A collection of essays in which the writer travels to places ranging from the impoverishments of Albania to the scorched suburbia of Silicon Valley in California.

Casgliad o ysgrifau lle mae'r awdur yn teithio o leoedd sy'n amrywio o dlodi eithafol Albania i faestrefi crasboeth 'Silicon Valley' yng Nghaliffornia.

Badlands is not a standard travel book. The collection of essays doesn’t, for example, focus on one particular corner of the globe or one particular journey. Minhinnick himself has described the book as being about ‘Wales viewed from other, strange parts of the world’ and about ‘people and predicaments’.

The author is a well-travelled man and much of his writing has the perspective of the seasoned traveller. One of the big themes running through the essays is environmentalism, not surprisingly given Minhinnick’s history of activism and close involvement with Friends of the Earth (Cymru).

In Badlands, he visits windfarms around Britain and wonders what Wordsworth would have said about them. He experiences the eco-aware extremes of California and in one of the funniest episodes Minhinnick takes part in a ‘Poetry Slam’ in New York – ‘poetry as bloodsport’ as he calls it.

The author’s long pedigree as a poet give his writing a rhythm that makes it enjoyable and easy to read. He also has a sharp eye for the absurd. You might not always agree with Minhinnick’s view of the world but you can still enjoy the pictures he paints.

Kevin Ashford

It is possible to use this review for promotional purposes, but the following acknowledgement should be included: A review from www.gwales.com, with the permission of the Welsh Books Council.

Gellir defnyddio’r adolygiad hwn at bwrpas hybu, ond gofynnir i chi gynnwys y gydnabyddiaeth ganlynol: Adolygiad oddi ar www.gwales.com, trwy ganiatad Cyngor Llyfrau Cymru.