Like the concept of poetic truth and its enforcing arm ...
935844
Like the concept of poetic truth and its enforcing arm the political correctness. Enjoying reading it. Well-paced book. I too Belong to a minority group and yet I see America for what it really is, a glorious land of opportunity for all, no matter what your color or creed. I agree with author that much of what dominates the thinking of the Left are things that are no longer very relevant. The personal qualities, and motivations are far more important in where you will end up.
1987641
As a title  of a review this may be a bit misleading, for even the author transgresses the line. This book is about the scholarly practice of determining accuracy of texts. As such it often moves into the arena of contemporary criticism, ideas of authorship and readership, and the theoretical realm of meaning. The problem the author and some readers have with this is that they step over the line of factuality into construal. By this I mean that it is incontrovertable that the four gospels tell the same story, just as we may observe that Malory and Tennyson both tell the story of Arthur, or that Shakespeare's "Lear" revised and retold "Gorboduc." Now, using printing errors in these texts is a possible method of returning to authorial originals. Such bibliographic study is a necessity to determine texts of incunabula, and while difficult is much easier than manuscript reconstruction.  At times scholars will also depend on construal, which can become  without exquisite care the drawing of lessons from the text as one finds in a sermon. This differs from the decoding fuction of meaning interpretation. And Ehrman slips into this at times.
Some of the difficulties are also difficulties of translation. Denotation may be a problem when one translator is unsure of vocabulary and here we are looking at Aramaic-Greek-Latin-English chains. Numerous studies have pointed out the problems of language specific word connotation, and any first year Latin student knows the mind twisting problem of word order as the "throw the horse over the fence some hay" example can illustrate. Case, gender, number, tense, mode all introduce variations which do not have precise language to language equivalents. EHrman really speaks little about these problems. Some critics of this book seem blissfully unaware of this.

In his final chapter, Ehrman comes to grip with the modern understanding of how a text comes alive to each reader. What we make of it is meaning and is a personal meaning. The sum of our language experience is brought into play. This should shock no one. We do not expect a child who is at the primer level to read Paradise Lost with the same skill as someone with a PhD in Ancient Languages. It is important that the reader understands what Ehrman is attempting and not confuse the purposes of textual authentification or literary theory with theology. Ehrman's two or three page discussion in the final chapterof how we derive meaning from texts in is a clear presentation of a difficult concept even at the graduate school level. If I have any problems with this book, they may be found in some of the repetition, sometimes in the same paragraph, of examples and discussions.
3586938
Poetry should not be read on a phone.  I told myself as much while downloading the Kindle version of Ferrier's RHYTHMS.  Would it feel right, the paper page replaced by the same device on which I stream Netflix and play endless hours of Angry Birds?  I wasn't sure if technology and poetry would meet on peaceful terms.

Wonderfully, the words of RHYTHMS seem well-suited to the few moments I have to snatch a bit of poetry from the day, when only my phone is handy.  My favorite, I'm sure, is "Lightning Struck Maple," in which a tree fights off death by "gnawing off limbs like a trapped animal," its determined roots tapping the sewer line and "drinking the debris of decades."  Ferrier has a way of taking something stationary and putting it in motion.

I am an English instructor at a two-year college.  The students here loathe poetry.  But RHYTHMS contains the kind of brief, bright messages that make sense to them.  As athletes, they can appreciate the humor and humanity of "Two-a-Days, August 1958" without feeling as if the poet is intentionally keeping them at bay.  Too many poets pride themselves on being inscrutable.  But my favorite poetry is that which appears simple on the outside but hides a labyrinth within.  This can be said for many of the verses found in RHYTHMS.  Ferrier warns us of such when he says in "Scavenger" that the poet "conjures alchemies / then swaddles the birth / in a scent of hope / and abandons the cradle / to strangers."

I have one complaint.  The Kindle app on my phone is, of course, much smaller than the printed page, and so at times a poem's line breaks fall oddly, a casualty of the small screen size.  Sometimes a line might lose some of its potency because the screen forces it to break in a way the poet never intended.  Then again, sometimes poems do things beyond the poet's control, I suppose.

