Review: Field Guide for Accidents
- tatedecaro
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
5/5 stars
Field Guide for Accidents, by Albert Abonado (2024)
This is Al's second collection of poetry (his first being Jaw, published in 2020), and it is truly something to savor.
Abonado writes with scrutiny about his Filipino identity, his immigrant parents, and the challenges of growing up with a (non-white) dual-identity in America. America, which, "at the airport asks for the name of my tribe, compliments me for the Vietnam in the poems another man read. An honest mistake. Haha. This is the burden of my America. To transform. To become invisible. America does not acknowledge this. They need more proof besides my imagination. Where is my paperwork?"
Abonado writes with heart about aging into the caretaker role that so many of us are familiar with. An accident - a parent falls asleep at the wheel - leads to so many worries and questions. The trauma of needing to parent the parents who will not allow it. The grief and terror of watching decline... I know it well. These are the moments that most resonated with me... "Do not research the survival rate of care accidents. Do not compare age groups. Do not watch videos about brain injury, spinal injury, and the amputation of limbs. Do not text your brother to see if he is up. He will not be. Do not remember all the moments their eyelids grew heavy. Do not promise that next time, you will be the one to drive."
And finally, Abonado writes with insight about feeding minds and bodies. The food that makes a place home. Fantastic dreams about bloodthirsty creatures from Filipino folklore. Memories of a dish of pork blood and rice - call it chocolate meat, to hide from the kids what it's really made from. A mouth, and teeth, and a stomach - things that help you relish and navigate your world, are also things that may devour you.
There is so much to dig into and unpack. The poems are unique in form and substance, each one creating something brand new on the page. I cannot speak highly enough of this book.
Also, thank you to Al for coming to my book club's meeting in December! We so loved learning about your writing process, and hearing you read a piece from the book. You can learn more about Al on his website, albertabonado.com.
UP NEXT: The Ministry of Time, by Kaliane Bradley
