The Crooked Inheritance: Poems [Paperback]

Marge Piercy (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 2, 2009

An “exquisite . . . spot on” (The Hudson Review) collection of poems from one of our best-loved and best-selling poets that is both personal, with poetry about love, nature and reflections on the stages of life, and political, ranging from the war in Iraq and Katrina to concerns such as women’s rights and the poet’s childhood in Detroit.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Piercy's 16 books of accessible, sometimes outspokenly feminist poetry, along with her many novels and nonfiction books, have gained a wide and loyal following. This big collection of somewhat talky new poems may not disappoint her devotees, but seems unlikely to add to her reputation. Familiar subjects—political injustice, familial inheritance, Jewish heritage, the pleasures of cooking and gardening, the troubles of later life—get treated, mostly, in predictable, low-pressure ways. When Piercy (Colors Passing Through Us, 2003) takes clothes that don't fit from her "closet of doom," "The resale shop/ is already waiting.../ ...and I feel my own unplanned/ obsolescence creep into my flesh." Antiwar poems focus on an oblivious America, where "shopping is our favorite entertainment." As for Hurricane Katrina, "Baby is crying/ Grandma is dying/ and that dirty water is getting higher." Reminiscences of Detroit, where Piercy grew up, and a sequence of poems on Jewish liturgical occasions (meant, perhaps, for a congregation to use) stand out, and Piercy's honesty is always welcome. (Nov.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

“Piercy’s honesty is always welcome.” —Publishers Weekly

“There is always some secret gem hidden inside these poems . . . Piercy is not shy about using stark language, and her tone is unusual and refreshing. Rather than sounding preachy, her use of repetition adds to the sense of rhythm and makes her writing sing even as it informs.” —Lilith

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Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Knopf; Reprint edition (June 2, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375711406
• ISBN-13: 978-0375711404
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.5 x 8.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,737,898 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Speaking her mind, November 12, 2006

By 

Patricia Kramer (Madison, WI USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Crooked Inheritance: Poems (Hardcover)

I was fortunate to hear Marge Piercy read her poetry at The Wisconsin Book
Festival and I was blown away. What a joy to discover a new author to read
and recommend.

In "Tracks", Piercy portrays the multitude of roles we fill, not only
with our relatives and friends, but also to the animals we interact with in
our life journey.

In "Hollywood Haircut" she wonders if a $400 haircut would change her life
for the better but decides
"No,I thought so.
I'll stick to Sarah
and my $35 trim."

In "Mighty Big" Piercy considers the ramifications of our arrogant foreign
policy.

I am going to quote from "Swear It" regarding those who seem to be holier
than thou.

"It has always amazed me there are
words too potent to say to those
whose ears are tender as baby
lettaces-often those who label
us into narrow jars with salt and

vinegar,saying, People like THEM,
meaning me and mine. Never say
the K or N word, just quietly shut
and bolt the door. Just politely
insert their foot in the Other's face."