Fans of poetry--and there are still a few of us out there--may be missing out on a new favorite if they fail to give RHYTHMS a try.  But be careful, because it's a slippery slope; I now have three books of poetry on my phone . . .
2424706
Dillard's problem is that she is a self-avowed "Anchorite", but she is indeed anchored in more than one place.  This is strongly evident in her writing pattern - the words and their placement.  Here is someone - correct me if I'm wrong - with high intelligence, encouraged as a child to develop a strong curiosity about the natural world, but still attended sunday-school without fail.  Her religious paradigm is colored deeply by questions largely focused on what is "fair" in nature.  The descriptive text is well-made, and Dillard's wit is tight - her observing eye keen; all of which makes for good reading.  But it is this conflict between observed nature, and the pre-packaged but deeply-rooted mythos, that keeps Dillard teetering on the precipice.
Her faith pulls her back again and again.  The words of praise for her god that pepper the book seem strangely disconnected from the rest of the writ, and I can't follow her there.  So there's a level of disappointment on my part.  I want to see what pulls her back from the cliff's edge, but I can't see it from my perspective, (here at the bottom of the abyss).
The natural world is indeed full of wonders.  And not too little of this book focuses on those that Annie reads about and discovers first-hand for herself.  People have been writing about parasites with some level of knowledge for hundreds of years, but Dillard puts it so personally - it is affecting - and her affectation is communicated so well.  That must be a part of the equation, as much as the actual observations themselves.  I give her high marks for that.
In case you miss it, there is a profound level of separation from the world of people in this book.  I could find only one instance of actual conversation with another person, near the book's center.  This is, I believe, intentional, but it is only a half-truth, in that although humanity is abandoned, its tools are not, and pursuing this environment with the intent of writing a book takes one full circle.
From my perspective, I look at this story of a year's passage, and wonder why the truth seems so difficult for the author to claim.  The tale of killing a bee with an echo should be more than enough to convince one that, although a grasshopper can change to a locust, the mechanism to change wine to blood is not there through ceremony.  You have to drink it, my friend.  And the body will do the rest.
Ultimately we have no pilgrim here.  Though in the mind, Dillard attempts to journey, in truth, she never actually leaves the station.  I therefore give four stars, because there's room for improvement, and it is not too late to begin the journey.  You have the eyes, Annie.  Oh what strange manner of temples you could feast them on!
Do I recommend this book?  How could I not?  In fact, I challenge you to read it!
763973
This is an unusual poetry book. It is written almost like the old epic poems, but with modern language and expressions. Reading through the poetic storyline made me think of "Dante's Inferno" and "Paradise Lost" because of the spiritual subject matter. I could tell right away that the character Etah is evil personified, but it was still interesting to see how this evil being would lead several human characters astray. From a psychological perspective, this poetic story shows how the combination of past experiences and present temptations can easily destroy lives. This is a very powerful piece of writing that will make you think about your own life and the choices you are making.
2058319
This work is the culmination of years of poetic labor, with consistent efforts to surpass the expectations of youth in order to arrange something more profound and intelligent than the surfeit of meaningless poems that seems to flood the plane of modern literature.  Indeed, I do not mean to say that there are not poems of substantial worth of purely lyrical excellence, but the tangent on which poetry now travels is solely concerned with the lyric--and form, function, and an overall sense of stylistic individuality have been replaced by the common-faced visages of unrhymed, unmeasured, trifling observations.
In Yggdrasil, the variety of verse forms, the changes in various dialects, the variety of striking subjects through 22 poems and 17 illustrations--all of these combine to bear up a pedagogical tome of Skaldic poetry.  For those who do not know what, or whom, the Skalds were: they were the Old Norse poets whose intent, in writing, was to teach the art of poetry through its implementation, and more--to teach the reader something of metaphysical, social worth.  They wrote with a higher agenda than lyric.
