A review by ofelia132
Poems That Make Grown Men Cry: 100 Men on the Words That Move Them by Anthony Holden, Ben Holden

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.