Reviews for America, a prophecy

The average rating for America, a prophecy based on 2 reviews is 5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2008-03-01 00:00:00 Edward Mantyla Yes, after decades of having this bk laying around unread, I finally finished it yesterday. As soon as I started reading it again I cd barely wait to finish it so that I cd write: THIS BK IS THE POETRY COMPILATION EQUIVALENT OF THE HISTORY BK ENTITLED "A PEOPLE'S HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES" (by Howard Zinn). For that matter, it's quite possible that the earlier comps edited by Jerome Rothenberg entitled "Technicians of the Sacred" & "Shaking the Pumpkin" also qualify. I tend to mainly collect poetry collections that I think embody remarkable scholarliness & this one takes the cake & runs w/ it thru the wildflowers (or something). The apparent diversity of the comp really just highlights the unifying visonary nature of the poetry presented. The title is taken from a William Blake poem & the editors do a very, very impressive job of choosing material that takes Blake to the inner & outer limits (& absence thereof). There's even a Pittsburgh poet that I've never heard of called Haniel Long. & there's a Clayton Eshleman "Ode to Reich" (as in Wilhelm Reich) that references André´Breton's "Ode to Fourier" wch I've mentioned elsewhere. The bk has an introduction followed by a section called "RE BEGINNINGS"; followed by another called "MAP ONE: ORIGINS"; then "A BOOK OF RITES & NAMINGS" wch is subdivided into "Definitions & Namings", "Rites & Events", & "Sound Poems & Incantations"; then: "MAP TWO: LOSSES"; "A BOOK OF HISTORIES"; "MAP THREE: VISIONS" subdivided into "Magic & Vision" & "Sacred Plants"; "A BOOK OF MUSIC"; "MAP FOUR: RENEWALS" subdivided into "Image-Making" & "Symposium of the Whole"; ending w/ "A BOOK OF CHANGES". Interspersed are scholarly editorial notes putting things in historical context, giving critical commentary that helps tie the poems together into the theme of the section they're in, etc.. The overall FEEL of this bk is of humans trying to work it all out & to transcend, TRANSCEND thru a variety of inspired means.

Review # 2 was written on 2010-11-10 00:00:00 Pam Kamholz I'd meant to get a copy of this poem book by a different illustrator. But I'm happy with this edition. I love its story. The illustrator grew up in America and moved to Israel after college. An Israeli friend finally convinced him to take a road trip through America to see the sights. The paintings in this book came from that trip they took together. I've always liked this song, better than our national anthem. The four verses of this poem are shown with their music on the inside covers but only the first verse appears, with illustrations, in the book. My biggest gripe is that Niagara Falls is shown on the Canadian side, the far more beautiful side, yes, but this is supposed to be a book about America, not Canada. All the paintings are shown again the last three pages of the book, in large thumbnail view, with their location and a bit about their location. Those locations are: Monument Valley, Niagara Falls, The Great Smoky Mountains, The Great Plains, The Grand Tetons, Napa Valley, The Grand Canyon, The Coastal Redwoods, Mesa Verde, Rainbow Bridge, Mount Rushmore, Oregon Coast, Statue of Liberty, and Pikes Peak, the location that inspired the poet to write this poem in the first place. I did enjoy the illustrations. I like what is done with color and brushstrokes, and I like the colors used. They're a good complement to the poem/song.