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Poems That Make Grown Men Cry: 100 Men on the Words That Move Them by Anthony Holden, Ben Holden
michaeldonald's review against another edition
4.0
I feel as though I have lived the experiences of so many different people as a result of this book. I was brought to tears many times.
nicollej's review against another edition
2.0
I wanted to like this book. I love poetry collections and I'm a very emotional reader but this particular collection missed the mark for me. All the repetitions of poets bothered me tremendously. I don't need six Seamus Haney or Elizabeth Bishop poems. Some of the intros by the selectors were interesting but more often than not they felt self-important and unnecessary. I should have started counting the number if times I saw certain writer's names repeated either from contribution or inclusion from another contributor. Granted this book did not claim to be an intro to lesser known poets but it had the capability to be so much more than the cliche it was. It gets two instead of one because a few sections were moving but overall fit his hadn't been a free galley that I felt compelled to finish to review, I would have put it down.
I received this from net galley for an honest review.
I received this from net galley for an honest review.
moony_reads's review against another edition
3.0
i have learnt that men only cry about the war, dead children and "their country"
no but for real i read this to annotate it for my grandad for christmas and i know that he will love it but Most of these poems are not for me and that's okay
however reading Benjamin Zephaniah's chosen poem after his death really cut me deep
no but for real i read this to annotate it for my grandad for christmas and i know that he will love it but Most of these poems are not for me and that's okay
however reading Benjamin Zephaniah's chosen poem after his death really cut me deep
jonnyfox's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this collection and the stories as to why they're so special to people added real context.
beth_books_123's review against another edition
4.0
Poetry is meant to be felt - 4*
I never used to appreciate poetry. My state education unfortunately sucked most of my love and enjoyment for poetry as I was taught (and perhaps trained) to focus on the literary elements: the metaphors, the imagery and the context of the poem. Although these elements may be important, I never thought it was, I only learnt to read poems looking for extended metaphors and alliteration. I forgot what emotion and feelings meant in a poem; I forget the true beauty of poetry.
Flash forward to the age of fourteen and the first time I read Dulce Et Decorum Est by Wilfred Owen. Luckily, I did not study this poem and I am so thankful that I didn't. Otherwise I would have been working out the rhyme scheme rather than actually reading the words and understand Owens' words. I had previously read The Soldier by Robert Brooke and despite my patriotism (long live the queen etc.), this poem made me hate the propaganda forced on young men during WW1. Then I read Dulce Et Decorum Est which portrayed the brutalities of war and finally portrayed a picture that represented the true war. For this I was grateful but also very emotional because this scene portrayed probably wasn't the first and last horrific scene of the great war.
This book highlights the connections and emotions men have felt to poetry. However, don't be afraid women, we can cry too. The beauty of this book is the contributors foreword before each poem and how this affected them. Some of them the forewords made me choked up before I had even read the poem because poems can be uplifting of heartbreaking - for me there's no in-between.
So introducing my favourite poems in this anthology. The poems that moved me:
- Love after Love by Derek Walcott
This one made me cry. Not just because of its contributor (Tom Hiddleston - who I admire greatly) but because of the simplicity of the poem. You are enough and in a world where I probably doubt myself so many times during important periods in my life, this poem reminds you (and me) that you're enough.
-Dulce Et Decorum Est by Wilfred Owen - my first connection in poetry, one that I will never ever forget.If you haven't read it, please do, it is such an eye opener to the real life of the war.
-Remember by Christina Rossetti
Ithaka by Constantine P. Cavafy
A fantastic must-read.
I never used to appreciate poetry. My state education unfortunately sucked most of my love and enjoyment for poetry as I was taught (and perhaps trained) to focus on the literary elements: the metaphors, the imagery and the context of the poem. Although these elements may be important, I never thought it was, I only learnt to read poems looking for extended metaphors and alliteration. I forgot what emotion and feelings meant in a poem; I forget the true beauty of poetry.
Flash forward to the age of fourteen and the first time I read Dulce Et Decorum Est by Wilfred Owen. Luckily, I did not study this poem and I am so thankful that I didn't. Otherwise I would have been working out the rhyme scheme rather than actually reading the words and understand Owens' words. I had previously read The Soldier by Robert Brooke and despite my patriotism (long live the queen etc.), this poem made me hate the propaganda forced on young men during WW1. Then I read Dulce Et Decorum Est which portrayed the brutalities of war and finally portrayed a picture that represented the true war. For this I was grateful but also very emotional because this scene portrayed probably wasn't the first and last horrific scene of the great war.
This book highlights the connections and emotions men have felt to poetry. However, don't be afraid women, we can cry too. The beauty of this book is the contributors foreword before each poem and how this affected them. Some of them the forewords made me choked up before I had even read the poem because poems can be uplifting of heartbreaking - for me there's no in-between.
So introducing my favourite poems in this anthology. The poems that moved me:
- Love after Love by Derek Walcott
This one made me cry. Not just because of its contributor (Tom Hiddleston - who I admire greatly) but because of the simplicity of the poem. You are enough and in a world where I probably doubt myself so many times during important periods in my life, this poem reminds you (and me) that you're enough.
-Dulce Et Decorum Est by Wilfred Owen - my first connection in poetry, one that I will never ever forget.If you haven't read it, please do, it is such an eye opener to the real life of the war.
-Remember by Christina Rossetti
Ithaka by Constantine P. Cavafy
A fantastic must-read.
thejenjineer's review against another edition
4.0
I was wondering, going into this book, which of the poems would make me cry. It was the shortest and the (deceptively) simplest poem that did it. Hokku by Fukuda Chiyo-ni. Exactly seven words, I counted. Then I read it again after I finished the whole volume. Cried again.
The poet was a mother who lost her young son. She wrote:
"Dragonfly catcher,
Where today
have you gone?"
And it just broke my heart.
The poet was a mother who lost her young son. She wrote:
"Dragonfly catcher,
Where today
have you gone?"
And it just broke my heart.
emilysamsharrisreads's review against another edition
4.0
Love the concept of this book and exploring a different side of masculinity. Would maybe have liked to see more diverse authors included but not a sticking point. Good for reading a couple poems a day, but I didn't find it a "sit down and read the whole thing".
jorpollard's review
3.5
trying to get into poetry this is good! but some poems are so long its annoying as shit