Synthetic Jungle is a unique set of poems written by Michael Change. While I admire the authors creativity, it just wasn't for me. Much of the content seemed a bit graphic without intention/purpose.
Thank you to Northwestern University Press and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review of content.

omg ok i kinda loooved this collection of poetry - it is super wacky and unique and crude and honest. very young hip 'of the times' kinda writing & references in 90% of it so if that isn't ur thing, u will prob not enjoy it so much. but i thought it was very refreshing n fun - some lines made me cackle and others felt like a punch to the gut (while still making me cackle, probably). they are quick and weird and visceral and exactly what i wanted to read today.

'i just wanna be slightly beautiful & lightly educated' - preach !!

thx net galley for the digital arc !!

I always enjoy a uniquely spunky and unhinged set of poems, and I received that from Michael Chung's Synthetic Jungle -- which is set to hit shelves on March 15, 2023. A huge 'Thank You' goes out to Northwestern University Press for granting me Advanced Access to this. I'm a sucker for appealing cover art, but when a book's inner content matches the hype, I'm a happy reader.

Michael Chang is serving ultimate realness regarding race, immigration, and LGBTQ acceptance amongst those in their midst. Each formatted piece brings a new perspective, both physically and metaphorically, to keep the reader engaged, entertained, and interested.

It takes a lot to make me blush...and this did it. That threw me off from the start, I admit.

I think that this collection says some super smart things about culture, politics, and poetry itself, but a lot of it didn't connect for me.

Synthetic Jungle is a poetry collection that plays around with space, words, and humour, questioning what poetic language really is and what people want in a poem whilst also looking at identity, self, and shared reference points. I enjoyed the witty, catchy lines (one of my favourite things in poetry) - "app says our order's in the river / you'll be the one getting wet" being one example of some that stood out to me on first reading - and the range of pop culture references, but also the metacommentary on what poetry is and who can and should read poetry. Fresh, compulsively readable, and very funny: Synthetic Jungle is great if you like poetry that doesn't take poetry too seriously, but still says some interesting things.

A little bit of an up-and-down collection but strong overall. Frank, jarring at times and funny at others, a collection that feels like a reflection of the world I live in. Michael Chang's voice rings through every piece here and that's a good thing.