Book Review Excerpt: Stanton Hancock, Pank Magazine

“In Americana, Murphy asks the tough questions, “Where did we go wrong?” and “What have we become?”
 
“Whereas other explorations of what it means to be an American have often pulled back and viewed this country with a wide-angle lens, focusing on the open road and expansive metropolitan sprawl, Americana instead zooms in and examines American life from what is at times an uncomfortably close perspective.
 
“While reading many poetry collections can be similar to reading articles in a journal, Americana is more like flipping through old Polaroid pictures from a shoebox unearthed in a closet. The imagery hits the reader quickly and is quite conducive to rereading and enjoying again and again. As readers navigate their way through Murphy’s America, they explore myriad settings that, while not often beautiful, are always haunting.” -- Stanton Hancock, Pank Magazine
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