The City in Which I Love You

Lee's second collection of poems is different from his other collections. the poems are longer and centered around his personal history more than the other two. This collection isn't as strong as his first _Rose_ or latest _Book of My Nights_ but still is a strong collection.

ok. where do i start? i love it. i mean, i think i may have liked Rose better, and Winged Seed was good (rather densely packed in history) but there's something about an author's first book that makes you stop in the middle of reading, look up, and suddenly feel overwhelmingly in awe. the way i feel about the book has to do with my being asian american i suppose. works by asian americans aren't as abundant as other people's, so i guess i devour books of this type because of their rarity and in this case, quality as well.i guess i'm not feeling too eloquent right now but what i'm trying to say is that Lee conveys his messages of joy and sorrow (corny, i know) in a beautiful and personal manner and he deserves to be recognized as a prominent author of not only his labeled "asian american" genre but of ALL literature (which he's pretty much accomplished by now)

This is perhaps the most beautiful book of poems ever comprised. How Li-Young Lee is not a household name perplexes me. Lee is an insighful storyteller and the language he manipulates in his poetry is insighful and lovely.

li-young lee's work packs an emotional wallop. his work explores love and grief in a remarkable way, and his poems are remarkable, multi-layered, and complex.

I thought this book was excellent and really brought out the history of the poet's life. You have to know a little bit about the poet in order to fully appreciate the meaning behind these poems. These poems seem very chronological and carries the reader through a cycle of life which the poet has experienced while growing up. These poems are based mostly on the poet's family (first his parents and then his own family). Lee shows how he has become a father and a husband by learning from his own father. In the beginning the reader feels the poet's suffering as his family continuously tries to escape. The poet then takes the reader to America. The poems about his wife and first child are very romantic. It is obvious that he is madly in love with them and is actually awed by them. I felt that the poet was expressing his awe in many things: his awe in the strength of his parents, his awe in the beauty of his wife, his awe in the innocence of his children, his awe in change, and his awe in everything that he has become and all that he has experienced. Lee's stories are very unique and center around the events of his life. I felt that the overall tone of this book was desperate and I think it can be seen that the poet is perhaps struggling to come to terms with himself and all that he has been through. A deep and complicated history is unleashed through these poems.