A lyrical examination of loss and grief, Song of Thieves delves into issues of racial identity and politics, the immigrant experience, and the search for "home" and for family histories. McCallum artfully blends Jamaican patois, parables, songs, nursery rhymes, and other features of orality into her poems. She evinces an ear for the intrinsic music of poetry in this haunting and ambitious collection. Song of Thieves confirms her reputation as one of the most compelling new voices in American poetry.
"Generous with grief and sweetness. . . . Simplicity isn’t easy and honesty is harder, but McCallum’s verse and voice are completely honest. These are poems you cannot turn down."
--Carol Frost
“Rich with imagery, with longing, memory, and self-assertion.”
--Hubbub