Thank you to Netgalley for providing this e-arc

Idk if it was intentional but i only got to read a third of the actual poems so i cant judge it as a whole therefore will not rate it

Beautiful raw revealing, The poet has a magical way with words.Highly recommend this immersive book of poetry .# netgalley #uofnebraska

Advanced review copy provided by the publisher via Netgalley in return for an honest review.

Wow. I do not often read poetry, but the synopsis of this collection was intriguing and I was completely blown away by the mastery of Jihyun Yun.

Some are always hungry is a collection of poetry that presents themes of womanhood, immigration, family life and the struggle for survival through the lens of food and dinner time. This is unlike anything I have ever read before, and I was blown away by the heartbreaking exploration of trauma and family in the midst of war. I am not well versed in the world of poetry, but I loved this collection and would highly recommend it to anyone interested in the themes it explores!

Name: Some Are Always Hungry
Writer: Jihyun Yun
Genre: Poetry, War, Violence
Review:
Of wisdom, splendid columns of light
waking sweet foreheads,
I know nothing
but what I’ve glimpsed in my most hopeful of daydreams
of a world without end,
amen
—Li-Young Lee
A collection of heartbreaking poetries that speak about war, immigration and their struggle for survival. The poetess has this silent rage and numbness mixed with her poetries which which explores her life as a girl in immigration to a foreign land. Each poetry talks about different aspects of her life as well as her family's. She explores the struggle of being a immigrant and expresses her connection to her motherland. Through cooking recipes to mythmaking, she dwells into her personal as well as natural history, which gives us a deeper insight to her past.

Absolutely beautiful words, powerful and raw. This poetry that speaks to emotion and experience. Lovely and literary — I recommend Some Are Always Hungry.

“If our feast ever happens, if time has not misplaced us, may these girls rise violet from the pot, untangle their legs from perilla and leek and make for the sea with their limbs in their teeth.” Did you ever think about how people ‘abuse’ food like most wouldn’t dare with other people?

Food and humanity, Korean history and survival. Hunger is a raw feeling, it can make the starving treat other people no different from food. They take what they need, ignore what they can’t use, forgetting who they are in the process. War and hardship can bring out the survival mode in anyone. Don’t think you can resist the temptation if it happens to you, few can.

There is always hope though: “Even newly out of war, we are afflicted with spring. A flower grows through the hinge of a bone, all stem and snapdragon.”

Many of the poems are set in Korea. Some Are Always Hungry gives insight into Korean history and food. It also brings up issues that are relevant in other parts of the world: “The skin curls beneath the paring knife’s persuasion, as I think of colonization via inheritance of memory. These words I’ve no reason to know but do.” There could also be a positive reason for that though: travel, as I know the Korean word for carrot as well…

The poems in Some Are Always Hungry have a good flow and read like stories. I’m impressed by how well the layers blend without it feeling forced. Within this poetry collection, you’ll find many beautiful poems that both read like a description of historical events – scenes from someone’s life – and recipes. They show human nature, though mostly the worst of it. Even in these short poems, Jihyun Yun can make the unnamed characters come to life. You feel for them, but you also sympathize with the food. As if the leek I chopped for dinner suddenly grew eyes and brains. Recommended. This collection of poems is a gem (and has such a beautiful cover!).

I struggled a lot with this one. I am always eager for stories from immigrants, it's such a unique perspective and truly singular experience - no two are the same. I crave to read about more stories like that of my father and mother, to see how they translate to other cultures and other mother tongues.

I failed to connect with this one, I didn't feel like there was a clear reasoning for the order of the poems, there was no natural progression of the 'story' for me.

Love the concept of this collection of poems. Showing the immigrant experience via food. These poems are raw and emotionally honest. I'm grateful I got to read this fascinating book.

I feel slightly raw after finishing this poetry collection, and I mean that in the best way. It's so graphic, honest, and vulnerable. Each poem packs a real punch, and it was it was discomfiting in a way that I think was very intentional and well executed. This collection thematically deals with hunger (clearly), poverty, survival, sex; this is to name only a few. Leaving off one star because I did feel that some of the poems seemed almost disjointed and slightly impacted the reading experience for me.

