Book Review: What Men Should Know About Women

From William Shakespeare to John Dunn, poetry has a unique ability to tug on the heart strings, stir emotions, convey deeper meanings, and even transport the reader to another time and place. In the case of Erica M. Loberg’s work What Men Should Know About Women, I experienced each of the above; however, the experience was not a positive one and I found myself in a place I never wanted to be as a reader. Loberg’s take on “what men should know about women” is divided into three loose chapters, covering the topics of self, the body, women, and the city. Her foray into examining the concept of self includes estimations of self-worth based on physical appearance, the struggle of the woman to reconcile reality with the image of perfection often presented, as well as the general struggles of overcoming, fighting adversity, encountering depression, and submitting to discouragement. The body chapter paints a picture of a woman’s insecurity over thinning hair and weight gain, with an oh-so-subtle side order of eating disorder. The portion entitled “women” is a discussion of what the reader would assume are Loberg’s own emotional feelings and thoughts, of which 90 percent discuss sex in some way. The 10 percent that mentions love and genuine connection is written in such a way that the reader is left to assume that the poet has never experienced a satisfying or deep connection. Finally, the city portion takes on the tone of an observer walking through the streets of a ...
Source: Psych Central - Category: Psychiatry Authors: Tags: Bipolar Book Reviews Disorders General Personal Stories Psychology Relationships & Love Women's Issues Bipolar Disorder book of poetry Depression Emotion erica loberg Human Sexuality Self-Esteem Sex Addiction Woman Source Type: news