This book punched me in the gut at least twice and made me think so much that I had to pause in the middle of church to write down some thoughts and get them out of my head.

I first tried to read this collection a few months ago but wasn't in the right head space. I am so glad I tried it again today (#poetrySundays). If you have this same problem, I suggest getting in a cozy quiet place, exhaling, and skipping to the Whereas section of the book.

The best sort of contemporary art does the following:
1. Engages the viewer / reader
2. Reveals something personal about the artist
3. Responds to or redefines a particular social-political-cultural problem
4. Is uniquely rooted in time and space

Whereas hits all four solidly on the head.
1. Engages the viewer / reader -- not only is the majority of the content interesting in a human sort of way, Layli Long Soldier plays with verse shape and physical typographical appearance on the page.
2. Reveals something personal about the artist -- this book of poetry is autobiographical
3. Responds to or redefines a particular social-political-cultural problem -- the bulk of the book addresses Obama's official apology to the Native American nations in light of the Dakota 38, Standing Rock, and countless other systematic dismantling of treaties and deliberate promise breaking. She doesn't stop there, though. How this history of ours is played out in interpersonal relationships and interactions and in internal dialogue and psychology is a cornerstone of this book.
4. Is uniquely rooted in time and space -- see above.

The more voices who are so different from mine that I read, the more humbled I am. What a good final book for 2017.