In the Pulitzer Prize-winning poet’s 15th collection, Richard Howard looks back with humour, humanity and gusto at his own education in a small progressive Midwest private school. An entire sixth grade class comes to life and captivates the reader as it grapples with science and literature; teacher and principal; and the hard facts and comic fancies of life itself. This work is fresh and free-handed, an achievement the more readily made since the book’s contents involve the disciplines and exemptions, as well as the vocabulary of his own schooling.