrates how a poem can become a part of your life, something to feed your soul, bind your wounds, and add as one more tool for your life-support utility belt. The poets are mainly contemporary, including Ada Limón, Marie Howe, and Christian Wiman, but they range back to the likes of James Wright and Rainier Rilke. Some will be familiar, but a great number of these poets will be new to most readers. Ó Tuama does the important work of introducing them to a broader audience as he gives us an opening into their wonderful words. VERDICT With his intimate tone, Ó Tuama takes poetry out of the classroom and puts it back into the hands of the reader. He thereby makes the world a better place. Recommended for poetry collections everywhere.--Herman Sutter
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