Save It for Later

February 1, 2021
Powell states up front that this book isn't about parenting or activism, but it illuminates where the two intertwine. Weaving through Trump's presidency, his election, and the cultural history that led to it, Powell navigates minefield conversations on such diverse subjects as policing and the depiction of Nazis in the 1970s Wonder Woman TV show, while reckoning with the lessons of his own childhood. Beginning with the poem ""Tornado Children,"" much of this work feels like visual poetry: the line-by-line sentences mirrored by stacked horizontal panels that become image-stanzas; spare, nuanced colors punctuated by fearsome splashes of aggression and encompassed by expressionistic darkness. Though that poetry eventually bogs down somewhat in a dense analysis of how the infinitely cyclical nature of war empowers a militarized culture of toxic masculinity, this eventually gives way to his activist rallying cry: when you see injustice, "find a way to get in the way." This is a deeply personal, deeply partisan book, distinctly not a call for national unity, and as such, isn't likely to win converts among conservatives or even moderates. It can, at times, skate close in tone to the aggrieved airing of resentments Powell accuses his political opponents of, though readers who align with Powell's sentiments are not likely to see it that way. A virtuoso work of artistry with important content that might alienate some but powerfully stir others.

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