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reba_reads_books's review against another edition
5.0
I re-read this and you know what, it deserves 5 stars---I didn't connect with most of these poems but can't rate any lower than 3 stars because the ones that hit me really gut punched me. All of the "moon" poems. Dirty Rotten Imbeciles. Bad Love. Saint Francis and the Pine Tree.
hereisenough's review against another edition
4.0
a darker childhood that reads stark and gritty, nearly like fiction. 3.5/5
paltrindome's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
2.25
ONE PARAGRAPH REVIEW:
While there are some gems within this collection, in my opinion, they are few and far between. Minimum Wage and Saint Francis and the Pine Tree were a few of my favourites, exploring the gritty reality of childhood abuse, sexuality and shame extremely well. However, the shift in tone in poems like Blood Moon, though effective in depicting adolescent sexuality, felt far too abrupt and left me wishing Dickman took a slightly different approach. In most poems apart from Two a.m., Four p.m., Eight p.m., and Sack of Rabbits, his extensive use of anaphora also detracted from the reading experience and came across too didactic. Lastly, I was a little taken aback by Dickman’s use of f*ggot in his last poem Big Love. If he is queer, this is obviously not an issue. However, based on the subjects in his poems here and in All-American Poem, I am inclined to believe he isn’t. Dickman’s provocative style and subject matter should have been an instant click with me, but I was left wishing that the execution of the poems was stronger.
While there are some gems within this collection, in my opinion, they are few and far between. Minimum Wage and Saint Francis and the Pine Tree were a few of my favourites, exploring the gritty reality of childhood abuse, sexuality and shame extremely well. However, the shift in tone in poems like Blood Moon, though effective in depicting adolescent sexuality, felt far too abrupt and left me wishing Dickman took a slightly different approach. In most poems apart from Two a.m., Four p.m., Eight p.m., and Sack of Rabbits, his extensive use of anaphora also detracted from the reading experience and came across too didactic. Lastly, I was a little taken aback by Dickman’s use of f*ggot in his last poem Big Love. If he is queer, this is obviously not an issue. However, based on the subjects in his poems here and in All-American Poem, I am inclined to believe he isn’t. Dickman’s provocative style and subject matter should have been an instant click with me, but I was left wishing that the execution of the poems was stronger.
cgcpoems's review against another edition
These poems were unsettling in a very deliberate way. The images in particular were striking — always so vivid & visceral. Dickman writes with candor, giving meaning to the moments that linger with us long after childhood as left.
saintcormorant's review against another edition
2.5
Occasionally had a good quote but was very disappointing given how much I loved Mayakovsky's Revolver.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol and Antisemitism