Customer Reviews

Saltwater Empire

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I was touched by the sensitive use of real stories in this poetic ode to New Orleans before and after Hurricane Katrina. I'm glad to know that even more people will learn about the oral history project. The words of New Orleans residents are woven lyrically throughout this book. Another reminder about the continuing impact of Katrina.

I don't read alot of poetry but when a friend introduced me to this book, I instantly fell in love with it! His words are so full of detail and emotion that you are instantly swept away and a portrait of the people and places within this work is painted into your head. I just ordered a copy of Murder (A Violet) and am eagerly awaiting its arrival in my mailbox.

I had the opportunity to read some individual poems from Saltwater Empire before it was published, and was very, very impressed by them. The poems are beautiful and powerful on their own--as a collection the book is absolutely astounding. It alternates between the abstract and the brutally concrete with expert skill. It is so rich in visual, tactile, and aural detail that it engulfs you. And even in poetry it is rare to find someone so attuned to the various sonic and expressive possibilities of language, and who pushes those possibilities so far with such success.

But what I think is most remarkable about this book is the way it deals with tragedy. In a manner sometimes delicate and often brutal, and that feels private yet all-inclusive. This is a book consumed by sadness, anger, and loss, and yet it never, ever seems to wallow in those things. It manages that through some very double-edged humor, some genuine illumination, and other things I can't really put my finger on. There is incredible, incredible power in this book. I recommend you read it cover to cover in one sitting as I did (and seldom do). But most of all, I recommend that you read it.

For anyone who grew up in Florida or the Southeastern or Gulf coast, the poems in this book capture the atmosphere and the weight of the area better than anything I ever read. Mr. McDaniel does a beautiful job of putting into words feelings and experiences I thought were unique to me. He made them sound much prettier, though!