101 Poems That Could Save Your Life: An Anthology of Emotional First Aid [Hardcover]

Daisy Goodwin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 24, 2002

Prozac has side effects, drinking gives you hangovers, therapy's expensive. For quick and effective relief -- or at least some literary comfort -- from everyday and exceptional problems, try a poem. Over the ages, people have turned to poets as ambassadors of the emotions, because they give voice and definition to our troubles, and by so doing, ease them. No matter how bad things get, poets have been there, too, and they can help you get over the rough spots.

This is the first poetry anthology designed expressly for the self-help generation. The poems listed include classics by Emily Dickinson, Lord Byron, Ogden Nash, and Lucretius, to name just a few, along with newer works by such current practitioners as Seamus Heaney and Wendy Cope. This book has a cure or consolation for nearly every affliction, ancient or modern. And no side effects-except pleasure.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Getting Ready for (or Rid of) CupidWith its appealing heart-drawn-in-sugar cover and bite-sized format, 101 Poems That Could Save Your Life: An Anthology of Emotional First Aid may make for a point-of-sale panacea this Valentine's Day. Edited with an emphasis on British poets by London-based television producer Daisy Goodwin, this collection is introduced by NPR's Scott Simon, and categorically organized by daily travail, from "First date" and "First wrinkle" to "Staying married," "Stressed out" and "Successfully single." Poems and poets run the gamut from Wendy Cope's "How to Deal with the Press" ("She'll urge you to confide. Resist.") to Ogden Nash's "The Parent": "Children aren't happy with nothing to ignore,/ and that's what parents were created for."
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Review

Here’s to Daisy Goodwin who collected all these tough, funny, angry, consoling antidotes to the demons of the average day. (Diane Sawyer )

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Harper (December 24, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 006052913X
• ISBN-13: 978-0060529130
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #572,168 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bubble baths, chocolate, and this book, emotional bandaids.., December 28, 2004

By 

Melissa Meloche (Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 101 Poems That Could Save Your Life: An Anthology of Emotional First Aid (Hardcover)

This is one of the most entertaining and refreshing poetry collectoins I've ever read. Whether your feeling down about your self, money, love, or the world in general, this book can help. The poems inside are light hearted and whimsical, or wistful and a little sad by turn, but whatever the mood, they all offer a bit of comfort on a cold day. I abosolutely reccomend this book!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Poem Cures, November 5, 2007

By 

Rebecca Johnson "The Rebecca Review" (Washington State) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: 101 Poems That Could Save Your Life: An Anthology of Emotional First Aid (Hardcover)

"101 Poems that could save your life" gives a voice to a number of daily problems. Reading each poem refocuses the mind so you can see problems from various vantage points. Each poem promises to give you a renewed clarity and relief from emotional ailments.

The first poem made me laugh and the introductions to each section are a nice touch. There are poems for Apologies, Bad Hair Days, Bereavement, Big Decisions, Birthday Blues, Career Crisis, Christmas Stress, Divorce, First Dates, Illness, Insomnia, Relationships, Courage, Finances, Parenting (when the baby cries), Retail Therapy, Depression and Stress.

While reading this book you may even find poems you want to read to your friends. There is a beautiful poem, like a message from the grave, that makes death seem to be less permanent and more a change of location.

"Do not stand at my grave and weep;
I am not there, I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn rain."

The poems are all quite clever and most of them make you smile. "If People Disapprove of You" is quite funny and cute. There were a few poems I'd seen before like Kipling's "If." Most of the poems were new to me and that was a nice surprise. So whether you are seeking some respite or just enjoy reading new poems I can recommend this to you. While the author suggests reading a poem for a moment or reason, I think you can also enjoy this book all at once and find it quite pleasing.

~The Rebecca Review

5.0 out of 5 stars When drowning, grab for this, January 3, 2007

By 

A. Lovett "mystery gal" (Atlanta, GA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: 101 Poems That Could Save Your Life: An Anthology of Emotional First Aid (Hardcover)

Sometimes poetry and philosophy can do more good than psychology. Can anything compare with a good poem to deal with the bumps and lumps of life? Is there anything that nails the frustration of relationships like "Big Decision" and "I'm Really Very Fond" and "Go to Bed With a Cheese and Pickle Sandwich"? This book would be a great gift for a friend.