FOX WOMAN GET OUT!, by India Lena Gonzalez

This was the second poetry book in a row, for me, which is rare. But both were quite brief, this one coming in under 100 pages.

This collection of poetry grabs me. It moves me from life to death, and back again (yes, I copied that from the blurb on the book page, but it really does). There is much emotion in this collection of poems. There is also an indigenous feel to it, which I like. There is a lot of exploring of ancestry and myth. I also believe it to be somewhat mystical in nature.

The author is, apparently, a twin, and there is much examination of this in the text of the poems, as well, as she frequently addresses her twin. 

There are several that I really liked, but I think my two favorites were “Looking in the Mirror while Trying on Leotards,” and “I’m A Black Black Black Black Black Black Tan Woman” (I think I got enough “blacks” in there). In the latter of those, this line occurs: “I can’t talk about my black because it ain’t their black so I just ain’t black.” 

In “una parda, which is me” (p. 17) she writes,
“i am naked & without clothing
i am the roasted house slave
i am the white man’s leftovers
i am the white woman’s hate
i am the high highfalutin rape
smudge it & start again”

There’s humor in here, as well. In “FIERCER STILL, FIERCER YET,” she writes, “in the yearbook i was named ‘most likely to kill someone with my eyes,'” and then a little bit later, “WATCH ME WRITE IN ALL CAPS SUCKA.” There is even an entire poem that is written in all caps, and enlarge don the page. Ironically, the title of that poem is “desert room #2 (santo domingo pueblo),” in all lower case letters.

The presentation of the book is diverse and engaging. There are some poems that are all left-justified on the page, and quite a few where the lines are kind of all over the place. Sometimes, the poet uses capitalization and punctuation, and other times not. I think it depends on the intent (and intensity) of the poem.

I found this to be a very engaging collection and really enjoyed Ms. Gonzalez’s work. I also enjoyed how she put an emphasis on dance in some of them, as she is a professionally trained dancer. 

I will end this with what I believe to be my favorite line in the whole book.

“i . am . not . tethered . to . this . wor(l)d .
                                                                            I HAVE TO SAY THAT

CLEARLY                          AT LEAST ONCE

                                                                           i . am . not . tethered .”

TTFN, y’all!

Never Whistle At Night, edited by Shane Hawk and Theodore C. Van Alst, Jr.

Book number 56 for 2024; 5/5 stars.

This is a fantastic collection of short stories. I love a good short story book, and it has been a while since I have read one. This one is unique (at least in my experience) because it is a collection written by indigenous authors, and each story has something to do with indigenous people. 

I would definitely put this collection in the horror genre, although not every story in it would fall into that category. Each of them is dark in some way, though. I counted 26 stories (my count could possibly be wrong), and I really liked most of them. There were one or two that I either didn’t quite get, or simply didn’t like. This, of course, is something that makes review/rating short story collections challenging, but I will always go with a rating that reflect the overall opinion of the book. And in this case, the majority wins.

Some of the ones that really caught my attention:

White Hills, by Rebecca Roanhorse – a chilling tale about the cost of affluence, especially when one marries into it. Also deals with extreme racism. 

Quantum, by Nick Medina – blood purity determines how children are treated

Hunger, by Phoenix Boudreau (one of my favorites) – a fantastic tale about a “wehtigo,” a spirit creature that inhabits bodies and feeds off of others. It is defeated by a couple of unlikely suspects. Calls frat boys “Empty young men.” I laughed hard at that.

Tick Talk, by Cherie Dimaline (I’ve put a couple more of hers on my TBR, now) – a rather gross story (but I still liked it) about a monstrous tick

Snakes Are Born in the Dark, by D.H. Trujillo – Another great one. A hike involving three people (a girl, her fiance, and a friend) goes badly; magic may have been involved. It reminded me a little of The Ruins (the book, not the movie).

Scariest. Story. Ever., by Richard Van Camp – this one was a little different. It had the potential of being scary, then it wasn’t at all, and was, in fact, rather heartwarming.

Human Eaters, by Royce K. Young Wolf – a great story that centered around lore

Sundays, by David Heska Wanbli Weiden – I kept having the feeling that I had read this one before, but I’m not sure. This one involved priestly pedophilia and the possibility of revenge many years later. 

The Scientist’s Horror Story, by Darcie Little Badger – another great story about three scientists who are trying to out-story one another. Two great “ghost” stories in one.

Collections, by Amber Blaeser-Wardzala – Human heads on the wall like hunting trophies! A young lady trying to get ahead in school encounters a professor with an eccentric taste in decorations. Somewhat open-ended at the end.

I won’t bother to mention which ones I thought were weak, and I didn’t include every story that I liked. Hard to pick a favorite, but it was probably between “Hunger,” “Snakes Are Born in the Dark,” “Scariest. Story. Ever.,” and “Collections.” 

I highly recommend this collection of short stories!

TTFN, y’all!