In a voice that is both authentic and colloquial, Brown (Sister) tells the story, without sentimentality or cliché, of her grandmother Fanny. At the heart of these lyric hybrids (epistolaries, monologs, and other poetic celebrations) is language, the language of communication, the language of shared heritage. "Fanny Linguistics," for example, explains things—the uses of Clorox and Crisco, of swilling Pepsi, and of chugging nerve pills. These are poems of survival—and sometimes advice. "Child, you looking like some trash./ Give your grandma that dinge./ I don't care if you ain't got a dime./ I told you a hundred and one times—/ soap's cheap." Brown follows Fanny's story from young bride and mother to her death and beyond. It's rare to find a book of poems that reads like a well-plotted page-turner, each poem propelling the reader into the next, each poem filled with story and song. This is that book. VERDICT Bawdy and real, this volume will stay with readers long after Fanny has had her final say.—Karla Huston, Appleton, WI