How to Seduce a White Boy in Ten Easy Steps

by Laura Yes Yes

This sultry, wry poetry book dazzles us with its bold exploration into the politics and metaphysics of identity.

From fierce and funny sexual fantasies to cutting observations of interracial dynamics, How to Seduce a White Boy in Ten Easy Steps asks us to fully consider what it is to be human in an age of fragmentation and double meanings. There are no easy answers the voice of the liberated woman rings clearly as a man-eater in one moment and shudders under the weight of lost love in the next. Laura Yes Yes skillfully navigates the trauma of being the Other while acknowledging the absurdity of our perceptions of race. With precise craft and breathtaking imagery, How to Seduce a White Boy blooms as a ferocious celebration of life.

Genres: Poetry

120 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2010

Reviews

[Angélique (Angel) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The biggest strength Laura Yes Yes showcases in this collection is her ability to move between disparate feelings and modes of expression with ease. She makes it seem natural for poems to be born of both traditional and contemporary forms of expression while displaying a sort of dark wit even in mundane descriptions that captures an aspect of human experience I have often felt but not often seen portrayed in poetry. I highly recommend this collection to anyone who enjoys a variety of poetry forms and to those who know what it is like to be formed by dissimilar worlds and identities.

[Izetta Autumn · Rating 5 out of 5]

The title alone - with its devilish suggestion of sensuality, coated over with humor - earns this poetry book a glimmer and shine of intrigue. Laura Yes Yes manages to let mystery and beauty flourish on the page through her laying down of words. Yes Yes work has been informed by several influences - as she notes Roelke and Yeats, but it also harkens back to more ancient works from which Western literature has derived the notion of the Hydra or Cerebus. These beings which contain a multiplicity of identities and needs, ground Yes Yes' work in How to Seduce a White Boy in Ten Easy Steps.

[Christina Olivares · Rating 5 out of 5]

i love laura, my sister for over a decade now. favorite poem in her book (today) is the last one:

Imaginary Instruments of the Year 3065

an oboe of limestone, an anthill guitar
a piano of ice with pulsars inside
a shark’s tooth sitar with frets of basalt
castanets made of a raven’s beak

an avalanche drum kit, magmic tambourines
hydrogen cymbals and french horns of soot

a cobweb djembe
a shrapnel tuba
a choir of clouds
a human voice.

:)

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm usually a bit wary about whole books of poetry. That being said, this book was all about odd thoughts popping up in weird places. I kept meaning to read just one poem...and then I just kept reading! It was as addictive as cocaine (not that I've tried it) and was a super interesting read!