Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg

Rarely have I read a work that personalizes the Holocaust as powerfully as this. It's also fascinating to explore the parallel experience of two men: one Jewish, who went through the ghettos and concentration camps of Poland, and one Gentile, who fought the Nazis as a member of the Polish Underground. These men followed two very different paths through Poland during World War II, and yet much of their experience - and much of what they took away from it - is the same.

I think what makes this book particularly unique, however, is the space it devotes to telling their life stories after the war. This isn't just a tale of survival - it's a tale of life going on, a tale of growth and hope and friendship.

It's a most welcome and deeply human addition to the literature of the Holocaust.… (altro)

I never have much to say about poetry. I liked it. I didn't. This poem resonated with me. This one didn't. Though I studied poetry for longer than I have studied prose, I feel it's harder to speak constructively of poetry. Either it works for me, or it doesn't. If it resonates, I'll probably have more to say. This review will not be an exception.

I don't like to judge poetry, but I do feel that in the case of Begin Again: 150 Kansas Poems, too many poems were lackluster. There are some great poems in here. Some that really stood out. But the majority fell under two categories: 1) written well, but lacking texture; 2) didn't I read this poem my first year in undergrad? If you ask me, this is not the best sample of Kansas poetry.

That being said, there are some wonderful poems in this collection. There were about twenty really great poems. Favorites included poems by Maril Crabtree, Ramona McCallum, Amy Fleury, Steven Hind, Hazel Smith Hutchinson, and Melissa Sewell.… (altro)