Customer Reviews

Pax Atomica: Poems

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4 star:		(1)
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McGrath offers an uneven take on contemporary American culture through this eclectic selection of poems. Flashes of brilliance emerge, but often feel bogged down in cleverness. His cynicism spans the spectrum from incisive to caustic, and sometimes the impact of the message dissolves due to the acid edge. Infinite Needs is a favorite, and it makes me think that 100 years from now readers might discover a window into the early 21st century by reading McGrath. The good here is very good; but many left me cold.

Campbell McGrath's Pax Atomica is full of $1.50 words and a mish-mash of cultural references, everything from The Ramones to Harleys, to Clint Eastwood to Da Vinci. His poems are lyrical and humorous, fun to read while also accomplishing commentary on American Culture. If you love poetry that comments on modern times and is accessible, then you should read this book!

I am prepared to hail Campbell McGrath as a master of resounding images and a social commentator extraordinaire; a poet with a powerful voice. Made me laugh, made me think. He will impress you with his outstanding and varied intellect - from geology to music, art, and T.V., and back again to botany. McGrath's pieces are enjoyable and gratifying on multiple levels. He demonstrates a love of words and exhibits variance of structure that adds to each piece's individuality; and while he exercises an assortment of tones, the book in its entirety is a cohesive work. I found his observations poignant, his opinions fascinating, and his book thoroughly engaging. Everyone I really like is getting a copy of Pax Atomica for Christmas.

What is really great about this book is how the poems can effortlessly dwell between blue collar grit and intellectual linguistic abstraction. McGrath's wordplay is great fun and these poems are engaging and worth rereading.