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Book Review of Good Poems

Good Poems
reviewed on + 17 more book reviews


These are not the poems from your high school literature text -- poems selected to teach you something about the time or the style they were written in. These are good poems selected by a man with a love of the spoken word and of poetry. Keillor knows the power of a figurative "whack on the side of the head" to spark a sigh of refreshment, creativity, compassion, or release.

While not obtuse, the poems are also not frothy -- it's likely you haven't met these in the card aisle. Many of the selections are both American and modern and so echo familiar themes of housework, driving, pets, kids, distractions, but also urban spaces, empty spaces, and wild spaces.

If you love to listen to the lyrics of songs or the dialogue in a well-written tv show or movie but you think you dislike poetry, I suggest giving Good Poems a chance. You might change your mind.