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4.39 AVERAGE
4.39 AVERAGE
This was a fantastic collection of poetry that took me through Chicago's history and taught me about important characters, beautiful moments, and the general vibe of the city is a really unique way. I started this not knowing who Coval was and finished it several weeks after allegations came out about him dismissing sexual assault allegations towards a mentor in his Young Chicago Authors organization - that does change how I read his outro and work now, and it's awful to hear about: I want to learn more soon.
No punches are pulled in this passionate and biting history of Chicago written by the director of Louder Than A Bomb and Young Chicago Authors. The book of poetry is a creative way to share a satisfyingly raw perspective on the City.
Such a powerful and radical history text, found myself wanting to learn more after each piece. Some of my favorites were “The Supreme Court Makes Color Illegal”, “A Moratorium on the Death Penalty”, “Albert Parsons Can Hang” and “Republic Windows Workers Sit In.”
I really liked this as a supplemental history to the city, all the events and people we don't hear about in the usual Chicago hagiographies. The portraits are wonderful. I just wasn't crazy about the poems as much. But it's definitely worth the time of any Chicagoan to see what gets left out of the big stories and why.
i really enjoyed this. some of the poems definitely stuck with me more than others, but i am mostly just impressed by the passion that is so evident in the writing.
Art has the power to change lives- to enlighten, to empower, to empathize. This book of poetry does it all. Kevin Coval intelligently weaves history into poetry in a way that will leave your mouth hanging open. Chicago has always been the windy city to me, home of cloud gate, and Sears tower (it will always be Sears tower), a place I’ve vacationed year after year. Chicago marked the existence of my family members, but I idealized what existing there was like. Coval begins the Shikaakwa, who lived in Chicago long before it was Chicago, and ends with an ode to the city- despite all its flaws. “I witness until the world does / until ghost stories are documented/ & irrefutable, until America is haunted / by the spirits of those it says never happened.” (78) Coval will educate, and activate.
A short but powerful collection of poems telling the story of the city of Chicago, from the indigenous people who once lived here, through the industrialization of the city, the Haymarket Affair, the Pullman strike, the Great Migration, the Civil Rights movement, up to today. A solid set of poems.
I procrastinated reading this book too long and regret it. It’s always worth thinking critically and creatively about my hometown, and it was so interesting to read these poems and spend some time on Wikipedia reading more about the historic events and people who inspired each poem.
If you have ever loved or lived in Chicago, you need to read this book. We do a poor job of teaching local history (speaking as a history teacher), and there's so much we choose to erase or ignore or not remember. Kevin Coval will make you remember. You'll discover truths that you can't forget. And you will appreciate the unflinching way that he points out the privilege of the rich and white, from DuSable to Emanuel. I was drawn in by the title (alluding to Zinn)--then put off by poems--then drawn in when I heard him perform one of them. poetry reader or not, this is worth all the time you can give it.
I'm not someone who usually reads poetry but I thought a history of Chicago would be a great way to start. As someone who has lived in or around Chicago my entire life this was a great read. There were many relatable moments and even some things I wasn't aware of. I cannot think of a better way to express the anthropological history of Chicago than through poetry. The only point I thought was lacking was that it was mainly focused on events of the last 30 years. I get that its easier to write about things that have happened during the author's lifetime but there are a lot of other events that I thought could have been of value to a collection like this.