Simply put: This book is excellent.

When I teach poems to my 9th graders, I always give them a taste of Lawrence Raab's poetry because, as I tell them, "he captures the lyric beauty of our media-saturated culture" (it's fun to say this to 14-year-olds--they just kind of stare blankly at these sort of statements). And when I read "Attack of the Crab Monsters" aloud to them, some of them laugh, some of them (figuratively) scratch their heads, and some of them keep doodling obliviously in their notebooks, but then I read it aloud again and most of them begin to realize that poetry isn't all intricate puzzles, or frilly romances, or political statement...poetry is what you make it.

This new collection by Raab reveals a poet who has mastered his voice, and it's a voice that is poignant, witty, and profound. Raab's poetry tends to focus on the small, perhaps overlooked, details of life, like the dreams of his young daughter, the inexplicable joy of a dog, or the reminiscence of childhood fantasies.

Poems like "Great Art" or "Another Argument About the Impossible" deal with the artistic process itself. They comment on the thinking that occurs between the lines, behind the paint, and in so doing, quietly reveal an essential truth about life: we could have done things differently, but the other choices wouldn't have made things better, just...different.

I highly recommend THE PROBABLE WORLD to anyone who likes to think deeply about the small things in life.