A Cruelty Special to our Species
Emily Jungmin Yoon
45/100
I feel slightly disappointed how well the back of the book paints the author so clearly, I worry it will hurt my ability to parse the book properly.
I will admit though, that her opening at the book (written by herself, and where she shows her sources) feels very honest and real, and even reading the Poem names makes me feel very optimistic about the book.
I feel like this book has a clear target audience (young women) and that isn’t me. I can see this being a good gift to a daughter however, even with out reading very much of the book, because the trappings of the book are very inspiring. From the cover art to the back photograph of Emily Jungmin Yoon, I could imagine someone wishing this to be there’s, and to show to guests at a dinner party.
“Oh yes, I have a poem about that” she would say, and stumble to the book shelf to read it to the unprepared stranger.
For these reasons alone I would recommend it as a gift to a young girl, to hopefully inspire dreams of what her works would be. This is probably me projecting. I remember being young and buying a times magazine, and not caring about the contents, but of its layout and design. Feeling how great it would be to have my own magazine to make like this. In reading just to the contents, feeling the book in my hand, seeing the front and the back of the book, I am reminded of this feeling. Its a feeling of great care of every part of its design, even if I don’t fully like the back of the book its markings feel their.
Reading through “an Ordinary Misfortune” section of the book, and then to testimony, I feel a little lackluster in the writing. I imagine you are meant to really feel the narrative of the characters described, and for it to resonate with the reader. It did not for me.
The book continues in that fashion. Its not as though it was bad, if it was bad I’d have something to write. Its not good either though. It felt average.
Again though, the trappings! It feels so nice to look at and to dream it was yours. The poetry of wartime abuse on women wasn’t enough, it needed something more.
An Ordinary Misfortune [Below average but not bad book..]
