Tree of Heaven

By James McKean

Although the Scientific Revolution has long been regarded as the beginning of modern science, there has been little consensus about its true character. While the application of mathematics to the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0877455058
• ISBN13: 9780877455059
• Release Date: May 1995
• Publisher: University of Iowa Press
• Length: 84 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 6.0" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

It was clear to me why McKean has won awards for his poetry

The author was a winner of the Iowa Poetry Prize in 1994 for his title work "Tree of Heaven." That is one of many of his quality works that appear in this book. My favorite in the collection is "Fake ID", a tale of a sixteen-year old boy using a fake ID to enter a bar. The descriptions of his mental state, the new to him and crusty ambience that he enters, his adopted persona as "Chuck Luna", a sailor of the seas on Barrow sound, the response of the bartender and his feeling of triumph as he departs bearing the desired two cases of Oly beer are delightful. While the individual circumstances will differ, this is the story of all underage men who arm themselves with a fake ID and stroll purposefully on a mission to buy illicit alcohol. The imagery in the remaining poems is in the category that makes the best poetry. There is just enough description yet a lack of precise imagery so that the reader has the freedom to imaginatively fill in the details. It was clear to me why McKean has won awards for his poetry.