My copy of this book is littered w margainalia from a student who was barely hanging on -

From the line "head south on Mississippi 49" MISSISSIPPI 49 circled darkly with the exclamatory note "Interstate!" nearby

- and this made me laugh multiple times while reading until I was reminded how ill equipped I am to engage with the work. Which are the important words when we're talking about Mississippi? Which experiences prevail? How am I any better than my spectral predecessor when I consider "what is to become of all the living things in this place?"

Trethewey writes with an emotional depth that is at times difficult to confront. She is a masterful poet and this collection engages in layer after layer.