A review by wcsheffer
Thousand Star Hotel by Bao Phi

4.0

Bao Phi's collection is a sweeping series of poems about Phi's experience as a low-income child of Vietnamese immigrants in 1970s Minneapolis. His poems deal with fatherhood, mental health, and feelings of not belonging. Phi's poems are often brutally honest, holding no bars when it comes to his internal monologue from dealing with romantic rejection to raising his daughter. Phi also writes about being a nerd of color and finding solace in books growing up. I think my favorite poem is "Eg0-Tripping as a Self-Defense Mechanism For Refugee Kids who Get Their Names Clowned On." A concise and moving poem about Phi's name. Standing alone, it is a brilliant poem. Within the collection, it retains its brilliance and also marks a shift in Phi's relationship to himself and his heritage--finding pride even amongst pain and beginning the third and final section. Phi's poems cover a variety of forms and are never dull. I also loved how his poems told of a Minneapolis in the 80s that isn't often thought about, he writes about the American Indian Movement's patrols in his neighborhood and the changing culture of Minneapolis' South Side. So proud that claim him as one of this city's brightest!