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jcschlotfelt2313's review against another edition
4.0
Two of the three sections in this collection were revelatory to me: reigniting my love of language, a well-turned phrase, of poetry, of writing, of thinking about my place in the world, and the power of words. The section about the narrator's relationship with Robert Redford and the section titled 'Valentine' were reread twice each, exposing and revealing new wonders. Fort Red Border is more than worth it for these 2/3.
I didn't dislike the middle third, but it left me at a distance. Maybe because I was so thoroughly won over by the first and third portions, some let down was natural.
I didn't dislike the middle third, but it left me at a distance. Maybe because I was so thoroughly won over by the first and third portions, some let down was natural.
leerazer's review against another edition
2.0
Wouldn't have expected to like a section of poems focused on an imagined romantic relationship with Robert Redford, but they're surprisingly touching in their tenderness and the subject's wistful distance from the dominant culture, a distance repeatedly symbolized by her natural afro. But the middle section was all about wordplay and complicated Escher-like poems, and the last section a too-casual pop culture referential melange, neither my cup of tea.
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