Thank you to Netgalley, Gregory Pardlo and Penguin Random House for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Spectral Evidence explores some heavy topics, including racism, sexism, judgment, prejudice, and the systemic trauma that is built into the fabric of american society. Stories are told in the form of poems, prose, a play, and at one point, a chart of data about what percentage of americans believed certain sterotypes about black people.

The title (spectral evidence) refers to the ridiculous, hateful nonsense that was accepted as “evidence” during the Salem witch trials.

I think this is a very important book, and I am extremely grateful it exists. I personally found it hard to follow at times, but I’m also not very well read when it comes to poetry. I will say that some of it I d quite a lot, and other parts I found disturbing (in a good way) or thought provoking. There was one poem that talked about the inverse relationship between a person's self-restraint and their ability to silence victims that really moved me.
genre-poetry netgalley3 s emma charlton222 415

Definitely poetry to be studied!! I’m rarely so grateful for an introduction, it was really eye-opening and powerful in itself, and of course really enhanced my understanding of these poems. “Spectral evidence” stems from the Salem Witch Trials and refers to when when people cite someone’s spirit (physically or an imagined intention) conspiring against them. It often led to convictions, much the evidence we accept in trial against Black Americans or as reasoning for their murders by police. This collections is made up of really unique and powerful poems written as plays, pulled from historical documents, and more. Sometimes it was so referential I got lost, and more often than is usual I had to look up words which pulled me out of the poem. I will be thinking about this one for a while and want to read more of Pardlo’s work!books-i-own netgalley publisher ...more3 s Raymond384 285

This was an interesting and different poetry collection on the power of fear against the other. All the poems were different, some were genre-bending (one in the form of a play), I didn't vibe with them all but there were a few that stood out to me.

Favorite poems: "confutation", "The Marion Devotions", "Trigger Warning", "Spectral Evidence".

Thanks to NetGalley, Knopf, and Gregory Pardlo for a free ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.20booksbyblackmen arcs4 s Blue338 5

Usually, I do not write about a cover of a book. This cover haunts me. Putting it away only causes the need to see it again. It arouses my interest. So, I must turn to the poems. Each one as deep as the ocean. Each one wringing my brain the water in a tub of shirts and socks. With words about the state of prisoners my mind is blasted open. I look to see if they are at my feet.

Thank you to Gregory Pardlo for entering my mind and giving it organization and clarity. Whether it is in a hushed voice or spoken extremely loudly there is the constant thought of mankind , no less for black mankind and woman: There is our survival, and our huge, traveling spirits. Tituba is here! As are the Scythians. I weep thinking of the branded blind slaves. What could have saved them or was it a time of destiny? Tituba speaks to all women. I think Tituba is my most favorite woman mentioned. I will know when I reread this poem what has touched my soul. Yes, children, never forgotten.2 s Emily PerkovichAuthor 33 books132

I loved the concept of this, and the author’s note made me think this was going to be an easy five star for me, but it ended up feeling a bit all over the place. Some pieces really felt they were being forced to fit into this collection just because they existed and needed somewhere to go, more than I felt I could easily justify.

Thank you to NetGalley & Knopf for the ARCpoetry2 s Cynthia246 4

Bruh.

Honestly, this is the first poetry book I’ve ever read that made me think I was not smart enough to understand it.

This collection is the most cerebral, metaphorical, metaphysical, philosophical, lyrical, collection of poems I’ve ever read. Gregory Pardlo is a uniquely singular voice.

The way Pardlo compares cops vilification of Black folk to the spectral evidence “collected” during the Salem Witch trials blew my mind. I may never recover.1 Blue North280




Usually, I do not write about the cover of a book. This cover haunts me. Putting it away only causes the need to see it again. It arouses my interest. So, I must turn to the poems. One is as deep as the ocean. Each one wringing my brain the water in a tub of shirts and socks. With words about the state of prisoners, my mind is blasted open. I look to see if they are at my feet.

Thank you to Gregory Pardlo for entering my mind and giving it organization and clarity. Whether it is in a calm voice or spoken extremely loudly there is the constant thought of ma, no less for black mankind and woman: There is our survival, and our huge, traveling spirits. Tituba is here! As are the Scythians. I weep thinking of the branded blind slaves. What could have saved them or was it a time of destiny? Tituba speaks to all women. I think Tituba is my most favorite woman mentioned. I will know when I reread this poem what has touched my soul. Yes, children, never forgotten.













aid of the author.

S

s
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? Review ? Spectral Evidence: Poems by Gregory Pardlo

While I'm far from being a poetry enthusiast, I try to read at least a few volumes of BIPOC-authored poetry each year. I appreciate all the layers of meaning in the poems that I see, even if I don't always understand them all...and Spectral Evidence has LAYERS. There were a fair numbers of poems in this collection that went completely over my head....BUT THEN, the poems that I understood resonated DEEPLY with me.

