This collection was sort of hit or miss. While I could appreciate a handful of lines in the collection, the majority of the poems lacked in its ability to evoke any sort of feeling -which is what we all hope to experience when reading poetry. Although this collection didn't work for me, I don't doubt that this could certainly work for other audiences besides myself.

I love Franny Choi's vision and brilliance. I have always enjoyed her work. This book follows in the tradition and voice she has established--a quirky, deeply political vision of the world that asks the reader to be deeply invested. Great poems.

Thank you to the publisher Ecco and NetGalley for this advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

I have never read anything by Franny Choi before, but I am interested in reading Choi's other works. I rated this book a 3 as the poems were very hit and miss. I feel like the theme may have been too broad.

I personally had trouble with the COVID poems as it still feels too soon, but I don't fault Choi for that. What I did have an issue with was that some of the poems are based on real wars and tragedies and others were fictional. I kept having to try to guess and then Google to see what events were being mentioned. There is a section at the end of notes, but I feel especially in ebook form footnotes would have helped. That being said, I enjoyed the raw feeling of the poems and particularly enjoyed the poems "Look," "Things that Already Go Past Boarders," and "Aaron says the world is upside down."

Overall, a solid poetry collection.

Poetry collections can be very hit or miss for me. They are also very hard to rate, because some poems are a clear 5/5 and some rate lower.

Overall I really enjoyed this collection! It was eerie but beautiful. I look forward to reading whatever Franny Choi writes in the future!

Unsettling and gorgeous. Choi writes about the current, past and future ends of the world, they way the word has ended for marginalized people over and over again. With allusions to wildfires, the bombing of Hiroshima, the COVID-19 pandemic, her own mourning, and other individual world collapses, Choi shows us the edge of existence and the life that springs up, somehow, around it.

I often read poetry quickly, the whole book in an hour, but this one made me want to sit with it for a long time- read the poems more than once, hear them out loud, and start again at the beginning when I was finished. I haven’t felt this way about a book of poetry since I first picked up Kaveh Akbar’s “Calling a Wolf a Wolf.” Every word is sharply chosen, but used with tenderness. As Choi plays with tense, it makes sense that this book feel both of its time and timeless. This is now among my favorite books of poetry.

Wow, this was so good. I have always loved all things dystopian and this poetry collection highlights apocolyptic vibes from the past, present, and future. Life has often felt dystopic for marginalized groups of people and she tackles this hefty topic with a poignancy you don't encounter often. I loved how she tied in all the past instances of inhumanity into today's climate in face of a pandemic. While this collection focuses on a lot of "big picture" issues she also shows her own struggle to find where individuals fit in to everything. Beautiful work, I can't wait to go back and read more of her poetry! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

A poignant look at modern society through a poetical voice that gives meaning to the chaos we are numb to enduring on a day to day basis.

This was exactly as interesting as I'd hoped it would be. Choi has such a distinctive voice, and it really shines in this collection. This collection is moving, sometimes hard to get through because of how relatable it is, and incredibly beautiful.

Whew. This is an amazing collection, blending Choi's sci-fi/spec fic/scientific bent (which is on amazing display in her earlier 'Soft Science') with somewhat more realist/accessibly political work. It was more accessible than 'Soft Science,' at least for me, and it was utterly heartbreaking and lyrically gorgeous.

In the wake of distressing news cycles about the Ukraine, COVID, George Floyd, and the Uvalde massacre, one cant quite help but feel overwhelmingly helpless. Time and time again, we find ourselves asking 'how could it get any worse?' The title of this book captured my curiosity, but its content captured my heart. I was left with goosebumps. Every chapter is worth annotating. Within these pages, you will find a heartfelt, scathing rebuttal to the "thoughts and prayers" brigade. This book highlights how we were never meant to become so desensitized to this kind of trauma. This collection of poetry validates the devestation and rage we all feel, in a way that none of us hope or wish to be.

This is honest and painful and hard to read. The writer lays out truths for the reader to experience in a new way. Some of these poems I connect with more than others but overall this was a lovely collection.

Franny Choi’s poetry in her book Soft Science is one of my most favorite poetry collections of recent years. I was afraid that her new publication would disappoint me, and it certainly didn’t! Her words so vividly describe the tortured inner world inside of each of us, as well as our connections to our mothers. There are also many references throughout this book with its brilliant title that pays homage to the confusing trauma that humanity is left to exist with in the aftermath of collective loss. (I.e. Covid, climate change) She beautifully weaves a picture of the pain that transfers between ancestors and their living counterparts (nuclear bombing Hiroshima) Overall, this poetry collection was a moving, grief- stricken reality check, as it reveals this deep unnerving question; Is our current world and humanity worth saving?

A beautiful collection of poems on the end of the world- the small collapses, the ground shaking disasters, the personal endings. I love the through-line of a museum in the future detailing how our present is in all its barbarities. Choi is an incredible poet, one of my favorites.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a beautiful collection of poetry.

Choi weaves together different generations and experiences. She jumps to the past and future and explores what it means to exist now. These are thoughtful words that give us a lot to think about.

Reading this collection left me with that lump in my throat that won't go away. It's visceral and quick and painful, and genuinely I adored every poem. Covering themes of war, protest, identity, and race, this collection is as sharp as it is tender, and it's one that I feel like I could read a hundred times and still find something new.