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The Discarded Life

By Adam Kirsch
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Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
The Discarded Life is a collection of poignant and reflective poems by Adam Kirsch, capturing how childhood experiences and key moments from the 1980s shape one's adult identity. Through vivid memories of Los Angeles life, references to cultural icons like Devo and Atari, and significant events such as the Challenger disaster, Kirsch explores themes of meaning, mortality, and self-formation with a deeply personal lens.
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Format: Paperback / softback
$4200

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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This collection will resonate with readers interested in poetry that intertwines personal history with broader cultural moments, particularly those drawn to literary reflections on identity, memory, and the complexities of growing up in late 20th-century America.

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A collection of moving and meditative poems that richly evoke a Gen X childhood in Los Angeles, exploring how our early recognitions shape our lives.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

In these moving and meditative poems, Adam Kirsch shows how the experiences and recognitions of early life continue to shape us into adulthood. Richly evoking a 1980s childhood in Los Angeles, Kirsch uses Gen X landmarks—from Devo to Atari to the Challenger disaster—to tell a story of emotional and artistic coming of age, exploring universal questions of meaning, mortality, and how we become who we are.

The Discarded Life is a poignant exploration of the lasting influence of early experiences, presented through the lens of evocative imagery and significant cultural references. Kirsch's work resonates deeply as it delves into the intricacies of our personal and artistic development.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Praised for its evocative and lyrical verse, The Discarded Life has been described as an artist's profound coming-of-age journey. David Yezzi highlights its "reckless joy" and emotional depth, while Amit Majmudar commends Kirsch's ability to transform memories and longings into lasting poetic treasures, comparing the work to a farewell and a reckoning through the metaphor of a bonfire.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781636280158

Publisher: Red Hen Press

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 14 July 2022

Country: United States

Imprint: Red Hen Press

Illustration: Illustrations

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 152.0mm

Height: 228.0mm

Weight: 250g

Pages: 56

Collections

Adam Kirsch Arts & Culture Non-Fiction Poetry

About the Author

Adam Kirsch is a poet and critic whose writing appears regularly in The New Yorker and other publications. He is the author of three previous collections of poetry and several books of criticism and biography, and has received a Guggenheim Fellowship. An editor at the Wall Street Journal, he has taught at Columbia University and Sarah Lawrence College. He was born in Los Angeles and now lives in New York City.

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