American Sonnets for My Past and Future Assassin

American Sonnets for My Past and Future Assassin cover
Good Books rating 4.5
Technical
  • ID: 1605
  • Added: 2025-10-08
  • Updated: 2025-10-08
  • ISBN: 9780525504962
  • Publisher: Penguin
  • Published: 2018-06-19
  • Formats: 13
  • Reviews: 3

Terrance Hayes, the National Book Award-winning author, presents a dazzling collection of seventy sonnets that delve into the meanings of American, assassin, and love. Written during the first 200 days of the Trump presidency, these poems are a haunting reflection on the country's past and future, dreams and nightmares. The sonnets are inventive, compassionate, hilarious, melancholy, and bewildering, offering a unique and stunning exploration of the American experience. /n/n Hayes' work is not only a response to the political climate but also a profound meditation on personal and collective identity. The collection is praised for its timeliness and relevance, making it a significant contribution to contemporary poetry.

Reviews
Poetry School · 2025-10-08
engaging 4.50

The collection is praised for its successful balance of rhythm and momentum, making it a compelling read. The reviewer highlights the book's engaging and dynamic nature.

The reviewer at Poetry School is particularly impressed with how Terrance Hayes manages to blend rhythm and momentum in his poetry. This balance creates a sense of urgency and engagement that makes the book a page-turner. They appreciate the way Hayes uses language and structure to convey powerful emotions and ideas, making the collection both intellectually stimulating and emotionally resonant. The reviewer finds the book to be a standout in its ability to captivate readers from start to finish.


Quick quotes

    Rhythm and momentum in poetry are not the same but Hayes seems to have found a successful balance.

    The result is a page-turner of a book.

    The holidays are coming, and this book is a gift to yourself.

The Guardian · 2021-05-10
intellectual 4.00

Hayes is seen as a superb rhetorician and pattern-maker, with the collection being a dialectical exploration of contemporary issues. The reviewer appreciates the depth and complexity of Hayes' work.

The Guardian's reviewer highlights Terrance Hayes' skill as a rhetorician and pattern-maker, noting how his work in 'American Sonnets for My Past and Future Assassin' is both a linguistic and intellectual tour de force. They appreciate the way Hayes uses the sonnet form to explore complex themes and ideas, making the collection a rich and rewarding read. The reviewer finds the book to be a powerful commentary on contemporary issues, with Hayes' use of language and form adding layers of meaning and depth.


Quick quotes

    Hayes is primarily a superb rhetorician in this 'American Sonnet'.

    Before also being revealed as a pattern-maker and dialectician.

    This is a collection that demands attention and rewards close reading.

Empty Mirror Books · John Yohe · 2018-09-14
powerful 5.00

The collection is described as the best book of poetry of the year, with a blend of anger and humor. The reviewer praises Hayes' response to contemporary political issues.

John Yohe from Empty Mirror Books calls 'American Sonnets for My Past and Future Assassin' the best book of poetry of the year. They appreciate the way Hayes blends anger and humor in his response to contemporary political issues, making the collection both powerful and engaging. The reviewer finds the book to be a timely and necessary read, with Hayes' use of language and form adding to its impact. They highlight the collection's ability to capture the zeitgeist and provide a poignant commentary on the current political climate.


Quick quotes

    American Sonnets for My Past and Future Assassin is, I'm calling it, the best book of poetry of the year.

    It's the angry (though sometimes humorous) response.

    Hayes manages to capture the zeitgeist in a way that is both timely and timeless.