The Rag and Bone Shop of the Heart: Poems for Men

Rating:
Summary: Good Medicine for the Male Soul
Review: If you loved Iron John, you should read this book. But if you either (1) didn't read Iron John, (2) tried to read but couldn't finish Iron John, or (3) hated Iron John, you should especially read this book. I have to say up front that I don't agree with, or perhaps understand, many aspects and details of the men's movement. I was one person who tried mightily to read and enjoy Iron John, but simply couldn't get all the way through it. Then I found this book, and I have been reading it since. This was 10 years ago. I am exaggerating of course, but only a little. This book is a constant in my reading habits. I refer to it again and again, and have recommended it (and purchased it) for more friends than any other book I know.

Simply, this is a wonderful anthology of poetry, organized thematically, for men. Many of the individual poems are brilliant, and the overall organization is intelligent and, at times, profound. As I have grappled with marriage, fatherhood, aging parents--all the trappings of midlife--this book has been a constant source of wisdom and comfort for me. Do a kind thing for yourself or for a thoughtful man in your life and buy this book.

Rating:
Summary: A Great Anthology
Review: Most people like poetry more than they are willing to admit, and this book will open anyone's heart to the simplicity and complexity of poetry's possibilties. I teach college literature courses and am always searching for approachable poems to share with my poetry-fearing students. This book has been the perfect collection to break down the stony walls that separate those who love poetry and those who are just plain afraid to. The varied representations range from Cesar Vallejo to Bob Dylan to Czeslaw Milosz. Edited by that eccentric Robert Bly(et al)with the cool hand gestures and multiple recitations style, section titles such as "Making a Hole in Denial" and The Naive Male" shouldn't scare anyone away. The selections and commentaries are terrific. The only flaw is the subtitle "Poems for Men" which appears only on the title page--which is a good thing since if I'd seen it before I bought the book, I probably would have laughed thinking I had to get down to my skivvies with a drum to read out of it. Get this book if you want to read some great standards right alongside some obscure, unique discoveries. By the way, this collection may contain poems the editors meant to be for men, but they're poems for women just as well.

Rating:
Summary: treasures untold
Review: Treasures untold, indeed. This is the finest, most inspiring and least predictable contemporary poetry anthology I have ever come across. It has introduced me (I am British, and certain of the US
poets featured are not so well-known over here) to, among many others, Balaban, Nowlen and the wonderful Robert Haydon - his poem about his father is heartbreaking, a perfect poem.
Bly is a hero. I`ve long loved his poetry and his approach to the art. Here, with his compadres, he has given us a cornucopia of living, fire-breathing verse to live, love and get lost in for ever.
`Volume Two?`