Susan Hahn

This book was so compelling I was able to identify with both the author as his younger brother, Doodle. It was saddening to read about that the older brother's feelings of hatred and resentment towards Doodle due to his developmental delays. Since the brother was only a child himself, he struggled with how other would perceptions of Doodle, and ultimately his own led to Doodle's death. Although it is sad story, I think it teaches the reader to be more accepting of people who are different from the majority. Also, it reminds me of our tendencies as parents, teachers, and coaches to want so much for our children that wecause them to be physically drained and emotionally unhappy. This book would be of great benefit to all who read it.… (more)

I am a fan of "Self/Pity", so I was excited to read "The Scarlet Ibis".

I must admit it isn't as strong as "Self/Pity", but I still liked the first two parts: "Bird" and "Lady", although I didn't really enjoy "Bird and Lady" (more on that later).

I liked the mirroring poems of the magician tricks using (abusing?) the bird and the woman. I thought that it was a fresh idea and in a unique style. The interweaving of all of it was interesting (Ibis, bird, Thoth, woman, wound, feather, guide, death), but in the end, it felt like Hahn was trying too hard or not expressing her thoughts clear enough. I appreciate what she was trying to do, but the execution was muddled and hard to interpret.

Her imagery and wit were just as sharp and tight as "Self/Pity", but I think the problem was the topic and the ending.

Some of my favourite lines are:

"Most safe for a fake//bird, less so for one with song/made to acclimate/to this life. Never/for the quiet Ibis/who stands its nature/in waters infested with/piranha fish." - bird trick ii: part V

"I found instead the sacrifice//of sheep intestines (or was it silk/thread or, perhaps, the lesser nylon?)/attempting to hold the marked/land together." - lady trick iii VI

"BIRD:/I get it! This Is The Trick!/To merge us into one and say/we're not just similar,/but the same." - Prologue III… (more)