A review by monasterymonochrome
The Book of Men: Poems by Dorianne Laux

4.0

Not all of the poems here spoke to me in terms of subject matter or emotional resonance, but the ones that did were mostly strong enough to make up for the ones that didn't. Dorianne Laux has a great command of imagery and conciseness. She rarely uses more words than seem necessary and can pack a lot more into those few words than many writers can in several hundred. I also appreciated the variety of styles and tones these poems took. I was really impressed by her use of rhyme schemes that are both unobtrusive and impactful, as on the trio of poems where each line ends in the same sound ("Fog," "Emily Said," "Men"). This collection also contains a couple remarkable list poems ("Dog Moon," "Gold"), some fantastically stirring images (the first poem, "Staff Sgt. Metz," which might be my favorite of them all; "Learning to Drive"), and several really bracing and powerful philosophical insights ("Lighter," "Antilamentation").