Reviews of Domestic Work

“Trethewey’s first book, which creates a picture of African-Americans at work, is carefully rendered from old photos, history, and memory with a loving and thoughtful eye. Her work raises one’s conscience with the truths inherent in simple word combinations…and the care taken in ordering the pieces leads the reader from one poem to the next in graceful order.” —Christian Science Monitor

“Trethewey’s book puts women’s work, and, in particular, black women’s work, the hard unpretty background music of our survival, in its proper perspective. For all her meticulous control and subtle perception, this is a revolutionary book that cuts right through to the deepest places in the soul.”—Toi Derricotte

“Trethewey’s first volume of poems, Domestic Work, marks the addition of a valuable new voice to the varied cacophony of contemporary American poetry.” —Oxford American

“In a voice confident, diverse, and directed, Natasha Trethewey’s Domestic Work does what a first book should, and more.” —Ploughshares

“Domestic Work will dance you through different times, spaces and tropes, leaving the reader with a sense of the bluesy historicity of the black American South….Trethewey is an artist on the verge.” —InPittsburghWeekly

“Trethewey’s first book uses simple details to create an image of a people and the things that shape their world. The world is accessible, but in itself is not simple. It has beauty to it.” —Mid-American Review

“Trethewey’s fine first collection functions as near-social documentary….Trethewey evenly takes up the difficult task of preserving, and sometimes speculating upon, the people and conditions of the mostly Southern, mostly black working class.” —Publishers Weekly

“The plain language and surface simplicity of these poems is deceptive. Their insights into the history and experience of black Americans contain a profound message for all of us. A noteworthy debut by a remarkable young poet.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Selected by former poet laureate Rita Dove for the 1999 Cave Canem Poetry Prize, this debut is a marvelously assured collection exploring African-American heritage, civil rights, the work of women, and the sensuous work of the spirit. These exquisite poems are full of individuals who live, hurt, jazz, love, celebrate, sing, and, of course, work with dignity.” —Herman Fong, The Odyssey Bookshop

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Reviews of Domestic Work