I count myself an American Skald, and I intend to continue to live up to that noble name.  This collection of poetry covers a variety of grounds, and I shall briefly highlight salient poems within:
"Fording the Danube Blue, with Waterlogged Shoes": this partially autobiographical sketch examines the psychological effects of poverty on a child, and what psychological effects still remain when that child is removed from both poverty and youth.  To those who wish to know what "the other side of Baxter Street" is--it is the street which divides the University of Georgia from a long stretch of government housing projects in Athens, Georgia.  (24 pages)
"The Book of the Ealde Cyrcenas": perhaps the most striking and lasting poem within the collection--it tells the true tale of Britain's discovery and foundation, not by the Romans (as biased myths passed on by Europeans have forwarded), but by the Old Syrians.  A certian Emperor Dioclesian has engaged his thirty-three daughters in a mass-wedding, but on the eve of their marriages, they think to fight against his chauvinist sovereignty... (69 pages)
"A Mound of Shadow in Sunshine": A wanderer happens upon the corpse of God, lying in a field.  A mass of people soon surrounds the corpse and devises a method of kicking its corpse in order to convince God to resume his post.  Though ending with death, I have included, in Yggdrasil, "Even the Dead can Speak"--a follow up/correction of my observations, which I composed nearly a year after its predecessor. (16 pages)
"Papa Legba An' Th' Loa": The tale of Robert Johnson's blues, Elvis Presley's theft of that music--and the reclamation of the blues by Papa Legba and other Voodoo personages. (30 pages)
"The Horror of God's Captivity, on the Eve of the Nativity": Much like its title, this poem examines the problems of God's birth in human form, seen through the eyes of a lowly, inattentive shepherd called to witness the Nativity.  Beginning with a flight of the gods across the earth, spurred onward by a fire-sword wielding Seraph, it leads to the damnation of kind gods, like Baldr (Norse) in Hell, and to the death of the infant Christ through the anger of the inattentive shepherd--and the subsequent unmaking of existence.  Though rollicking, satirical, and thoroughly irreverent, this poem earnestly examines these problems from two sides--the spiritual and the physical. (62 pages)
I have complied various notes to render clear my references, both archaic and modern, in order to facilitate a clear, fluid reading.  With that, I take my leave.
4191637
There is so much beauty in this book, bought at great price.  If you can take "honest," then buy it and savor it; if you can't, then stay the hell away.  Joyce uses the principles of rap, especially including rapid-fire delivery peppered with repetition and drive-by rhymes, to elevate slam from featureless confessional narrative to experiential fireworks.  Many contemporary poets start with what amounts to a photograph and elaborate their poetry from that image; Joyce starts each poem with a single, focussed emotion, especially including gratitude to those who have both hurt and helped her, and wraps that emotion in complex syntax and showers of polysyllables.  She shares her feelings and her beliefs in the casual, matter of fact way, a friend would, if you were dropping in from out of town for a day-long visit: no punches pulled, the facts laid out in their beauty and their gore as she goes through her daily routine, grateful for someone to talk to.  I especially appreciate the way she speaks of her poetry in the same way epic heroes speak of their swords and shields, their horses: naming it, praising its genesis, its virtues, its uses as if it were as active a character in her life as her mother, her sisters, her daughter, and her men.  This is clearly the work of a woman who, like early Lucille Clifton, goes through a hell of a day, everyday, and once everything is at peace, sits at her kitchen table and writes--in her own voice, a voice she was denied in all of her other daily guises: "Work.poetrrry.love.work.child.maaan. / Some mornings I awake / To make / Breakfast for my man ... Work.child.work.poetrrry.work.child.maaan.dreams.breakfastssss. / Some evenings / I try to write / Away / ... And then I find time / To day dream / I throw myself / Down / A surreal / Wishing well / ... Work.work.dreams.child.maan.me. Ffreedom. Poetrrrry." (from "Life in Abstract")  Screw polite.  Who has time for polite in the presence of such openness?  Go ahead.  Read over her shoulder as she works alone at that kitchen table.
1727062
Divided into four chapters--the hurting, the loving, the breaking, the healing-- MILK AND HONEY (2015) is a provocative collection of poems meant to empower females. This work may be considered feminist.

