A worthy collection of observational poems that occasionally veers into familiar political territory.
Fillion offers a collection of personal and reflective poems.
This is a collection of spare, often arresting, mostly free verse poems—the style suits the author’s reflective, observational tone, which blends the personal and political with subtlety and occasional humor. In one of the most grounded moments, Fillion describes polishing shoes as a thunderstorm approaches: “With a late August thunderstorm approaching / And a dark, menacing sky / I strangely enjoy and am overwhelmed / By the non-pharmaceutical, calming incense / And simple joy of polishing shoes.” That mix of pleasure and melancholy runs through many of the poems. The author often turns to historical and literary figures—including Gerard Manley Hopkins, Jeremy Bentham, Ben Jonson, and John Milton—not to elevate his voice, but to spark unexpected reflections. He also finds delight in small details, listening to poets read their own work online (“Whiskey Tango Foxtrot”) or filling out a retirement form with weary humor (“Bound for Boxcar Willie Nowhere”). Some poems do rhyme, often playfully (occasionally leaning into being a little corny): “I can’t keep up / with the folks next door / Everything I wear / somebody else wore / I get all my Gucci / from the dollar store.” These moments are light, even sly, without undercutting the collection’s deeper emotional notes. There is a particularly poignant poem about the death of a loved one and several poems about aging, including the funny yet somewhat bleak “I Never Get Anything Done.” The short poems about birds, and other observations from the inside of a window, likewise strike a balance between humor and larger, deeper meaning. The political pieces, by contrast, often feel less fresh. Lines like, “The History of the nation / is a trail of / Bread crumbs from the past / That no longer lead / To the forest” lean on familiar imagery. Others fall into broad sloganeering: “truth and facts were / shredded into a Whopper / and a Happy Meal / of American carnage.” Still, Fillion’s voice remains engaging. His strongest poems rely on observation rather than outrage, and they linger long after reading.
A worthy collection of observational poems that occasionally veers into familiar political territory.Pub Date: Aug. 17, 2025
ISBN: 9798999792709
Page Count: 180
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: July 21, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Cogent, well-timed ideas for meeting today’s biggest challenges.
Helping liberals get out of their own way.
Klein, a New York Times columnist, and Thompson, an Atlantic staffer, lean to the left, but they aren’t interrogating the usual suspects. Aware that many conservatives have no interest in their opinions, the authors target their own side’s “pathologies.” Why do red states greenlight the kind of renewable energy projects that often languish in blue states? Why does liberal California have the nation’s most severe homelessness and housing affordability crises? One big reason: Liberal leadership has ensnared itself in a web of well-intentioned yet often onerous “goals, standards, and rules.” This “procedural kludge,” partially shaped by lawyers who pioneered a “democracy by lawsuit” strategy in the 1960s, threatens to stymie key breakthroughs. Consider the anti-pollution laws passed after World War II. In the decades since, homeowners’ groups in liberal locales have cited such statutes in lawsuits meant to stop new affordable housing. Today, these laws “block the clean energy projects” required to tackle climate change. Nuclear energy is “inarguably safer” than the fossil fuel variety, but because Washington doesn’t always “properly weigh risk,” it almost never builds new reactors. Meanwhile, technologies that may cure disease or slash the carbon footprint of cement production benefit from government support, but too often the grant process “rewards caution and punishes outsider thinking.” The authors call this style of governing “everything-bagel liberalism,” so named because of its many government mandates. Instead, they envision “a politics of abundance” that would remake travel, work, and health. This won’t happen without “changing the processes that make building and inventing so hard.” It’s time, then, to scrutinize everything from municipal zoning regulations to the paperwork requirements for scientists getting federal funding. The authors’ debut as a duo is very smart and eminently useful.
Cogent, well-timed ideas for meeting today’s biggest challenges.Pub Date: March 18, 2025
ISBN: 9781668023488
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Avid Reader Press
Review Posted Online: Jan. 16, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
PERSPECTIVES
SEEN & HEARD
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.
A compendium of charts, time lines, lists and illustrations to accompany study of the Bible.
This visually appealing resource provides a wide array of illustrative and textually concise references, beginning with three sets of charts covering the Bible as a whole, the Old Testament and the New Testament. These charts cover such topics as biblical weights and measures, feasts and holidays and the 12 disciples. Most of the charts use a variety of illustrative techniques to convey lessons and provide visual interest. A worthwhile example is “How We Got the Bible,” which provides a time line of translation history, comparisons of canons among faiths and portraits of important figures in biblical translation, such as Jerome and John Wycliffe. The book then presents a section of maps, followed by diagrams to conceptualize such structures as Noah’s Ark and Solomon’s Temple. Finally, a section on Christianity, cults and other religions describes key aspects of history and doctrine for certain Christian sects and other faith traditions. Overall, the authors take a traditionalist, conservative approach. For instance, they list Moses as the author of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) without making mention of claims to the contrary. When comparing various Christian sects and world religions, the emphasis is on doctrine and orthodox theology. Some chapters, however, may not completely align with the needs of Catholic and Orthodox churches. But the authors’ leanings are muted enough and do not detract from the work’s usefulness. As a resource, it’s well organized, inviting and visually stimulating. Even the most seasoned reader will learn something while browsing.
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2005
ISBN: 978-1-5963-6022-8
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
