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Deaf Republic
Deaf Republic: Poems | Ilya Kaminsky
Ilya Kaminskys astonishing parable in poems asks us, What is silence? Deaf Republic opens in an occupied country in a time of political unrest. When soldiers breaking up a protest kill a deaf boy, Petya, the gunshot becomes the last thing the citizens hearthey all have gone deaf, and their dissent becomes coordinated by sign language. The story follows the private lives of townspeople encircled by public violence: a newly married couple, Alfonso and Sonya, expecting a child; the brash Momma Galya, instigating the insurgency from her puppet theater; and Galyas girls, heroically teaching signing by day and by night luring soldiers one by one to their deaths behind the curtain. At once a love story, an elegy, and an urgent plea, Ilya Kaminskys long-awaited Deaf Republic confronts our times vicious atrocities and our collective silence in the face of them.
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ReadingEnvy
Deaf Republic: Poems | Ilya Kaminsky
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Pickpick

I have always meant to read this collection and what better time than when Ukraine is in the news - the poet was born in Odessa, although it was the Soviet Union at the time - and this collection tells the story of a village fighting back. I recommend finding the poet reading his work - he lost most of his hearing at age 4 and that figures into this collection for sure. My favorite is still We Lived Happily During the War.

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shawnmooney
Deaf Republic: Poems | Ilya Kaminsky
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Cinfhen
Deaf Republic: Poems | Ilya Kaminsky
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Thank you @shawnmooney for sharing this beautiful haunting timely allegory. Written in verse by a Ukrainian, it‘s a short fable about a community that goes silent when a deaf boy is shot by soldiers. It‘s powerful and meditative and speaks volumes about the current conflict taking place right now. I know many don‘t know how they can help those in danger but small acts can lead to bigger rebellions. #Pop22 #AnisfieldWolfWinner

Megabooks Sounds interesting! Would I like it? I don‘t have anything for that prompt. 2y
Cinfhen It‘s short and powerful. Yes, go for print as there are drawings, images and sign language symbols to help tell the story @Megabooks I borrowed via #Scribd but it might be on Hoopla or available through your library 2y
KarenUK Sounds wonderful. I think I‘ll read this for the same prompt. Thanks for sharing x 2y
BarbaraBB Thanks for sharing, I think I will too! 2y
Cinfhen I think in light of the current situation choosing a book by a Ukrainian writer is a GREAT CHOICE @KarenUK @BarbaraBB even if some ideas were over my head, I appreciated the overall message. There are many forms of silence; some are destructive others are powerful. 2y
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vivastory
Deaf Republic: Poems | Ilya Kaminsky
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The above poem, “We Lived Happily During the War“ is from one of the best books of poetry I read last year. Kaminsky is a Ukrainian-American poet that balances sorrow & hope, indignation & optimism. He's a great poet for these times Link to poem: https://poets.org/poem/we-lived-happily-during-war

Leftcoastzen This situation is making me angry & breaking my heart . 2y
vivastory @Leftcoastzen It's absolutely terrible. Glad to see the protests in Russia. 2y
Nutmegnc Thank you so much for sharing. 2y
Branwen Such a heartbreaking and terrifying situation! 😔 2y
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wideeyedreader
Deaf Republic: Poems | Ilya Kaminsky
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Pickpick

Short, but powerful. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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vivastory
Deaf Republic: Poems | Ilya Kaminsky
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Pickpick

Kaminsky writes, "The deaf do not believe in silence. Silence is the invention of the hearing." As he addresses the silence of citizens, Deaf Republic is a surreal political allegory that is as relevant to repression in Eastern Europe as it is to police brutality in the US. Reoccurring characters & sporadic sign language also make for an innovative book of poetry. I thought it was terrific.

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vivastory
Deaf Republic: Poems | Ilya Kaminsky
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merelybookish ❤️💔 3y
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UnRuLee
Deaf Republic: Poems | Ilya Kaminsky
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Pickpick

This was a TBR recommended book and OH MAN, it grabbed me directly by the heart and wouldn‘t let go. It‘s a poem narrative about an occupied country where a young deaf boy gets shot for no reason by soldiers, and the whole country suddenly goes deaf in response and starts a revolution with sign language and Puppetry. I can‘t even articulate how beautiful this book is.

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quietlycuriouskate
Deaf Republic: Poems | Ilya Kaminsky
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Is this a poetry collection? A play? A novella in flash? Whatever, it's tender, earthy, terrifying. As the closing poem shows, the world in Deaf Republic is perilously close to our own: we could wake up there tomorrow.
How does he make the individual poems so buoyant when his theme is such a weighty one?

" At the trial of God, we will ask: why did you allow all this?
And the answer will be an echo: why did you allow all this?"

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nuriali
Deaf Republic: Poems | Ilya Kaminsky
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Pickpick

Deaf Republic delivers a captivating and timeless yet urgently necessary message on the power small rebellions have in a country that oftentimes chooses willful (and prideful) ignorance over ethical self-reflection. Through Kaminsky‘s haunting verse, silence reveals itself to be tripartite: the silence of the devoted, the silence of the departed, and the silence of the defiant whose actions speak louder than words. Review: ali-nuri.com #poetry

Nute Excellent review! 4y
nuriali @Nute thank you! 4y
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arlenefinnigan
Deaf Republic: Poems | Ilya Kaminsky
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Pickpick

This is remarkable, I haven't read anything like it before. A play written in verse, it's a startling depiction of the horror of war and tyranny, the power of silence, and the strength and defiance of the human spirit. Beautifully evocative and gloriously coarse in places.

