Oshri's careful, hopeful examination of animism–the belief that inanimate objects have distinct spiritual essence–is a compelling exercise in mindfulness, empathy, and environmentalism delivered in verse. Divided into six parts, this spiritually minded commentary argues that, with time, our perceptions of ourselves–of how our bodies work and how we make sense of the world–have devolved to resemble our hierarchical society. Like our “detached rulers or ruling classes,” each individual’s brain “tells itself / that it–the brain– / Is the only one capable of making the right decisions.” In "Life, Inside Us,” Oshri disrupts the traditional notion of a biological "chain of command" by arguing that other body parts have agency, too, linking our belief in the brain’s primacy to the emergence of class and separatist doctrines.

Assuming perspectives like that of a favorite coffee cup and a salad, Oshri's free-style poems urge an understanding (“You know why people don’t focus on eating? / It is fear of intimacy”) of being present with all that we consume and cherish. Oshri beckons readers to pay close attention to objects they encounter everyday in "Life, Beside Us," and suggests taking a walk nude while covering the head on a chilly day to let the exposed senses take charge of the body, a recommendation many readers (especially in populous areas) may find extreme. Oshri's intent in such passages is not to shock or establish ideological supremacy. Instead, he’s presenting ideas and approaches to living, with insightful and at times challenging examples.

Oshri’s writing is clean and immediately clear throughout. The arrangement of prose passages in brief, broken paragraphs ensures a measured pacing that emphasizes the ideas, achieving stylistic and theoretical continuity with the interspersed poems. Straightforward and creative, this imaginative collection is an able,novel, and provocative introduction to the many principles of animism.

Takeaway: Readers interested in exploring the spiritual belief of animism will find illumination in this unique poetry collection.

Great for fans of: Dennis Schmitz’s Animism, Emma Restall Orr’s The Wakeful World.

Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: B+