A Working Girl Can't Win : And Other Poems Paperback – February 22, 2000

Like her style and content

The collection of poems in “A Working Girl Can’t Win” by Deborah Garrison offers an insight into the feminine perspective through blatant honesty and intrigue; demanding the reader search for meaning beyond the purposefully obvious point of view. Though these poems are easy to read, the depth and layers Garrison creates through imagery and metaphor is powerful and provocative. Additionally, as the title suggests, these poems not only speak to and for working women, career driven women, and women who have chosen to be wives and mothers but to anyone who can relate to such women. There is a theme with these poems, definitely a feminine voice, but not necessarily a feminist one.
In the title poem “A Working Girl Can’t Win”, Garrison compares and contrasts career women accused of using their sexuality to succeed; provoking the reader to examine how working women are portrayed by the media and viewed by society, including ageism. My favorite line in this poem is when she asks the question using blunt imagery “Past her sell-by date or still ovulating?”; this would never be asked of a man. Conversely, in “Worked Late on a Tuesday Night” she speaks to the balancing act of being a working wife and mother, perhaps unsuccessfully. She starts by metaphorically describing midtown as being “drained of the crowd and its doggy day” giving the sense it’s late and the streets are empty of people and the air of the hustle and bustle of a working day. However, by the end, Garrison with intense candor, “I’m not half of what I meant to be” reveals this working mother is not entirely satisfied with her choices. Though Garrison’s voice is an unabashed truthfulness, one can relate to these poems on the surface but the reader is forced to dig into these images for deeper meaning.
Drawing on one of the many feminine voices in this collection, Garrison surprises with a quiet pathos in “Father R.I.P., Sums Me Up at Twenty-Three” and “She Thinks of Him on Her Birthday”. Again, these poems are relatable immediately, however, there is this eerie sadness that washes over when you go back for another read. “And every day still hears me say she’ll never be pretty” eviscerated me. A little girl who is told by her daddy she will never be pretty is tragic and something that stays with you long after he passes. Adding to the pathos, Garrison utilizes complex metaphors like “the waist of an hourglass, endlessly passed through and passed through but holding nothing” in reference to being the middle daughter. This mixture of straightforwardness and complicated figurative language produces dimension and stimulates thought. I
felt a strong connection when reading these poems because it was easy to relate even though my story is different.
I recommend this book for several reasons. First, females of any age and background can relate to these poems. Second, this is an excellent book for anyone who wants to begin reading poetry because of its inviting nature, though the beginner should understand the need to look beyond the ease with which it reads. Finally, this book offers a point of view that even men can entertain.

This is a somewhat short collection, 59 pages of actual poems with a lot of white space. The main emphasis is on working women, but many of the poems are about relationships. There is a range in style, length, and subject matter. The style ranges from the crude "Fight Song" to some of a more sentimental nature. Their length varies from one to three pages in an easy to read typeface (Palatino).
Overall, it is a collection of 28 poems previously published in "The New Yorker" (where the author is an editor), "Elle," "The New York Times," "Open City," and "Slate." Like other collections, most readers will find some poems they like more than others. It is fun poetry for the masses. It is not for the psuedo-intellectuals who are wrapped up in great authors. A few of the poems remind me of the style/subject matter of Robert Service who wrote poems about everything from dieting to taxes...

You will note as you go through the reviews that this seems to be a "love it or hate it" book. If you believe that all poetry should read like recycled Rilke, you'll hate this. Don't buy it.
If, however, you'd like to read some poetry on the subway or at the beach, that you'd like a little enjoyment after a steady diet of high culture, then you'll find this is a pretty good choice. There's a lot of material that might remind you of Fran Liebowitz ("Metropolitan Life"). Some of the characters and situations are a little overdrawn, but the irreverance of it all seldom drags.
This doesn't pretend to be more than entertainment, and in that context, it succeeds better than most efforts.
I considered this to be money well spent.

I can't imagine not being able to identify with these poems. To me, they embody the essence of being an almost-thirty, underachieving married woman with an overactive imagination. Garrison has put into words the underlying meaning of my everyday life. The poems drip with insecurity, guilt, lust, skepticism, fear and hope. She is full of paradoxes: questioning yet assertive, pessimistic yet hopeful, bright yet unmotivated. What I like best about these poems is their underlying bitterness, but it is a bitterness that is presented with humor and understanding. Nothing turns out like you thought it would, and people continue to disappoint you, yet still you never cease to be amazed by this phenomenon. Every day provides a fresh slap on the face of your idealism. If life gives you lemons, you might not be able to make lemonade, but you can still make toxic Kool Aid. Just don't drink it.

I picked this book off the shelf by chance. My good luck.
Deborah Garrison's little book of poetry is a treasure. It's funky, funny, wonderful reading. This collection will impress any lover of poetry, whether you just started reading yesterday or you've been a fan for years.
Her writing is accessible. Her writing is real; while she wants to be a "modern" woman, all unoppressed and girl power-ish, she is still a human. And she let's you know that up front. One of the best things about it is that you don't have to break out a dictionary to understand it. And it doesn't take days worth of analyzation to get through a few lines either. Buy it!

I wrote a review in Locust & Honey comparing the recent poetic work of Garrison's *Working Girl* and Suzanne Clark's *Sketches of Home* (Canon Press). An excerpt: "How it feels to receive a bulk mailing which asserts that you have won a great prize or thousands of dollars is sometimes how Garrison's poetry comes across. We don't know if we should respond or if a response is even being solicited. This 'bulk-rate' poetry weighs heavy for an instant, then vanishes." -- Adam Spurgeon Zens