Part of the reason I love reading is that you get to bring into the story all the life experiences you've had. Your baggage becomes a part of the work. How you feel about specific topics, like feminism, comes into play when you read a book. Things you may be horrified to read could comfort someone else. This book was like that for me.
I won't go into details, but my childhood was not the easiest or the best thing ever. This book touched my heart in a way that nothing has in a long time. There were poems of situations and feelings that were so familiar to me that I could have written them myself.
It took me a while to get through this book. Not only was it difficult for me to read because of my emotional baggage, it was also one of those books that needs to be savored and studied. It was haunting and wonderful. Nick Flynn does an excellent job putting his thoughts and feelings in the imagery and the overall feeling of the poems he writes. Like any fine piece of literature, you don't want it to be over.
This book reminded me that life is what you make of it. There are choices and actions and consequences. I don't know if that was the author's intention, but that's what I got out of it.
If you're interested in more information about him, I found an interview at the Poems Out Loud website. It's not about this book, but it is still pretty interesting.
I now need something new to read. Preferably light and fun, please! Any suggestions?
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