Here, Bullet

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  I introduced Brian Turner on 4/21/09 at an SIUE reading. This was my introduction:

  Brian Turner received his MFA from the University of Oregon prior to serving seven years in the United States Army. He was an infantry team leader for a year in Iraq beginning November 2003, with the 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division. He was also deployed to Bosnia-Herzegovina in 1999-2000.

  Here, Bullet was written while Turner was serving in Iraq. Because of the immediate nature of this... (show more)

  I introduced Brian Turner on 4/21/09 at an SIUE reading. This was my introduction:

  Brian Turner received his MFA from the University of Oregon prior to serving seven years in the United States Army. He was an infantry team leader for a year in Iraq beginning November 2003, with the 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division. He was also deployed to Bosnia-Herzegovina in 1999-2000.

  Here, Bullet was written while Turner was serving in Iraq. Because of the immediate nature of this work, Turner’s poems are a true and vivid glimpse of what the war is. Poems take the reader directly to the desert, into the anxiety of not knowing who the enemy is, and into the voice of Iraqis just trying to feed their families, yet Turner says “I have no words to speak of war.” This humble statement reminds the reader that there is so much that can’t be spoken, so much left to be said, so much left to be understood.

  Turner is not making a political statement about the Iraq War with this book. He treats this subject matter objectively, letting the reader draw his or her own conclusions about the place war holds in this society. Innocent bystanders, soldiers and the culture of a war zone are all effected by the frequency of death. Here, Bullet empathetically reveals the complexities of this environment.
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  During Turner's reading, I was surprised to discover that he was, in fact, making a political statement. The poems say away from this, however, asking the reader to ponder the realities and the purpose of war. (show less)

   

  by Facebook User on May 27, 2009 at 04:56PM

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  Since this book of poems has been lauded in places like <The New York Times and on NPR, my comments here may seen extraneous, but I believe--regardless of its flaws--that this remarkable collection is one that ought to be read.

  The thematic focus on the war in Iraq (as well as intimations of the regions history) make this among the more moving books I've read in the last few years. The poems in Brian Turner's debut collection focus unflinchingly at the realities of war from his positi... (show more)

  Since this book of poems has been lauded in places like <The New York Times and on NPR, my comments here may seen extraneous, but I believe--regardless of its flaws--that this remarkable collection is one that ought to be read.

  The thematic focus on the war in Iraq (as well as intimations of the regions history) make this among the more moving books I've read in the last few years. The poems in Brian Turner's debut collection focus unflinchingly at the realities of war from his position in the United States military. However, unlike the poetics of war to which we've become accustomed (jingoism like that of Rudyard Kipling on the one hand, and protest poetry on the other), Turner navigates the details of the world, providing crisp narratives, such as " The Al Harishma Weapons Market," which describes a day in the life of a black-market arms dealer (whose armaments likely aided insurgent groups Turner was fighting) with startling compassion, alongside surreal lyrics--like the series of "Dreams from Malaria Poems"--of surprising beauty that seem ever haunted by violence. More, Turner details the war around him without succumbing to melodrama. Instead, poems, such as "2000 lbs" and "9-Line Medevac" strive--and largely succeed in their attempt--to capture the chaos, fear (straying into paranoia), and destruction of the environment.

  From a technical standpoint, the poems are not overly impressive, and you could doubtless find a more accomplished poem or two in any major literary journal. Instead, Turner's largely plain-spoken style, allows the content in these poems--rather than their craftsmanship or facility for surprising language--to remain our focus, and that content is vital.

  This book is a missive from a setting few of us have ever seen, from a conflict none of us would ever want our children to witness. Read it to learn. (show less)

   

   

  by Facebook User on Feb 14, 2009 at 07:03PM

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