Magic City

Perhaps more than any of Komunyakaa's other collections of poetry, Magic City is grounded in his experiences coming of age in a Louisiana town that was at one time a center of Klan activity, and at a later date, a center of Civil Rights activity. Centering on questions of adolescence and race, the book resounds with the rhythms of blues, basketball, and southern living. Many of the poems here will stop readers in their tracks--they are just that powerful and ring with that much truth--and others feel almost documentary in nature. All together, it's a smart and worthwhile collection, and one to be discussed.

Overall, recommended.

Magic City is kalidescopic. By that I mean it's a prism, that plays with images of childhood, and also is true to the fragmented nature of a personal history written in the constant presence of racism and therefore trauma.

Excellent collection; creates a larger story more than most I've read.