Review - Broetry

by: Brian McGackin

Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble

Synopsis:
As contemporary poets sing the glories of birds, birch trees, and menstruation, regular guys are left scratching their heads. Who can speak for Everyman? Who will articulate his love for Xbox 360, for Mama Celeste's frozen pizza, for the cinematic oeuvre of Bruce Willis?

Enter Broetry--a stunning debut from a dazzling new literary voice. "Broet Laureate" Brian McGackin goes where no poet has gone before--to Star Wars conventions, to frat parties, to video game tournaments, and beyond. With poems like "Ode to That Girl I Dated for, Like, a Month Sophomore Year" and "My Friends Who Don't Have Student Loans," we follow the Bro from his high school graduation and college experience through a "quarter-life crisis" and beyond.

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The cover is so simplistic, you might miss it. No I like it, it's white, the title is the only color. On the front cover is a Broem and also on the back.

So, how is the poetry? What do I look like, a Rhodes scholar? It's fun, all of it is in good fun. I'm not a guy, and some references I didn't totally understand, but I laughed a lot!

He writes about past girlfriends, relationships, magic the game, the incredible debt of college and the inevitability of giving up on LA and moving back home. For a guy who doesn't open up, it's pretty deep. Not a lot of feelings outright, but lots hidden within the lines. Isn't that good poetry?

Ok, I'm going to leave you with my favorite ending to one of the poems called "Why You Should Listen to Classical Music" on page 117.

Classical music. It makes you smarter.
And admit it, you could be more cultured;
you just picked up a book called Broetry

Some were difficult to read, but in general I fully enjoyed myself.