Legends from Camp

by Lawson Fusao Inada

Winner, 1994 American Book Award. Los Angeles Times Book Award for Poetry finalist. "Recommended for classroom and library use, this book will add a fresh dimension to a growing body of literature that remembers, humanizes, and shares the Japanese-American internment experience for new generations."--Choice

Genres: Poetry, Asian American, American, History

112 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 1992

Reviews

[StrangeBedfellows · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not big on poetry -- I'm the first to admit that; however, I truly enjoyed reading 'Legends'. Some poems you'll read quickly and shallowly, just picking up the tones and patterns before moving on. Other poems you'll sit with, pick apart, and visualize each stanza as a page from a larger story. But then, that's the beauty of Inada's work, isn't it? And if you've ever had the privilege of hearing Inada speak or teach, you're certain to catch the jazzy rhythms of his speech in each line -- even the poems that aren't about jazz.

[Kole · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I "finished" reading this book of poetry while up at Tule Lake Segregation Center, and it made the bleak landscape come alive with the the memories of those who endured World War II there behind barbed wire, including the young Lawson Inada. I especially like " The Legend of Other Camps" and "The Legend of Targets" -- which recounts the improbable game the incarcerated children played with spent bullet casings from the soldiers on target practice, shouting "Pow" and "You missed!" Later poems, from his jazz-inspired life in the East Coast and Chicago like "Listening Images" and Re/Collections"." Same with "A Couple of Geese over Phoenix," which I read aloud, watching a pair of geese fly over the remains of the Tule Lake camp.

[Claudia Savage · Rating 4 out of 5]

John got me this for the holidays. I'm in love already. Part prose, part poetry, part history. Reminds me structurally of Pale Fire by Nabokov. Inada's intro. talks about the fact that the poems are arranged like movements. There are whole sections in response to jazz. Inspiring for musical/poetic collaboration. I love poets who aren't afraid to mix poetry and prose structures. Some poems are as tiny as a breath. Wonderful.

[Madeleine · Rating 2 out of 5]

I give up. I just didn't get this. I couldn't finish it. Rarely, rarely, do I not finish a book, but this one has been languishing in my car under a mound of ski gear for several months. Time to take it back to the library for someone who will hopefully both understand and "get" it.

[ryo narasaki · Rating 4 out of 5]

sections with context prefaces. personal. jazz. camp. oregon.fresno. performance.