Least depressing nihilistic work I've read. Incredibly evocative, especially the pieces with clearer contemporary focus. Will definitely be reading more of Choi's work. Highly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

In a nutshell this collection is in turns heart-breaking, thought-provoking, and (in its own way) hopeful. While reading prose comes naturally to me, dissecting the intricate meanings and technical hallmarks of poetry can be a challenge for me. In regards to this collection, I can recognize the artistic talent needed to craft these poems, even if I cannot articulate or appreciate the skill. For me, this collection was most impactful in its perspective. The concept of the worlds of marginalized and oppressed peoples having been ending in cyclical continuation for all of human history is so thought-provoking. These historic endings have parallels to and are juxtaposed with usually Euro-centric ideas of what an apocalypse would and is, showing that many have gone through worse before and prevailed and also that our own internalized cultures often prevent us from seeing past our own worst case scenarios. I'm not sure I've even explained that thought fully, but I hope you get the picture.

I have not read Franny Choi before- and I am not a frequent reader of poetry. This collection was worth the departure from my usual genres, however. It is painful and potent but also somehow hopeful. Even while talking about tragedy personal and global, from war to climate change, the poems are lyrical and cutting, precise and powerful. I found them never easy to read, and not quick to devour, but they have left me contemplating each one in turn. I had to mete them out over time, and savor each one- which is perhaps an excellent way to enjoy poetry. Four solid stars.

This was an absolutely beautiful collection of poetry! Franny Choi writes powerfully about the dystopia of our past worlds and our modern world. Choi writes about difficult topics, from trauma to racism, interspersed with humorous poems for a break of lightness. Each poem is individually beautiful. The powerful, intentional writing packs a punch. All of these poems come from the soul of the author into the soul of the reader. My personal favorites were 'Science Fiction Poetry,' 'Haibun for How We Got Here,' Unlove Poem,' and 'Field Trip to the Museum of Human History.' An absolutely beautiful collection, and definitely one of my favorites of the year!

Standing ovation, 6 out of 5 stars, wholeheartedly recommend. Each and every poem left me breathless. I'm pre-ordering a copy for myself tonight!

This was my first time reading anything by Franny Choi and I enjoyed it for the most part. I didn't realize how many poems there would be about COVID... they hit pretty hard as the topic is still fresh and felt too soon to be reading about that in the book. But of course, that's my opinion and not the author's fault at all. Some of the poems were hard hitting and left me thinking about them for quite some time.

5 stars

As a longtime and avid fan of Franny Choi's, I was thrilled to learn that the world would be graced with a whole new collection soon, especially since several of these poems have been cropping up independently in some of the usual spots for the past few years. My expectations were high; they were exceeded.

The poems are exceptional individually, and the shaping of this collection highlights their distinct worth. Choi has never shied away from challenging topics and has frequently demonstrated a keen ability to weave past realities and traumas into present impacts, and that makes Choi an ideal writer of the moment. The title of this work alone reveals the overarching sentiment: that the state of our current experience has us (as one of my favorite pieces in here explores quite effectively) constantly dipping between catastrophe and the clarity that this state brings.

If you are tired but still fighting to stay awake in the present moment and find yourself wondering if we're as on the verge as it feels like we are - or if we're actually in even worse shape - it might be Franny Choi who puts your feelings into better words than you can. As an added bonus, Choi will even give you that hopeful uptick (the part where even though we keep ending, we somehow manage to...not) in ways you could never identify let alone articulate like this. This is an emotional rollercoaster with a focus on naming and marking our experiences but also on persisting.

This collection - like its creator - is a gift.

I look forward to returning to it often and to sharing it with my students.

he World Keeps Ending, and the World Goes On was an astounding collection of poems! I was so excited when I saw that Franny Choi was putting out a new collection of poems, and was worried that reading about the end of the world in the current world not be a pleasant experience. This collection blew all of my expectations out of the water and I found myself consistently pausing to absorb the power of Choi's words. Definitely one of my top collections of the year! I cannot wait to start recommending this to friends, family, and customers!

I was able to review The World Keeps Ending, and the World Goes On
by Franny Choi and ECCO publishing for providing me with an advanced ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have never read anything by Franny Choi before, but I am interested in reading Choi's other works. Poetry collections can be very hit or miss for me. Choi weaves together different generations and experiences. These are thoughtful words that give us a lot to think about.

This book takes the reader though an expansive experience of discovery. The reader knows that each word was selected on purpose and each thought complete. For this reason, the book makes you think and engage, considering from the perspective provided by the author what is possible. While the book can easily be digested in a sitting, I think this book is best read slowly and with care.

I'm not the best person to rate the quality of poetry but I did enjoy this collection of poems although I didn't vibe with all of them. Just like short story collections, it's hard to rate poetry collections because some of them were very poignant and pointed things out that I hadn't realized or known but others didn't have the same impact. All in all, a very interesting collection and I would like to read more by this author in the future.

