Not a review, but a special moment as 35 members of the San Antonio literary community gathered to read poems and raise money for the English Department at Our Lady of the Lake University.  The English Department was located in the historic Main Building (constructed in the 1890s) and lost books and papers. This article. about the reading, was written by Steve Bennett, editor of the Book Review and SA Life sections of the San Antonio Express-News on June 9, 2008, the day after the reading.  Bennett is, himself, a very fine writer,

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"Out of the wreckage of America's failed war in Vietnam, H. Palmer Hall has fashioned poems of quiet beauty and supple strength.  There are no pretensions here, no posturing, but only the hard-earned wisdom of a gentle heart and a bedrock decency making it possible to believe that, in spit of everything, we still have reason to hope."                 

"H. Palmer Hall's voice is as forthright and intimate as a first love affair or a last, lingering grief.  His book's subject is the impact of Vietnam on an American life, and his hope is that he can translate that jungle of painful images for the rest of us who were not there.  There is nothing false or affected in these pages — only the undistorted news of the heart.  From the Periphery is that haunting, that luminous.                                                   — Charles Fishman

"Whether the reader is struck by the irony of Hall's Vietnam service or soothed with the author's ability to find refuge in a thorny, Texas thicket, these essays reach deeply into the cultural zeitgeist and should be required reading for anyone interested in knowing oneself.  H. Palmer Hall not only describes his interior struggles and growth, but he offers intelligent signposts and guiding insights for his boomer generation and its children."   — Will Hochman

"Whether recounting his early adolescent days and recent revisiting in the Big Thicket or his military service in the deep recesses of Vietnam and subsequent thoughts on war, sharing personal experiences as a husband and father, or presenting his astute observations on Southern history and popular culture as poet-teacher, all material is well-maintained by this librarian who also happens to be a persuasive author with an innate knack for narrative.  These writings offer a familiar and friendly voice that always appears authentic and reliable in its storytelling, providing enjoyable and enriching reading."          — Edward Byrne

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Longer Reviews from:

The San Antonio Express-News (Review of Coming to Terms)

The Briar Cliff Review (review of Coming to Terms)

The San Antonio Express-News (review of To Wake Again)

The Briar Cliff Review (review of To Wake Again)

Valparaiso Poetry Review (review of Reflections on Publishing, Writing & Other Things)

The Texas Observer (Profile of H. Palmer Hall with reviews of three books)

Texas Books in Review (A review of Coming to Terms by a former student)