The kind of poetry that pretends edgy phrases and random flashbacks are somehow deep and meaningful. ( )

Geekgasm poetry for the inner scientist/super hero in you. ( )

Beautiful and telling, these are all wonderful poems. Now that I've read this book, I think Van Jordan may be cemented as my favorite contemporary author. There are intersections of science, physics, Einstein, Jazz, the Civil Rights movement, and comic book superheroes here, and every single poem is worth the read. The sequence around Einstein is especially fascination (even if you're not a science buff), but I do admit that some of the comic book hero inspired poems (there are maybe five or six all together) won't be all that accessable for readers who aren't at all familiar with the characters. Meanwhile, though, I have to recommend this book to all readers of contemporary poetry. Van Jordan has a way with language that just makes it sing, with each poem and statement becoming more powerful than the last. This is one of the few collections I have which will be repeatedly re-read in full. ( )