The book is cerebral and deep and emotional and personal and clever, all at once. His introduction links together the idea of "spectral evidence" from the Salem witch trials to the type of evidence used by police who've used deadly force against Black Americans. "This book is about the legal means by which fear--the fear of one who has more privilege than the person feared--has been used to rationalize the execution of those thought to be in league with the devil. A similar logic is used to rationalize the extrajudicial killing of Black and Indigenous people in post-Reconstruction America."..."This is a book about my search for evidence, evidence of mental habits that run counter to the values I hope to express in the world.

The book contains a range of pieces including some that are a little longer and more free form. Some appear more a script or a collection of thoughts, and the form of these poems really captured my attention.

A few favorites:
?? Know Yourselves: a poem about a student who once confronted him while speaking about the progress of his character and identity. A few favorite phrases: "As if to write poems is to go tiptoeing the Hamburglar through the archives of my childhood." and "What if we didn't define ourselves according to our ability to know ourselves, but by our capacity to relate to others? Then we'd be a reflection of the people we let in."
?? "Supernatural Bread" and "Theater Selfie" both speak to the ways the history of slavery is actively oppressed.. "America even wants to pretend slavery never happened and that there's no trauma woven into the social fabric."
?? Trigger Warning juxtaposes the deadly force used against Black boys who are perceived to be dangerous, who are perceived to be holding weapons, even when just finger guns with the Alec Baldwin on-set shooting of a staff member. "The bullet is the messenger. The bullet is the message."

????????
Genre: poetry
Pub Date: 30 Jan 2024

Thanks to Knopf and #netgalley for the gifted advanced copy/ies of this book!2024-read f-arc f-poetry ...more genrejourneys125 1 follower

Rating: 4.5/5 (rounded up)

(Gifted a copy on NetGalley in exchange for a review)

What are we afraid of? How do we all agree on what that subject of fear is? How does the past help us, or fail to, understand these questions? “Spectral Evidence”, a poetry collection by Gregory Pardlo tackles the past, racism, grief, and the dangers of knowing or failing to know. It’s a massive task, but Pardlo manages an excellent exploration through a variety of poems, plays, and images to make some striking points.
From witch hunts to police violence and then into personal family life, this collection covers many places and times. Pardlo’s prose ranges from simple to abstract, as broad and intriguing as his topics. “The future is a palagrized memoir” he writes as he tries to reason out who can palagrize it and whose memoir it is. The reader is encouraged to ask themselves the same questions. There may not be easy or even available answers, but the process is partially the point. I do feel that there were moments where the collection went a bit too broad, but the ambition is impressive even as every part of the project comes together. Some examples of themes clicked better than others and, while not required and googling it might very well be the point, some more context on the historical poems would have been helpful. Even the better known ones took a moment for me to realize the topic of. I do acknowledge that my own experiences shaped my ability to recognize them though.
Given the subject material and the sheer range of topics Pardlo is covering, this can be a weighty read. However it is a rewarding one, particularly if you can read it in its entirety the first time around. Poetry lovers should pick this up whenever they get the chance.
arc poetry Brice Montgomery256 10

Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf for the ARC!

Poetry is often instinctual or academic, and Spectral Evidence leans toward the latter while not betraying the former. This is a book that feels intensely researched, and Gregory Pardlo offers almost too much history for the reader to process. Maybe that’s the point—the full weight of the issues is felt when it’s impossible to compartmentalize or reduce it.

I think the best poetry moves the reader in some way, and this book is one that will doubtless move people to read more. I especially found the comparison between Teresa Avíla and Lindsay Lohan moving, but more than that—it made me aware of how little I knew about much of the book’s subject matter. I finished with countless notes about things I wanted to look up and lines I wanted to revisit, and I’m sure many readers will have a similar experience.

I also really enjoyed the book’s introduction, which is a thoughtful walk through the book’s guiding premise. It immediately alerts the reader to how intentional this collection is. Similarly, the poems themselves are dense in a way that encourages readers to spend time with them.

For readers who might be on the fence about diving in, I encourage them to read the paired poems “Question and Answer” and “Know Yourselves.” Here is where Pardlo directly interrogates his responsibility both to himself and those impacted by the history and politics he invokes, and I think they complement the introduction in laying out a better understanding of the book’s thesis.

Overall, a great collection. I hadn’t read anything by Gregory Pardlo, but this instantly bumped his memoir to the top of my reading list.
Alayna M19 1 follower

I’ve already raved about this in my stories but it deserves a post.

I picked up a bunch of poetry ARCs in November and was stoked to see Spectral Evidence by Gregory Pardlo.

I first was introduced to Gregory Pardlo’s Digest through the Literary Disco podcast (RIP to my fav book podcast). It was incredible, smart, and maybe a touch over my head which to b fair ai about poetry sometimes because it makes you feel but also think.

This new collection, Spectral Evidence, though is exquisite. Spectral evidence is the evidence that was given at witch trials, it was supernatural evidence. so and so was in my dreams which meant they were probably a witch and that was enough evidence. He compares this to the evidence given about Black men and women who have been killed by police. Evidence is given “their eyes looked demonic” or they were somehow supernaturally stron, in order to justify the wrongful killing of Black people by police.

This collection explores those connections and the research Pardlo did on this topic. Standouts in this collection to me were exordium, narratio, confirmatio, confutation, digression, and know yourselves (but also all of them
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