Why did I think I'd enjoy this? One or two poems that made me laugh, for the rest I just cringed through the psyche of a privileged white man. ( )

Generally with poetry books I tend to skip around, linger between poems... This particular book - I devoured greedily within a few hours, one poem after the next. ( )

It's hard to reach a conclusion about this volume other than uneven. The many poems criticizing modern life seem a little facile, though doubtless entertaining. There are also some really excellent poems in here, deeply felt and moving. ( )

I did not love this collection as much as the last two. Maybe in part it's just getting used to his style? Not sure. Different themes seem to recur in each book and the ones this time -- international politics, consumerism, cancer -- didn't strike as much of a chord with me as some of the earlier topics.

Some pieces may not age well, with references to Bill Gates, Britney Spears, the DC-area snipers, etc. But it is nice to see references to current events in the meantime.

There are a handful of erotic pieces in this collection. Straightforward ones.

Dialectical Materialism was one of the strongest pieces until a disorienting 'plot twist' at the end. I missed how that fit in. Also particularly liked I Have News for You, Big Grab, and Plastic.

Random bits:

"the flounce of a pedigreed blonde"

"The middle aged man
who cannot make love to his wife
with the erectile authority of yesteryear"

Visiting his dying father:
"For that occasion, I had carefully prepared
a suitcase full of small talk" ( )

Unincorporated Persons in the Late Honda Dynasty by Tony Hoagland is his first collection of poems in 10 years, according to the Graywolf representative at the expo. The collection features poems that call into question the realities of the modern world from our dating rituals to our trips to the mall food court.

In “Big Grab,” Hoagland suggests language is taking on meanings that are less than they are. “The Big Grab,/so the concept of Big is quietly modified/to mean More Or Less Large, or Only Slightly/Less Big than Before.// Confucius said this would happen –/that language would be hijacked and twisted/” (page 5). This collection not only tackles the language changes our society faces and what those changes mean, but it also looks carefully at the world of celebrity in “Poor Britney Spears.”

Read the review: http://savvyverseandwit.com/2010/07/unincorporated-persons-in-the-late-honda-dyn... ( )