Like many of her critics, I question the literary or poetic merit of Kaur's craft: the traditional elements of poetry as we've been taught to recognize them (alliteration, rhyme, rhythm, simile, metaphor, personification etc.) aren't evident in many of her poems. Her line breaks are at times dubious. At their basic level, some of her poems seem to be renditions of familiar advice or platitudes. In a few cases, some of the poems seem repetitive. And yet, I can admit that her words are impactful, for the seemingly simple way she expresses her ideas resonate on a universal way.

I was introduced to MILK AND HONEY by one of my students who had purchased it and was in the midst of reading it. For inspiring young people to read poetry, I recommend it despite my doubt as to its literary merit. Though Kaur uses simple words, her message is poignant and powerful.
3034304
In this day and age, we are told to shirk conventionalism, seek originality, see life in its true colors and peel off all glossy veneer in search of the truth. Grit has been the new cool for some time now, and it is glorified in literature, even poetry (lose the constraints of rhyme; use free-verse). But when it comes down to expressing love, no struggle for originality is needed other than the evocative manifestation of genuine emotion.

In poetry, this is called a love sonnet. Its beauty, its message, is brought forward through a conventional structure (fourteen verses in iambic pentameter) but that only strengthens its effect. Take Kevin M. Jacksons collection of sonnets which, according to the authors note, he started writing at the age of sixteen: from the first time a teenage boys heart flutters at the sight of a girl to the struggles of a committed relationship, the words flow effortlessly, beautifully, and the rhyme is not a constraint but a vehicle. Excitement, joy, doubt, fear, regret are all seeped in the kind of love that has the power to infuse even darkness with the glow of hope. Now tell me that this isn't the outlook we all need in our lives, no matter what were after, or how weve decided to go about achieving it.
3167348
The full identity of the historical figure known as Lao-tzu (6th Century BCE) whose writings have been looked upon as the basis for Taoism is unknown. This text, rendered in the traditional Chinese form of meaning laden compressed aphorisms is delightful to read.  The paradoxes force us to consider several different sides of any given issue. The poetic text is rife with ambiguity, inference and hidden meanings. Acknowledging paradox is the only way of pushing philosophical and scientific problems nearer solution. Acknowledging paradox is intellectual sincerity. We need to assimilate Eastern notions of identity, paradox, and mystery (if I can use a bad word) into our Western magisterium of science.

The traditional interpretation of this text is that it was written as a guide for the enlightened and wise ruler and in this, it invites comparison to Machiavelli but such a comparison is beyond the scope of this review. In any case, Lao-tzu does not recommend a specific form of government or path to good government, but he does advocate a specific outcome which is concern for human well-being under any ruler or form of government. The government, however constituted, should be an expression of wisdom and enlightenment.  Wisdom here is the exercise of judicious discretion on the part of the ruler so as not to disrupt the natural order of society.  If there is any path to good government identified by Lao-tzu, it is that of good behavior.  As in Verse 17, When the Master governs, the people are hardly aware that he exists. Or, as stated in verse 57 If you want to be a great leader, you must learn to follow the Tao.  Stop trying to control. Let go of fixed plans and concepts and the world will govern itself. I have had to learn this firsthand in my experience with what I like to call the tyranny of goals and treachery of plans. Lao-tzu, in speaking about the Master in Verse 30, also says that He understands that the universe is forever out of control and in Verse 3 he speaks  of  emptying peoples minds (eliminating the tyranny of goals?) and weakening their ambition (avoiding the treachery of plans?). This much at least must seem odd to a western perspective. I believe the Tao is defined in Verse 67 as simplicity, patience and compassion.  Which should seem odd to no civilized person.

