| Title | : | Appalachians Run Amok |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0998631450 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780998631455 |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 106 |
| Publication | : | First published January 15, 2018 |
| Awards | : | Maine Literary Award Poetry (2019) |
"When you're lucky enough to get your hands on a book of poems this alive, everything you say about it feels like an understatement. Yes, Appalachians Run Amok is utterly original, wild yet tight, feisty, vibrant, combustible. Yes, it's bursting with keen-eyed tenderness and unshushable attitude. Yes, the poems' startling emotional intelligence blends with myriad other intelligences (e.g. maternal, earthy, topical, humane, etc.) to create this voice, "all hot and giddy." A proud daughter of Appalachia, Blevins gifts us with vivid glimpses of where she came of age. Reading her beautiful, linguistically limber, cascading descriptions is like shooting the rapids with an expert river rider at the helm." --Amy Gerstler
Appalachians Run Amok Reviews
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Rowdy and rambunctious, the poems in Adrian Blevins' newest collection, Appalachians Run Amok, reflect on the coming of age experience in 1970's Appalachia. Far from being mere narrative works, however, each poem sings in a strong and sure voice, that redefines, in many ways, lyrical poetry. A great read!
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I read this for the Reading Women 2019 challenge, which has a "book about or set in Appalachia" on its list. I wanted to read a book of poetry as part of the challenge, because I don't read a lot of poetry and contemporary poetry is especially hard for me. I also wanted a book that didn't relish in poverty and squalor and turn it into a spectacle, but offered a more complex portrait. Blevins' collection provided that nuanced picture. The poems have a narrative quality, which was good for me, and the images were powerful and boldly crafted. There's nothing precious here, but the grit was poignant and emotional. Overall, a challenging but rewarding read that I wouldn't have read without the challenge to do so.
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This book is truly terrific. Blevins's style is fast-paced, whip-smart, hilarious and heart-wrenching. She grabs your hand and says, let's go, and you hang on tight and you go, you go.
