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A review by dotorsojak
The Hurting Kind by Ada Limón
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
3.25
This book did not wow me as much as AL's THE CARRYING, which I read a year or two (or three?) ago.
Many of the poems are autobiographical, and sometimes they seem to be directly addressing people and relatives known to the poet. On the other hand, the book largely avoids contemporary politics. Neither of these statements is a criticism, however. Both categories--political and autobiographical--are difficult to write well, and one doesn't have to eschew one to pay attention to the other.
AL engages deeply with the natural world, especially with animals. At one point, the narrator (presumably the poet on some level) quotes a lover as saying "the trouble with you Limòn is that you're all fauna and no flora," a funny remark.
I liked this book overall. There are some good poems here and some great lines.
Recommended with slight reservations.
Many of the poems are autobiographical, and sometimes they seem to be directly addressing people and relatives known to the poet. On the other hand, the book largely avoids contemporary politics. Neither of these statements is a criticism, however. Both categories--political and autobiographical--are difficult to write well, and one doesn't have to eschew one to pay attention to the other.
AL engages deeply with the natural world, especially with animals. At one point, the narrator (presumably the poet on some level) quotes a lover as saying "the trouble with you Limòn is that you're all fauna and no flora," a funny remark.
I liked this book overall. There are some good poems here and some great lines.
Recommended with slight reservations.