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A review by mcastello13
How We Became Human: New and Selected Poems: 1975-2001 by Joy Harjo
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
I first read Joy Harjo’s poem “I Give You Back” in the early days of the pandemic and I loved it so much that I spent the past year memorizing it. It’s one of those poems I wanted to be able to carry with me wherever I went in life. And, ever since I first heard it, I’ve wanted to read more of her work.
So I’m glad I picked up this collection, and I liked getting to see the evolution of Harjo’s writing over time. That said, for the most part, the style of her poetry didn’t really work for me. But, her work covers so many compelling topics and I still found great beauty and spiritual depth in it. And I’m always meaning (and often failing) to bring more poems into my life, so I’m grateful to have read this collection early in the year. I hope it leads to a year filled with more poetry for me.
So I’m glad I picked up this collection, and I liked getting to see the evolution of Harjo’s writing over time. That said, for the most part, the style of her poetry didn’t really work for me. But, her work covers so many compelling topics and I still found great beauty and spiritual depth in it. And I’m always meaning (and often failing) to bring more poems into my life, so I’m grateful to have read this collection early in the year. I hope it leads to a year filled with more poetry for me.