Customer Reviews

The Book of Motion (The Contemporary Poetry Series)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Tung-Hui Hu, The Book of Motion (University of Georgia Press, 2003)

The Book of Motion opens with one of the strongest poems I've read in quite a while, and that's saying something.

"...The people who live here,
stringy men, wispy
women, as if spun from
clouds, they are capable
of greater passions than
us: one man, infuriated
at his car, the lemon
that had cost him a life's
savings, drove it to the
canyon edge and cut away
the metal cord that coupled
the car, the rocks...." ("a rock a fish")

If the whole book were as mind-numbingly good as "a rock a fish," this would be the first five-star book of 2005, and a shoo-in for my ten best list. Not to say that the book overall is not good; it is. It's very good. But Hu starts off with such a strong piece that some of what comes after is anticlimactic. This is not really his, or anyone's, fault, and it doesn't make the book any less worth reading. There is a great deal to like here, and I recommend this book as highly as I've recommended anything that hasn't gotten five stars in the past few years from me. This is excellent work, but it's one of those cases where some is more excellent than others. Tung-Hui Hu is a name you should know; get acquainted at your earliest opportunity. ****

These images are stunning. I feel these poems touch things in our souls that we can all relate to and yet they can be so haunting.

The use language is masterful and accessible; I felt myself smiling and nodding.

I highly recommend this book and this author. I can't wait to see what comes next!

I agree with the previous reviewer. An outstanding, haunting book. So much of what wins the awards these days is mundane, boring, or pretentious. Not this. An excellent read. If you need to clear your mind of all the poetic clutter out there and get back to why poetry really does matter, read this book.