I felt like each piece I read herein linked to the next and so forth until I came to the end of the book.
The author explores survival, war and in a most refreshing way links it to the sea and to food, and that in itself got me because food carries memories and it seemed as though every word written here brought me back to those places, those feelings at that time.
Thanks Netgalley for the eARC.

It is all very glamorous the way only memorials / for tragedy can be

Here the tragedy is raw and harrowing. Hunger haunts Jihyun Yun's poems, where recipes and stories intermix. She blurs the boundaries between food and female bodies, presenting both as frequently dismembered and displaced. It's a very visceral collection of poems, unabashedly tethered to the body. Particular favourites included "Menstruation Triptych," "Benediction as Disdained Cuisine," and "The Leaving Scene."

Readers who enjoyed this book may be interested in Ocean Vuong's On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous, Kim Thúy's Ru, and Aracelis Girmay's The Black Maria.

I have mixed feeling about this collection of poetry. To begin I was pulled in by the lyrical style and connecting themes and I enjoyed the viewpoint.
Yet, the second half of this collection, or perhaps closer to the final third, didn't hold my attention as much.
Overall it was a good read, and I would probably pick up more work by this author in future.

A unique collection of poetry that bring together the experience of immigrants through food or lack there of. This is an emotional collection about survival, love and what it means to truly belong.

"Commit yourself to this un-harvest. To the joy of unmaking."

I am completely blown away by this poetry collection, to be honest. I really did not expect to be so impressed because usually I am quite critical when it comes to poetry, but this one... The way immigration, diaspora, womanhood , family bonds and survival are presented is just so... heartwrenching, but at the same time inspiring. The food metaphors are incredible and the way the traditional recipes are woven into the narrative is just so original and well done.

"Now, men with bayonets. Tomorrow, dogs. In no version are they not hunting us."

I don't even know what to say, I loved it and I highly recommend it.

A beautiful, haunting collection by Jihyun Yun. The use of food and recipes to discuss colonization, trauma, and war made me sit back and ruminate over many of these poems.

I hadn’t read any of Jihyun Yun’s work before this collection and I can’t believe I’ve been missing out on this brilliance. “Some Are Always Hungry” is a visceral, empowered, genius examination of womanhood, the body, and how bodies + lives are viewed and valued by society. I don’t think I can pick a favorite, but I will say that the first poem, “All Female,” was astounding as an introduction to Yun’s work. There, Yun examines the reality that we always destroy the female body, whether it’s a chicken or a crab or the way female humans are oppressed and fetishized. I had never thought of our traditions that way, but it’s true. And this poem and its insights and profundity are the tip of the iceberg in this collection.

I will loudly proclaim my admiration and awe of “Some Are Always Hungry” and the remarkable, revolutionary work of Jihyun Yun. Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for this advance copy. This review is entirely unbiased and effusively positive.

I don’t read a huge amount of poetry but this was really stunning. The writing style really blew me away, a lyrical feel that wove its way throughout every poem, linking them together. I enjoyed the themes of identity, womanhood, and of course food.
It was a quick read, but it held great depth and a rawness that makes me want to reread them again. I know that with each reading I will find new meaning and understanding of these poems and I look forward to revisiting them again in the future.

This poetry collection was absolutely stunning. Every poem was brutal and painful and gorgeous. I love anything that considers the layers of mother-daughter relationships and this one dug so deep, especially when considering race and history in relation to Korean identity. It’s a quick read but it packs a firm punch.

[ thanks to NetGalley for providing me this ARC ]
I'm in love with this story of immigration told through family memories and traditional recipes that scream at the clear lack of it. Short but raw and ruthless.

Some Are Always Hungry by Jihyun Yun is a lovely work that weaves together from a single thread a whole that is both relevant and timeless. The immigrant experience is detailed through the story of food, or lack thereof, as a means to bond and unite and, ultimately, to sustain. These are powerful words of survival, sharply observed, and strung together in a beautiful and deeply affecting way.

Many thanks to NetGalley and University of Nebraska Press for the opportunity to read this ARC.