What Lao-tzu advocates as good for the individual, is also the basis of good government, the antithesis of accumulating wealth and power. Such things are just dead weight upon the soul.  This means to me that ethics comes necessary before politics. Thus, Lao-tzus political philosophy minimizes the power of the ruler or the state, but he should not be mistaken for a classic liberal or a modern libertarian in the western sense. Instead, Lao-tzu speaks about the Master acting by not doing anything and teaching without speaking. His is a combined philosophy of ethics and governance stressing the oneness and the all-relatedness of all reality leading to spiritual peace and inner fulfillment. It is not my desire to westernize Lao-tzu, but It is difficult to resist comparisons to western models in reading Lao-tzu. I am reminded of the oneness of Neoplatonism or the pantheism of Spinoza.  And, I also think Lao-tzu would agree with Epictetus in that wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants.

Most powerfully for me is the remainder of Verse 57 where Lao-tzu advises that we let go of law, economics and religion to become more honest, prosperous and serene.  In other words, our legal, economic and religious systems are just labels and that if we want a more honest, prosperous and serene society, we must be more honest, prosperous and serene people. The problems and the solutions are all to be found in the same place, with us and within us.

Ironically Lao-tzu was writing prior to the time of the first modern bureaucratic government in China, and in the world, the short-lived but highly authoritarian state of the Qin Dynasty.
1620525
There is much controversy about this book regarding its status as truth or fiction, but it deserves 3 stars, possibly more, for its concept of a community as it should be in many ways. The members exist peacefully with one another and the land, live very simply without the need for ownership and with a deep awareness of their connection to all things. Despite its 'new age' overtones and tendency to go overboard in some areas, there is much food for thought.
447306
This book effectively and poetically captures many resounding truths of life and puts its finger on a spark of the essence of soul.
1127933
Some contemporary cynics have said that poetry is a dying literary form, that there is nothing left that hasn't been already said. To those who feel this way, reading a few pages from this book may change your perception, as here is a poet who writes from the heart, expressing the full ranges of human emotions.

Erina Booker's&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Living-Poetry-Volume-2/dp/1300541032/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Living Poetry Volume 2</a>&nbsp;starts with 'Four Seasons', a simple four line poem that sets the pace for this book, and does so quite expressively. Next we find 'Summer Enchantment', written in heroic rispetto form with idyllic and evocative words accompanied with the photo of a dragonfly on the opposite page.

In the pages here we encounter many poetic forms, ranging from free verse to sonnet, from simple haiku (and haiku sequence) to triolet. This is a book of many facets, and Ms. Booker is a skillful master, painting a visual picture with each line.

But poetry is a personal thing, and when I first encountered her 'Me, You, and Leonard Too', it compelled me to put on a particular favorite album, Leonard Cohen's&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Old-Ideas/dp/B0067LY4WG/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Old Ideas</a>&nbsp;as I read the words here, and started over again from the beginning. We meet people in these pages, folks who are commemorated in verse, and the emotions and reflections felt by the author, beautifully expressed.

There's quite a bit of food for thought in this in this slim 67-page volume, but there was some disappointment for this reader as well. I've encountered Erina Booker's photos on the 'Net before, and the black and white reproductions of them do not do her expressive images justice, to put it directly. This Australian author is a well-traveled and highly educated counselling mentor, along with being a skilled amateur photographer, and it was disappointing for this reader to see her excellent images presented this way. It happens.

This is not the first book by Ms. Booker as the title would indicate. Her&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Living-Poetry/dp/1300176547/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Living Poetry</a>&nbsp;was published in 2012, and it's on my list of poetry books to read as I find her words to be compelling and thought provoking.

It's difficult to summarize a book like Ms. Booker's&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Living-Poetry-Volume-2/dp/1300541032/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Living Poetry Volume 2</a>, as in terms of the poetry itself, it's a 5-star offering. It's the lackluster display of the photos and the presentation itself that brings it down, as that part is only worthy of a 3-star rating in itself, and why I've rounded this review off to four stars.

But read Erina Booker's words by themselves, if you will, as they make for a 5-star poetry offering. They're quite evocative, and obviously written from the heart.

