Laura W. (Pharmtoxgirl) reviewed on 6/4/2006 + 52 more book reviews

Daniels, winner of the Brittingham Prize in Poetry, is a fascinating if inconsistent new voice. Simple observations are often unexpectedly metamorphosized into a haunting portrait of working-class life. The poems in the first section, dealing with family and friends, are the most effective. In later sections, Daniels more often assumes a stance: the ``Digger'' persona in Part 2 continues past its natural conclusion, and individual poems become formulaic. The first-person poems in the final section are too often surreal and/or pretentious, containing phrases such as ``Machine, I come to you 800 times a day.'' Daniels is more careful to poetically transform the words he puts into the mouths of others. Rochelle Ratner, formerly Poetry Editor, ``Soho Weekly News,'' New York

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