Hongo's poetry is highly descriptive and some of his descriptions are outright swoon-worthy in their beauty and sensual accuracy. This trail of stunning language may keep a person reading but they are not the meat of this book. Within the sparkle there are shadows, especially American shadows of xenophobia that have created unnecessary struggles for anyone not of European ancestry. We see the bright and dark shifting clouds of Hongo's ancestors in passing as they go from living a difficult life in a beautiful place, getting a foothold on progress and then having it ripped out from under them. Through all of this Hongo is weaving his own journey of affiliation with beauty and a life of learning and teaching, a life which his laboring ancestors wanted for their children, thought of as an elevated vocation. Hongo takes us to meet the people who influenced him and in the second half of the book takes on an adventure in the sources of art and inspiration as it has been conceptualized through the ages.

I have read some books labeled poetry recently that don't navigate well between storytelling and poetry or essay and poetry, flopping over what I consider the line into flash fiction or creative nonfiction or even exposition. So it's noticeable to me how deftly Hongo manages modes within his poetry. He's like a cloud himself, touching the earth here and there as he glides along and caressing the ocean of history and thought.

Much as I enjoyed this book as a reader of poetry, I'm also looking it to recommend to people who may not read poetry regularly. So getting down to brass tacks, who is this book for broadly? People who like to learn about a poet's influences, people who love lushly descriptive language, people who have struggled through marginalized status, the children of immigrants (especially Asian immigrants), people who love thinking about aesthetics, people who have a love-hate relationship with the United States of America.

I will be reviewing this book on Goodreads (which does not yet have a cover image!), probably the same day after posting this review. I'll post on Youtube when I have time to make a video, and on Amazon once it has been published. Those reviews may differ slightly as I have more time to digest this book. I did want to review it here as quickly as possible upon completing it. Thanks for publishing this book.