The Book of Men: Poems

I read this collection, along with Laux's Book of Women. As someone unfamiliar with Laux and her American culture, I have to say she immediately transported me, as a non-American reader, into the setting of each poem. Laux does this by focusing on the minutiae of everyday life, yet bringing in evocative metaphors and descriptions. I love the lighter elements, her use of irony etc, as I didn't feel as though I were drowning in a confessional vat. I came away from this collection feeling as if I know this poet now. More importantly, however, Laux (similar to Olds) it seems, is a master at the line-break. The way in which she crafts her lines made me feel as if Laux was very much in control throughout - even in poems like 'Bakersfield, 1969' and 'Staff Sgt. Metz,' where clearly there is an emotional element coming through.Thank you Ms Laux for taking me on a wonderful, intense journey.

I have been reluctant to write a review on Laux's collection of poems because I wanted to address the whole collection. But there is one that embedded itself. One that I call people to hear. One that I use as an example to people who "hate" poetry. One that I (as a writer) will forever use as a standard. It is titled Mother's Day.Laux doesn't write poems that are obscure, poems that intimidate readers. She communicates at the highest levels. The reader not only "gets" the poem, but feels it, experiences it.I will often write a poem and "try it out" on a few friends who dislike poetry. I explain that if it doesn't make sense, I haven't done my job. Recently, I read Mother's Day to a few of these friends. Their responses ranged from: "Oh My God", to "I want this book."I have called most of my poet friends to read the poem over the phone. It is perfect. In this poem we experience a moment we have had but couldn't put in words - a moment we know we will have at some time in our life. In so few words, we know Mother and daughter. We know their history, the way their minds work, the bond between them. We taste the mixture of sweet and sour, feel pain, joy, love and we are left reflecting on the beauty of a moment when worlds intertwine.The entire collection is remarkable, and this is only one poem.

Dorianne Laux is a poet whose works have risen to the height of popularity since her first collection, "Awake" was published in 1990. Known for the honesty with which she portrays the hard but often beautiful truths of everyday life, Laux is far more than a confessional poet who writes about personal experience, as some critics have labeled her. She is a multi-faceted observational poet, populist poet, erotic poet, and nature poet, just to name a few. This breadth of subject matter has always characterized her work, as Laux writes candidly about all aspects of life using powerful diction and poignant lyricism, without crossing into the realm of sentimentality. In her latest book, "The Book of Men," we see the same style that has come to characterize Laux's work shine through, as she uses the subject of men as a springboard to capture the imperfection of humanity with a compassionate eye.The first section of the book begins with sixteen poems, each about a different man, mythical or actual. Some poems also deal with the topic of men at large thematically. Laux succeeds at achieving razor sharp clarity with her powerful imagery, playful language, and surprising metaphors. In "Mick Jagger" she writes of the singer: "If you turn off the sound he's a ruminating bovine/a baby's face tasting his first sour orange or spitting spooned oatmeal out./Rugose cheeks and beef/jerky jowls." This sort of humor infuses the collection and keeps it engaging throughout. Despite "The Book of Men's" playfulness, each of its poems also holds a simple and striking truth. This is Laux at her best, juxtaposing humor and solemnity. At the end of "Late-Night TV," for instance, a poem recounting a narrator watching a late-night infomercial man, Laux writes: "Somewhere in the universe is a palace/ where each of us is imprinted with a map,/the one path seared into the circuits of our brains./It signals us to turn left at the green light,/right at the dead tree./We know nothing of how it all works,/how we end up in one bed or another,/speak one language instead of others,/what heat draws us to our life's work/or keeps us from a dream until it's nothing/but a blister we scratch in our sleep."In the second section of the collection, Laux expands beyond poems only about men to write about subjects as diverse as Cher, the color gold, and the beauty of people's backs. A master observer, Laux adeptly captures the small details which bring these poems to life: "Cher/tall as a glass of iced tea,/her bony shoulders draped...rouged cheek bones and her/throaty panache/her voice of gravel and clover." "The Book of Men" celebrates the beauty of human imperfection, of both men and women.Fans of Laux's work will not be disappointed. "The Book of Men" skips the "big things" and focuses on the small, over-looked, and in-between moments of life, setting up the human being as a tiny blip against a huge backdrop. The same intense imagery, non-judgmental voice, blend of comedy and seriousness, and stories about everyday life that are hallmarks of her previous collections are present here. However, "In the Book of Men," Laux achieves a level of precision with her language like never before. With its tight language and piercing clarity, this latest collection is Laux's crowning achievement. She states in the poem "Mine Own Phil Levine": "poetry was precision, raw precision/Truth and compassion: genius." If this is the case, then this is the most real poetry Laux has ever penned, as well as the most ingenious.

Laux has such a mastery of lists, the way she drives a thought forward until it spirals and twists into configurations you never thought you'd ever see. "The Secret of Backs" and "Fall" are two poems especially that are going to keep me coming back to this one, which is a fine thing for any collection to make me do.

Meaning was conveyed to me through some of the poems and some of the lines of some of the poems. I was able to read mostly every line of poetry in the book, and I never regretted the purchase. I heard a human female voice free of excessive projections onto her other gender. Such voices, in my opinion, justify the existence of poetry.

I am so glad I discovered Dorianne Laux - through listening to the Writer's Almanac which is another find! I just keep reading these poems. Simple but so insightful - I love them.

The Book of Men: Poems is a beautifully printed book that's as nice to look at and touch as it is to read. Laux's poems are thoughtful, emotional and relevant. A definite must read and nice addition to anyone's poetry collection.