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Poems That Make Grown Men Cry: 100 Men on the Words That Move Them by Anthony Holden, Ben Holden
nkmustdie's review
2.0
I hate the title, as it suggests its unnantural or unlikely that a grown man should cry, leaving that vulnerable action to the weak, overemotional (presumably women) other genders. the selections failed to bring tears to my female eyes but there were a few that struck a chord.
leerazer's review
4.0
Whatever about men shedding a precious tear, this is a superior collection of poems whose stated organizing principle at least has the merit of placing the best attraction of poetry - its ability to move a reader's emotions in a carefully crafted relative minimum of words - fully forward. And it's also fun to see what poem some of your favorite famous personalities - Nick Cave, Patrick Stewart; they didn't disappoint- select, and briefly hear from them how they relate to it.
Though the extent of my own outer demonstrative range when reading a poem ends at a furrowed brow, a bit lip, a deep breath, I'd add the following selection to this collection: Northern Irish poet Michael Longley had the poem "Ceasefire" published in The Irish Times on the occasion of the IRA ceasefire in 1994, and the combination of an emotional connection to the Northern Irish Troubles, a connection to The Iliad, and imagining the pain of losing one of my own sons, combine to rank this one way up there for me.
I
Put in mind of his own father and moved to tears
Achilles took him by the hand and pushed the old king
Gently away, but Priam curled up at his feet and
Wept with him until their sadness filled the building.
II
Taking Hector's corpse into his own hands Achilles
Made sure it was washed and, for the old king's sake,
Laid out in uniform, ready for Priam to carry
Wrapped like a present home to Troy at daybreak.
III
When they had eaten together, it pleased them both
To stare at each other's beauty as lovers might,
Achilles built like a god, Priam good-looking still
And full of conversation, who earlier had sighed:
IV
'I get down on my knees and do what must be done
And kiss Achilles' hand, the killer of my son.'
Though the extent of my own outer demonstrative range when reading a poem ends at a furrowed brow, a bit lip, a deep breath, I'd add the following selection to this collection: Northern Irish poet Michael Longley had the poem "Ceasefire" published in The Irish Times on the occasion of the IRA ceasefire in 1994, and the combination of an emotional connection to the Northern Irish Troubles, a connection to The Iliad, and imagining the pain of losing one of my own sons, combine to rank this one way up there for me.
I
Put in mind of his own father and moved to tears
Achilles took him by the hand and pushed the old king
Gently away, but Priam curled up at his feet and
Wept with him until their sadness filled the building.
II
Taking Hector's corpse into his own hands Achilles
Made sure it was washed and, for the old king's sake,
Laid out in uniform, ready for Priam to carry
Wrapped like a present home to Troy at daybreak.
III
When they had eaten together, it pleased them both
To stare at each other's beauty as lovers might,
Achilles built like a god, Priam good-looking still
And full of conversation, who earlier had sighed:
IV
'I get down on my knees and do what must be done
And kiss Achilles' hand, the killer of my son.'
mobilisinmobili's review against another edition
3.0
Mostly poems for old white guys by old white guys, but a few gems in there. I didn't feel that I got as much insight as I would have liked into men and crying.
liridona's review
5.0
Initially, I was a attracted by the title and the genre. Some of the poems were not my cup of tea, or the kind of poetry I usually enjoy, but the men's accompanying paragraphs of why that particular poem made them emotional made this a great reading experience. Like Julian Fellowes writes about his poem choice: "(...) great poetry, like great art, is not about anyone in particular because it is about everyone."
klauhau's review
2.0
There were a few poems in this collection that gave me tingles (Long Distance I and II and The Lanyard for example) but most of the poems did not speak to me.
mjmbecky's review
5.0
I loved this compilation & idea behind it. Mainly I just love the idea of all these guys embracing poetry.
ofelia132's review
4.0
It's hard to pick out a rating for a book like this. Art in all its forms is more expression than anything else. Just cause I have never been a fan of cubism doesn't mean it's not great art or unimportant. It's just a form of expression that has never impacted me. Likewise, many of the poems did not move me, while I could relate deeply to others.
I can't get through almost a single episode of Pokémon without crying, but none of these poems made me cry. That's more a testament to my strangeness rather than the book though. Even if the poems did not result in any tears they gave me comfort.
So, how do you rate a book such as this one? If not by the poems themselves, but by the concept behind their assimilation? Some people seem to have a problem with the concept; of only including male contributors. They call it unnecessary, a way of yet again only showcasing men. I don't have a problem with it though. It's an easily accessible introduction to poetry and is filled with men showing great emotion, something much too uncommon. Also having 100 people choose a singular poem means that every poem is in the book "matters".
I liked the concept and enough of the poems, so I would say it's a nice book.
I can't get through almost a single episode of Pokémon without crying, but none of these poems made me cry. That's more a testament to my strangeness rather than the book though. Even if the poems did not result in any tears they gave me comfort.
So, how do you rate a book such as this one? If not by the poems themselves, but by the concept behind their assimilation? Some people seem to have a problem with the concept; of only including male contributors. They call it unnecessary, a way of yet again only showcasing men. I don't have a problem with it though. It's an easily accessible introduction to poetry and is filled with men showing great emotion, something much too uncommon. Also having 100 people choose a singular poem means that every poem is in the book "matters".
I liked the concept and enough of the poems, so I would say it's a nice book.
hayley_loves_books's review
4.0
I have always been a little wary of poetry as it is very subjective as to what a person likes. Here is something I discovered. Read poetry anthologies! A collection of poetry gives a beginner or pro poetry reader variety. I highly recommend this book as a way of discovering what style of poetry or particular poets you may like. I will definitely be reading the companion novel to this one entitled Poems That Make Grown Women Cry.