Published: 2011
It's about: Alone Among Many is a book of poems that reflect on loneliness, feelings of insecurity and vulnerability, identity, and the passing of time.
I thought: After writing my review of Norwegian Wood that went up last Wednesday, I've been thinking a lot about how pain and loneliness sometimes increases our ability to empathize with others. This was the perfect book of poems for me to read while in that mindset. After I finished, I thought that there are many reasons we write - to educate, inspire etc., but writing can also be an act of empathy. The speaker of these poems speaks from a vulnerable place, perhaps a very painful place, and through this pain reaches out to the reader. I loved that about this book. The poems could use a little work - I think sometimes the author may have been writing something very significant to him that got a little lost in translation when read, but I applaud his intent. This would be a great book to read when you are feeling lonely or a bit out of sorts.
Verdict: The poems had some clichés, and I think the author used ellipses a little too often. I loved the empathy though, so I'm going to put this one In between.
Warnings: A few f-words.
Favorite excerpts: from "Who Am I"
Who am I [...]
what constitutes an individual
am I really one person
how can I say I am me [...]
has everything been done before
did not every word be spoken
have all sentences been written
do I swim in collective awareness
then how is it
how can i be
What I'm reading next: Gender Trouble by Judith Butler
* I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
