Might need to revisit, but as perhaps my most anticipated poetry collection of the year, this was a letdown. Too self-consciously academic and conceptual by half. Probably a YMMV situation and I'd like to test my response again sometime, but my first go with this was a mixed bag, generating qualified admiration and little more.

Oh gosh, I love me a book of poems and I'm so thankful to Erin Marie Lynch, Netgalley, and the publisher for granting me access to this enlightening, yet inquisitorial collection of prose that had me pining for me. This baby hit shelves on October 3, 2023, and I'm excited to see what else is to come for this author.

This was an absolutely stunning collection! I really enjoyed the poems in which she discusses the history negative treatment towards Native people and I think that the way that the personal poems about having an eating disorder are weaved throughout made this collection particularly powerful! Will definitely be recommending this to customers, one of my top collections of the year.

linguistic and formal excellence. lynch's storytelling is incredibly powerful and brings up so much emotion both on the page and in the reader.

Drawn from the 1863 Federal Act that displaced the Dakota people, Removal Acts is a form-breaking force of nature. Lynch speaks on cultural identity, kinship, and mental health. The poetry is vibrant and captures attention. A must read for poetry fans who like to break free from the norm.

My favorite poems are: "Removal Act" (the picture frame one), "From the Archive of American Object Lessons", and "Epigenesis".

I liked the variety of styles in these poems. I appreciated the reflection on ancestry and the past abuses against Native people.
Cw for violence, eating disorder behaviors