3/2/2013
4397273
Blows sounds essentially like an old JA album and a pretty good one at that. It's highly emotive and an obviously sincere and genuine work compared to today's era of disposable nonsense lyrics and non-melodic electronic/machine rhythms. The unfortunate thing is that for such a haughty concept as universal truth and worth the writing, both lyrically and musically, could have been something they put a little more work into. That's not to say I don't like or appreciate the concept because I like it a lot but as a package the lyrics don't flow particularly well and too many of the melodies sound forced (ie. Mau Mau the opening track).

I've always liked JA and Kantner both but this album has some fabulous bright spots and really did deserve some serious reworking and polishing before putting it out.
1805203
Seven units corresponding to seven cardinal virtues , Wisdom, Justice, Courage, Moderation, Faith, Hope , Love. The idea is that the poems will help the reader move toward a good and happy life. So far, so good. There is one problem however with the whole enterprise. There is a mixing of the work of great and good poets with that of very mediocre ones, many of whom appear to be the author's friends. There is too the problem that poems selected even from the known writers' are not among the best. Is this quibbling ? Perhaps. In any case there are many good poems and even some great ones, although I am by no means sure that in reading them you will or for that matter should become ' happy'.
2024311
Gerard Manley Hopkins explores his intuition, doubts and counters it with theology, only to find himself in a place of despair at the end of the process. Yet, I cannot read a Hopkins poem without feeling a resonance within myself, as I recognize truth and beauty. He shouts at the heaven's, and embraces the questions that keep him up at night. Tensions often seem high, as with "Thou Art Indeed Just," or "Nondum." The man pours himself straight out into his verse.

Just as Hopkins wrestles with the nature of God, so must a reader wrestle with this verse. There are instances when the poetry will open itself easily to interpretation, but most often his wordplay produces poems that are dense, and so loaded with implicit imagery that untangling takes time which many are unwilling to give. The first time I happened upon "That Nature is a Heraclitean Fire," I was tempted to think Hopkins may have treated poetry more like an obsessive game with himself than a literary outlet. (If you've never read it, take a break to google it - you'll understand).

This collection, however, brings the works together into a wholly realistic format; they are not haphazardly assembled. It begins with some of his most well-known and treasured poems, like "The Caged Skylark" and "God's Grandeur." They are short and rich and accessible. These are then followed by a couple longer pieces. The poems continue in this sort of cycle - about six to ten easier poems followed by some more challenging works. It makes for a controlled flow, and prepares you for Hopkins' most ambitious poems, which are located at the end of the verse section.

On top of that, the cloth bound hard cover looks great with a sharp jacket to boot. This book is worth every penny! (Though I would suggest searching the used listings, as you can often find one in great condition for very cheap).
2081219
Roger Olson opens Pandora's box by refusing to blindly accept the maxims of popular Christianity, by casting honest doubt on concepts people assume are biblical truth.  In so doing he hopes we'll reconsider our presuppositions.  This is just the kind of thinking we need to shake us from our anti-intellectual complacency.  I doubt if anyone will buy all his conclusions, but I guarantee they will have to think critically.

Olson handles such matters as the sovereignty and will of God, the nature of sin, the Second Coming, judging others, materialism, and several other controversial matters.

I had more than a few reservations, but I don't mean this as a critique.  Olsen should be applauded for making us reconsider some of our cherished beliefs.  I did take issue with his thoughts on missing the will of God.  I don't think he adequately dealt with the concept of calling.  I'd also have liked more discussion of just how sovereign God is, and to what extent does He stand back to allow bad things to happen.  If we're going to question God's involvement, I want to know what prayer does, and how much prayer is needed to make a difference.  With regard to eschatology, I wish there was some mention of the theory that much of the apocalyptic literature may refer to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD.  The section on money didn't seem to deal with the worldview of capitalism.

While I wasn't completely satisfied with Roger Olson's questions, I appreciated them.  This is an excellent book to get Christians to reconsider matters that they've accepted without critical thinking.  Paul Little once said that one doesn't have to commit "intellectual suicide" to be a Christian.  While we can't possibly have all the answers, we ought to re-look at the slogans and mysteries we've accepted and see whether they're defensible.