BEAUTIFUL and Heart wrenching collection of poems.. I was blown away! I can't get these poems out of my head.. I keep thinking bout them.

Franny Chois mesmerizing poetry draws me in haunts and stays with me.It’s unique political human just a gorgeous collection by this talented poet.#netgalley #eccobooks

Each of these poems feels as if it were a burst of sound from deep in the throat--a kind of singing that is at once gorgeous and deeply felt, and I absolutely recognize that is a cliche thing to say about a collection of poetry, but I also mean it too: these poems are strong, solid pieces that mirror a point in time in our history, the now of our lives, and the specific life of the poet, that I cannot help but think how valuable and important this collection is, and I look forward to seeing which awards it will be nominated for and which it will win.

While I love my current gig teaching high school, I do, in some ways, miss teaching undergraduates poetry, because I easily would assign this book for them. It has so much going on that is important in today's poetics: not only is it addressing issues that I believe are compelling and important in literature, such as identity and climate change and concepts of geography and place and belonging, but the poems themselves are artfully crafted and individually unique. Each poem does something that the poem before didn't do; each poem has something to offer in terms of style and craft that Choi nails nearly each time. I could see the rich discussions that would come from the experience of reading, the choices Choi made, and the relationship the poet / the poet's voice has with the reader.

This is a stunning collection, unsurprisingly so. Franny Choi is one of my favorite poets writing today.

I was lucky enough to read an advance copy of the book thanks to Ecco and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Portions of this review appeared in my Instagram stories on 7/20/22,

I really enjoyed this collection. It was hard-hitting, resonant, and precise. Highly recommended if you enjoy poetry which challenges and encourages you to think.

Choi's words echo the thoughts of many souls throughout different points of history, which is especially important considering some of those voices have been more heard than others. It was the first poem of the book that drew me in-I think so many of us have this sense of impending doom that lingers despite the "advanced" world we live in. The pain we feel of the lost wisdom of our ancestors, whether they have passed or lived through their horrible circumstances, is tremendously embodied so clearly through the meter and structure of the poems. Rightly so, this book evokes the pain and frustration that generations feel toward a world craving progress but certainly lacking the empathy to accomplish it.

The unrelenting honesty in this book is really special and honestly, quite rare. I love when poets indict themselves in the ruining of the world and do so in a way that feels sincere (rather than showy)--I think Choi really triumphed in this respect. I especially enjoyed "It Is What It Is", "Waste", "Who Died and Made You American", "Poem in Place of a Poem", and "September 2001".

I appreciated Choi's inclusion of several "world-ending" events--9/11, the Korean War, 2020 protests against police brutality--it really spoke to the title and overall point that history repeats and the world continues to end. I loved the inclusion of the poet's own, individual heartbreak and loss as a world-ending event as well. Those poems were especially impactful. However, I do think the historical topics should have been organized more chronologically. I also felt many poems could have been shorter--this may be a personal preference, but the shorter, more succinct poems were the strongest.

With exacting skill, Franny Choi finds infinite ways to vary on the theme of apocalypse. Any other poet, particularly those just starting to write, should study this work as an achievement in poetry and writing at-large. It's a testament to Franny's writing prowess that a work centered on doomsday, in its various manifestations, is not doom and gloom. That's not to say it is a glowing, veneer-laden take on its subject matter. A modernized Sturm und Drang would be the most appropriate characterization. "A Mountain Landscape with an Approaching Storm" by Claude Vernet is the art piece that best represents this sprawling examination of human minds, societies, identities, and relationships all captured as the clock is running out. The tension of this work is Goldilocks quality, marvelous and effective, not too much, not too little. Without interspersed moments of the beauty inherent in human nature, this work would be quite claustrophobic. Her subtle sense of humor illuminates this work. I still think of the opening to "Disaster Means 'Without a Star'" which begins, "Sixty-six million years after the end of the world, I click purchase." This work will stick with me for years to come, and it will resonate with all who feel overwhelmed by the current state of the world. While most may look for work that completely transports the mind to far away lands, this collection proves to be a more therapeutic experience, charting a map toward beauty in times of turmoil.

Sharp, soft, and intimate The World Keeps Ending, and the World Goes On perfectly describes our post-COVID world as life-altering headlines flood our nervous systems daily. Franny Choi explores hope and hopelessness covering everything from prisons to classrooms and all the interlocking intersections inherent. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher.

Thank you to Ecco and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader's Copy.

Available Nov 1st.

I had the incredible honor of hearing Franny Choi read a few of these poems last week as part of the Juniper Writing Insititute at UMass Amherst. The World Keeps Ending, and the World Goes On is poetry for our dystopian present, a little sexy, a lot sad, and a moderate amount of hope in community and each other. Choi has this incredible ability to capture exactly what lies at the heart of some very complex issues, such as the poem in ode to Grace, a Black girl imprisoned for not finishing her homework. She treats every subject with such care and dignity. It was an honor to hear her read and an honor to exist at the same time as such incredible writing.