Muscle Memory

by Jenny Liou

Jenny Liou’s debut poetry collection conjoins the world of cage fighting and the traumas of immigration

In Muscle Memory, Washington-based poet Jenny Liou grapples with violence and identity, beginning with the chain-link enclosure of the prizefighter’s cage and radiating outward into the diasporic sweep of Chinese American history. Liou writes with spare, stunning lyricism about how cage fighting offered relief from the trauma inflicted by diaspora’s vanishing ghosts; how, in the cage, an elbow splits an eyebrow, or an armbar snaps a limb, and, even when you lose a fight, you’ve won something: pain. Liou places the physical manifestation of violence in her sport alongside the deeper traumas of immigration and her own complicated search for identity, exploring what she inherited from her Chinese immigrant father―who was also obsessed with poetry and martial arts. When she finally steps away from the cage to raise children of her own, Liou begins to question how violence and history pass from one generation to the next, and whether healing is possible without forgetting.

Genres: Poetry

100 pages, Paperback

First published May 29, 2022

Reviews

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

There can be terrible beauty in brutality and moreso the art that depicts it. Liou pulls your attention with the first verse and takes you on a tour of introspective exploration and inter-generational storytelling. A touch longer than some other poetry books but the book was filled with vivid lines and compelling turns of phrases.

[J O · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was not what I expected. When I started reading it, I was surprised that it was a book of poems and not the kind that rhymes. I had instantly regretted the purchase. But I had bought it and figured I might as well read it. I’m glad I did. It’s not MY story, but I could relate to some of the author’s experiences, being an immigrant and inheriting dysfunction. It was cool reading a book about a local, who was in the MMA scene. I enjoyed sharing some of the poems with my partner and my kids. My 9-year-old is currently training in MMA. My kids are half Asian, and they love learning about their heritage. The history these poems painted felt tangible and relatable, inspiring and heartbreaking. I’ve already thought of a few people I want to share this collection with: some being my siblings and one being my son’s sifu. The order of the poems felt like a perfect balance between remembering and living.

[Amelia · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice collection of poetry intertwining themes of family, fighting, and growth. Plenty of poetry in the form of prosaic paragraphs. Glad to have read this, as it's not typically the sort of poetry I read, but better suited for a different kind of poetry enthusiast.

[Damian Lillard · Rating 5 out of 5]

"give me a blue sky and wilderness, an alpine lake, a leg of meat spinning over a flame. Give me a smoke and a bottle of whiskey. Oh, wherever you are, who won't leave or destroy me, wrap me up in your arms." beautiful collection of poetry.