Mission Work: Poems

This poetry collection is based on the author's childhood as the son of missionaries living in Papua New Guinea, and, perhaps unfortunately, no reviewer could fail to mention this guiding concept because it is, simply, the one reason a reader might be drawn into this book. The concept is constantly tangible, and the poems have little life on their own unless a reader keeps it in mind. Few of the poems are comprehensible without the benefit of the full collection, and many are still far too abstract to truly connect to a reader unfamiliar with Baker's experiences and/or the culture.

Language-wise, Baker's poems are unfortunately uninspired. Whether the goal of his work is documentary or poetic, neither is truly translated in the print of this work. As a reader, I was often able to follow his meaning, but uninterested because of the flat and straightforward language that left me apathetic. In the end, I'd have preferred a nonfiction work on the culture, or even a memoir, since I feel I might have gained more from that work. True, there was the occasional inspired line that was both interesting and graceful, poetic and meaningful--these, though, were few and far between, and nowhere near regular or outstanding enough that they made the book worthwhile.

The book is an award winner, and Baker himself is a distinguished writer and professor--I can only guess that his poetic instincts were too at odds with his urge to translate his true experiences, or that he may have been too close to his material in this particular collection.

Simply, unless you're looking for further sight into missionary work in New Guinea or the poetry that comes from such experiences, I wouldn't find reason to recommend this particular work.