Michael Klein (1)

Memoirs tend to tell too much, but Michael Klein's TRACK CONDITIONS manages to convey a lot without giving away everything, and that is what makes this book so special. Klein manages to seduce us with his prose and with little snippets of half-told stories. One might say his memoir is a half-told life, and that would be true, for, as one finishes the book the thought is that a second memoir should be forthcoming. Or maybe Klein has written TRACK CONDITIONS in such a way that the reader yearns to hear more. One of the best qualities of the book is that it doesn't whine, the downfall of the modern-day memoir. It feels incredibly honest and Klein comes across as an accessible kind of guy, someone you might sit down with over coffee. TRACK CONDITIONS seems to have something to appeal to everyone: lovers of horses, aficionados of the track, gays, straights, lovers of people, drinkers, teetotalers, people with lives in crisis, and lovers of words. It is amazing that a small memoir can have such a large reach. But it does. And it works.… (mais)

This anthology isn't as strong as Klein's first. The writing is less accessible as a whole, and the poems taken as a group don't seem to be of the same quality as what shown through in the first AIDS anthology he put together. It certainly has its moments and gems, and the writers touch you, but none at the same level as what came before. I'd recommend this if you're interested in seeing more than the facts on the disease or if you've read the first book and enjoyed it, but in general, I'd point people toward his first anthology.… (mais)

This anthology isn't easy to read, but it is heartfelt and memorable. The anthology is filled with both known and unknown poets who've given you their picture of living with, alongside, or after AIDS, as well as other poems that deal with the doctors and/or simply the knowledge of the disease. You haven't read these poems if you haven't read the book, which is a plus, and you'll find many new talented authors within the pages. Even in the poems that aren't as together as the other poems, or quite as polished (and these are few and far between), the emotion comes across clear. I'm not sure you can read this in one sitting, but it's an anthology worth having and coming back to, with poems of the highest quality.… (mais)