Some of the best poetry I've read. Different in the fact that it's very earthy and humanistic, focused on workers and cities at the onset of the 20th century and the waking nightmare of World War II. Sandburg perfectly evokes everything from the sand on the beaches of Normandy to the smog and steel of Chicago, but always puts the humans at the forefront and refuses to get lost in supercilious verbiage for the sake of poetics. Very distinctly and unashamedly American - not chintzy, flag-pin, red hat patriotism, but honest love and compassion for the modest people who wake up and make this country run every single day.