Over one hundred wide-ranging poems.        

four stars

As always, do not let my star count override your judgement of content. More on the stars, counting, and my rating challenges later.

In this collection Beck touches on a number of themes. Deeply patriotic, the state of the nation nags at him from all directions – politics, poverty, activism, passivity.

For a sad narrative, turn to Ailing Elder. Losing the will to live is starkly depicted.

Spoiler alert: this is the entire poem Observer. “I used to watch /the clock at school /go spitefully slower. /Now I watch /the nursing home clock /go spitefully faster.”

Hunkering down for winter is captured in the longer narrative Chores, which begins thus: “The sun rises later, /sets earlier, /the days grow cooler. /I take in the patio furniture, …”

For social commentary with a political thread, turn to Presidential Election. 

One theme Beck mentions is, what happens if the power goes out? In Blackout II this is explored. (Imho civilization would crash in about a week. No gas pumps, no deliveries, no pumping of potable water.)

Now back to the star count. My personal guidelines, when doing an ‘official’ KBR review, are as follows: five stars means, roughly equal to best in genre. Rarely given. Four stars means, extremely good. Three stars means, definitely recommendable. I am a tough reviewer. I try hard to be consistent. I think four stars is correct; clearly recommended.Kindle Book Review Team member.