Centerpiece of this collection is "The Turning Point, " a narrative poem about the battle for Guadalcanal in November of 1942. Fusing elements of Homeric and Norse saga with contemporary slang, it's McCandless's attempt to create a uniquely American epic out of one of World War II's most important campaigns. Also included: poems about baseball and businessmen, and an extended sonnet sequence about lost love, "A Beginner's Guide to Disappointment." Features material previously published in Asphodel, Nebo, Proposing on the Brooklyn Bridge, Cold Mountain Review, and Borderlands.