Reversing the Spell: New & Selected Poems

The first time through this book felt like running fast down a very steep hill. I couldn't stop and I couldn't catch my breath. The next time through, I read more slowly, meditatively. The third time through was with notebook and pen in had to copy out long sections. The next hundred times through, who knows?This is a wonderful narrative, a lyrical poem, a facinating history lesson and a puzzle it will take you years to fully understand.

In his vision for a different world, McGrath does not confine himself to earthly matters - he is very much rooted in them right from his beginnings in rural North Dakota, but goes out in ever greater concentric circles to include all of America, all of the world, and all of the universe. His criticism of past and present is severe, but he never leaves out the jocular tones, the shady places, the rumbunctious times. Hold on tight - his visionary flights are tough to follow, but the places he leads you to throughout time are very real.Beware - This is a book you'll never be done with. It'll make you wish you could just leave it alone, so much did McGrath stuff in it that'll leave you clueless, but, well, you can't. And as you mull it over and over, more and more just comes to you, and you're ready for more.