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zgreyz's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
4.0
some very powerful poems in here. i think some went over my head but i really enjoyed most
faithd's review
3.0
Thank you to Netgalley, Gregory Pardlo and Penguin Random House for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!
Spectral Evidence explores some heavy topics, including racism, sexism, judgment, prejudice, and the systemic trauma that is built into the fabric of american society. Stories are told in the form of poems, prose, a play, and at one point, a chart of data about what percentage of americans believed certain sterotypes about black people.
The title (spectral evidence) refers to the ridiculous, hateful nonsense that was accepted as “evidence” during the Salem witch trials.
I think this is a very important book, and I am extremely grateful it exists. I personally found it hard to follow at times, but I’m also not very well read when it comes to poetry. I will say that some of it I liked quite a lot, and other parts I found disturbing (in a good way) or thought provoking. There was one poem that talked about the inverse relationship between a person's self-restraint and their ability to silence victims that really moved me.
Spectral Evidence explores some heavy topics, including racism, sexism, judgment, prejudice, and the systemic trauma that is built into the fabric of american society. Stories are told in the form of poems, prose, a play, and at one point, a chart of data about what percentage of americans believed certain sterotypes about black people.
The title (spectral evidence) refers to the ridiculous, hateful nonsense that was accepted as “evidence” during the Salem witch trials.
I think this is a very important book, and I am extremely grateful it exists. I personally found it hard to follow at times, but I’m also not very well read when it comes to poetry. I will say that some of it I liked quite a lot, and other parts I found disturbing (in a good way) or thought provoking. There was one poem that talked about the inverse relationship between a person's self-restraint and their ability to silence victims that really moved me.
brice_mo's review
4.0
Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf for the ARC!
Poetry is often instinctual or academic, and Spectral Evidence leans toward the latter while not betraying the former. This is a book that feels intensely researched, and Gregory Pardlo offers almost too much history for the reader to process. Maybe that’s the point—the full weight of the issues is felt when it’s impossible to compartmentalize or reduce it.
I think the best poetry moves the reader in some way, and this book is one that will doubtless move people to read more. I especially found the comparison between Teresa Avíla and Lindsay Lohan moving, but more than that—it made me aware of how little I knew about much of the book’s subject matter. I finished with countless notes about things I wanted to look up and lines I wanted to revisit, and I’m sure many readers will have a similar experience.
I also really enjoyed the book’s introduction, which is a thoughtful walk through the book’s guiding premise. It immediately alerts the reader to how intentional this collection is. Similarly, the poems themselves are dense in a way that encourages readers to spend time with them.
For readers who might be on the fence about diving in, I encourage them to read the paired poems “Question and Answer” and “Know Yourselves.” Here is where Pardlo directly interrogates his responsibility both to himself and those impacted by the history and politics he invokes, and I think they complement the introduction in laying out a better understanding of the book’s thesis.
Overall, a great collection. I hadn’t read anything by Gregory Pardlo, but this instantly bumped his memoir to the top of my reading list.
Poetry is often instinctual or academic, and Spectral Evidence leans toward the latter while not betraying the former. This is a book that feels intensely researched, and Gregory Pardlo offers almost too much history for the reader to process. Maybe that’s the point—the full weight of the issues is felt when it’s impossible to compartmentalize or reduce it.
I think the best poetry moves the reader in some way, and this book is one that will doubtless move people to read more. I especially found the comparison between Teresa Avíla and Lindsay Lohan moving, but more than that—it made me aware of how little I knew about much of the book’s subject matter. I finished with countless notes about things I wanted to look up and lines I wanted to revisit, and I’m sure many readers will have a similar experience.
I also really enjoyed the book’s introduction, which is a thoughtful walk through the book’s guiding premise. It immediately alerts the reader to how intentional this collection is. Similarly, the poems themselves are dense in a way that encourages readers to spend time with them.
For readers who might be on the fence about diving in, I encourage them to read the paired poems “Question and Answer” and “Know Yourselves.” Here is where Pardlo directly interrogates his responsibility both to himself and those impacted by the history and politics he invokes, and I think they complement the introduction in laying out a better understanding of the book’s thesis.
Overall, a great collection. I hadn’t read anything by Gregory Pardlo, but this instantly bumped his memoir to the top of my reading list.
scottbungalowreads's review
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
This is a gorgeous collection of poetry looking at the experience of particularly the Black man, but also black bodies more broadly. Winding historical lessons with personal experience, Pardlo covers a lot of ground here. There are phrases in these that are going to stick with me for days, I can tell. With gorgeous language, many of these pack a punch and leave you quietly sitting alongside inherited ghosts.
ady_soundslike80's review against another edition
challenging
slow-paced
3.0
I started teaching myself to understand and appreciate poetry a couple years ago. TBH, I am not certain I even understood much of this book AS poetry. The form is experimental and interesting. It’s a little out of my grasp right now though.
bookgoodfeelgood's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0