First published 2024
Roger Rosenblatt crafts a literary work that examines the relationship between words and wounds. This lyrical exploration probes how people survive their injuries and how they survive without them. The narrative moves between poetry, pain, and memory as it seeks answers to fundamental questions about human endurance. Rosenblatt pairs his writing with Fred Newman's subtle illustrations to create what amounts to a literary concerto. The book can be read in one sitting yet draws readers back repeatedly. At its center lies a heart of wonder guided by a mind that has lived fully among us. The work fuses different forms into an aesthetic blend that connects the crossroads between suffering and survival. Two questions anchor the exploration: "Need a little help?" and "What is the name of that bird?" These inquiries open pathways to existential wonder while maintaining concrete grounding in lived experience.
Genres: literary-fiction, contemporary, poetry, memoir
Vibes: intimate, lyrical, thought-provoking
Tropes: existential-wonder
95 pages · Paperback · San Diego State University Press