This poetry collection is incredible. The way Trethewey weaves together words, themes, and imagery as threads that build on each other throughout every poem is craft at its finest. For example, one poem (Myth) is told in two stanzas, the second a mirror of the first. The title poem Native Guard has multiple sections that bleed into each other, the first line of each echoing the last idea of the previous one.

Many of the poems are detailed descriptions of historical photographs, a fantastic, meaningful lens to present historical interpretations, with details many might pass over but Trethewey points out. This approach, of course, highlights how history can be (mis)interpreted depending on who the observer is. Many of the poems draw you in with lovely descriptions and then end with an emotional punch you didn't see coming but fits perfectly.

The overlay of history with the present, both in the poems focusing on Trethewey's family and the ones focusing on the black soldiers, is expertly utilized for maximum impact. The themes of memory, forgetting, and interpretation, of various intersections, are incredibly powerful. I highly recommend these poems, and I especially recommend the audio version as read by the author. ( )

Natasha Trethewey's Pulitzer Prize is really good. Are you surprised? I enjoyed the way she incorporates photography and explores a the struggle, heartbreak, and injustice of racial inequality in her life and the history of the United States, specifically a regiment of Union soldiers in the Civil War.

This work did not grip me as much as I believed it would. I would've thought for a work that won the Pulitzer that more would come forth, being impressed with their selections in the past. I feel that there was a disconnect for me in terms of its audience and that is why I could not appreciate it with the same gravity that others might. It was an interesting collection of poetry, but I felt it did not linger long after it was read.

3 stars. ( )

It's hard to know what to say about a great book of poetry. The verse is grounded in her experiences growing up in Mississippi and the memory of her mother. There is a deep sadness and longing in her poetry. She said she wrote it to come to terms with the deathj of her mother. ( )

This collection of poems is heartfelt and open, but have enough substance to analyze them in a classroom setting. Trethewey's diction is very forward. Her collection is divided up into four sections, regarding topics such as the death of her mother, the Native Guard and their forgotten history, life as a biracial child.
These poems are easy to read, and are a powerful collection. This is a must read! ( )