All four selections are way too experimental for me.  Also too much reliant on an altered state of mind, I think.  Most read like stream of consciousness, as if he was giving us a play-by-play of his thoughts as he got through his days.  Free verse, concrete poetry, poetical prose - whatever.  Also I think a lot of it is dependent on knowing the context, the headlines & issues of the day, and though I know that much writing does this, the best transcends to the universal and this seems insufficient.  All that being said, the courage Patchen and his publishers had to put this avant garde work out there is impressive, I did catch glimpses of beautiful brilliances, and I suspect that a reader more ready for these works would enjoy the book better.  I think I recommend it for fans of Eliot and Ginsberg. ( )