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arlenefinnigan
Deaf Republic: Poems | Ilya Kaminsky
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There are some gut punching lines in this book.

i.z.booknook Wow 🤩 4y
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arlenefinnigan
Deaf Republic: Poems | Ilya Kaminsky
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Oof.

Riveted_Reader_Melissa That‘s powerful! Stacking!!! 4y
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arlenefinnigan
Deaf Republic: Poems | Ilya Kaminsky
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arlenefinnigan
Deaf Republic: Poems | Ilya Kaminsky
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Also, very well played, Secret Santa.

Emilymdxn I just got this and can‘t wait to read it! 4y
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AlizaApp
Deaf Republic: Poems | Ilya Kaminsky
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Pickpick

Gorgeous poetry collection about language, community, identity and conflict. More like a story in verse, though many of the poems could still stand on their own.

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AlizaApp
Deaf Republic: Poems | Ilya Kaminsky
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This collection is really a full story told through verse, about silence and complicity. I liked them all, but the open was the real knockout.

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charl08
Deaf Republic: Poems | Ilya Kaminsky
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Lovely independent bookshop in Hebden Bridge (W. Yorkshire).

Jaimelire Looks wonderful! 5y
charl08 @Jaimelire it certainly was: left with heavier bags! 5y
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Redwritinghood
Deaf Republic: Poems | Ilya Kaminsky
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Thanks @youneverarrived for the tag! Here are my #top6reads so far for 2019. Deaf Republic and Underland were the only 5⭐️ reads for me this year. Tagging @readordierachel and @mklong - what are your favorites so far in 2019?

merelybookish Such interesting choices! 5y
readordierachel I have read none of these! Must rectify that. 5y
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Ruthiella The Lost Children Archive was really good! I‘ve not read your other five picks. (edited) 5y
Cinfhen Some books that weren‘t on my radar!! Cool 😎 5y
BarbaraBB I knew you would come up with some cool choices. My TBR is exploding! 5y
youneverarrived The Good People is one of those I keep putting off for some reason. I absolutely love Burial Rites though. Lost Children Archive was a so-so for me. I‘ll check out the others! 5y
Redwritinghood @BarbaraBB Ha ha! I‘ve never been cool before. 5y
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Graywacke
Deaf Republic: Poems | Ilya Kaminsky
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Pickpick

A young boy is shot by soldiers and the sound causes the whole town to go deaf. There is a play on the tension of the sudden suspension of sound, making images linger and leaving a lot of filled empty space in a commentary on political terror. My first poetry in a while.

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Redwritinghood
Deaf Republic: Poems | Ilya Kaminsky
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Pickpick

Simply brilliant! This dark fable of a town under siege is a statement on our times. The people of the town become deaf after a soldier shoots a deaf child at a public gathering. The deafness here is purposeful, though, and a statement on how we can remain silent in the face of government atrocities and institutionalized biases. Tragic, yet filled with beauty, this is a powerful book of poetry. 5⭐️

Pricel101 Stacked!! 👏📚 5y
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Redwritinghood
Deaf Republic: Poems | Ilya Kaminsky
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#poemsbeforephones Starting a new poetry collection this morning and right from the first page I‘m impressed. I‘ve heard nothing but rave reviews of this one, so I‘m really looking forward to it. (Sorry for the bad photo. 😕)

DivineDiana Not bad at all! The poem is easy to read! 5y
monalyisha Oh, wow. Yeah. Looking forward to your future posts! 5y
monalyisha Also, just reading the summary, I feel like this would be an interesting selection for a book club. I wasn't planning to do the next round of #LMPBC but maybe I'll see if anyone else would want to do poetry with me. 5y
Redwritinghood @monalyisha Yes, I think it would be a great book club pick. Lots to discuss. 5y
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Peddler410
Deaf Republic: Poems | Ilya Kaminsky

I need to find a copy of this! I stumbled across it looking for something else.

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sakeriver
Deaf Republic: Poems | Ilya Kaminsky
Pickpick

Wow...

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sakeriver
Deaf Republic: Poems | Ilya Kaminsky
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Next. (Bought this at AWP last week before they sold out.)

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Graywacke
Deaf Republic: Poems | Ilya Kaminsky
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About time I try some not-ancient poetry. This was just released this year.

Tanisha_A Haha. Think I need to read some not-ancient poetry too. Maybe this 5y
Graywacke @Tanisha_A I‘m curious! 5y
SqueakyChu I saw this in the library. What did you think of it? I need to read some short books (preferably good ones) since I‘m still in LT‘s 75 Book group, and I‘m concurrently reading (edited) 5y
Graywacke @SqueakyChu well... I can‘t answer that yet. 😁😊 Too many books at once, so this has gotten much attention yet. I‘ll let you know when I spend some more time with it. 5y
SqueakyChu @Graywacke Heh! I know that feeling. I‘m juggling four books at once myself. I‘ll wait to hear, though! 😃 5y
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