Funny Men Cannot Be Trusted: Poetry For People Who Hate Poetry III

by Tolu' Akinyemi

‘Funny Men Cannot Be Trusted' is a witty yet poignant third instalment in the unconventional ‘poetry for people who hate poetry’ series. It is a collection that humorously melds the trivial and the serious. It’s introduced with an exploration of the roles, foibles, and failures of men and fathers in relationships and families.

158 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 9, 2017

About the author

Tolu' Akinyemi is also known as Poetolu is an award-winning Poet and Writer.  He was born in Akure, the capital city of Ondo State, Nigeria. He studied Architecture & Design at the Federal University of Technology Akure, Nigeria, and then at the University of Greenwich, London.

His often-humorous writings offer keen perspectives on our lived experiences as societies and as individuals, and evoke appreciation for other seemingly-mundane-yet- important interactions in our environment. Tolu’s witty, simple yet relatable and sometimes poignant approach has inspired self-confessed new writers and earned his writings a loyal following especially on social media.

He has written three books ‘Your Father Walks Like A Crab’, ‘I Laugh At These Skinny Girls’, and ‘Funny Men Cannot Be Trusted’, all dubbed ‘Poetry for people who hate poetry’

 His writings have also appeared in a number of notable publications such as the ‘Black History Month Magazine’,  'Verses From The Sun', an Association of Nigerian Authors anthology, 'A Way With Words' (2014 & 2016), a Great British Write Off Anthology and other printed and online outlets. His poetry play 'The Big Society'; written for The Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust, London was performed at The Greenwich-Lewisham Young People's Theatre, London. In 2017, he was named on the 'Nigerian Writers' Awards' list of '100 Most Influential Nigerian Writers under 40' and also won the 'Poetry Writer of the Year' Award. He is a recipient of the Arts Council England’s 'Exceptional Talent Endorsement' as a writer.

You can find Tolu as @poetolu on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter  He currently lives in London, England.

Reviews

[Omobodunde Ajayi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think the book is really beautiful. Simple words, beautifully scripted. Poet Olu really killed this one.

[Emmanuella James · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Poetry for those who hate poetry"
First off I think the whole idea of this book is as genius as it is humorous. Poetry seems like such a
'serious' art. No smiling, just deep deep emotions conveyed with words no one actually understands.

Anyways if you've been shying from reading poetry I think this book by Akinyemi is a great start!

It's a very easy read, fun, funny but still able to pack a punch.

[Alasdair · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don't be fooled by the 'Poetry for people who don't like poetry' tag; this is very far from the terrible Insta-poetry of the moment. Not everything works, but where it does, especially in the first of the three parts, these are brutally incisive vignettes on the complications of relationships (mostly romantic, sometimes family).

[Adefemi Fagite · Rating 4 out of 5]

A masterpiece. Tolu's collection in this book are all relatable. Written in simple words that makes it very easy to understand.

[Oyindamola Shoola · Rating 5 out of 5]

From experience, I can say that when there is a comeback especially in literature, a writer should work at least twice as hard to ensure success. However, Tolu Akinyemi again effortlessly prospers with brilliance and humor in this new collection: Funny Men Cannot Be Trusted. Tolu’s style of writing and the content of his works conquers many people's preconception of poetry. The simplicity of his work is extremely admirable. With this simplicity, Tolu brings a transformation to poetry by recognizing the joy that poetry readers have when they understand poems.
Most of the poems in Funny Men Cannot Be Trusted are indefinitely hilarious with didactic motives behind them. In this collection, there are poems about relationships that I thoroughly enjoyed because they bring wisdom and knowledge to the things that matter when it comes to loving a significant other. There are also poems where he talks about infidelity in relationships by highlighting their consequences. I particularly admire how Tolu embraces his "Nigerianess" in this collection by penning the realities of our culture and lifestyle. There is a poem that contains the full attributes and experiences Nigerians. For example, he mentions our habit of asking people to join us to eat a meal when we silently mean that they are not invited. He also wrote about how we politely insult people for example, in situations when they overstay their visit.
Funny Men Cannot Be Trusted is a must read especially for upcoming writers to develop their creativity and ability to find writing-prompts from ordinary or daily situations.
With emphasis, I wish that poetry collections like Tolu Akinyemi's books are included in the Nigerian Education syllabus for English and literature in secondary schools. These kinds of books and poems motivate students to learn, to read, to analyze and to write, unlike the boring foreign poems that kills students’ motivation to love poetry. This book is also very enticing with its small size that allows easy portability and the title that could make strangers and even friends, stare at you uncontrollably if you read the book in public.
Funny Men Cannot Be Trusted is the kind of book that makes you forget to eat dinner because it keeps you satisfied to the brim. This collection along with I Laugh at These Skinny Girls and Your Father Walks Like Crab, changes the game in poetry writing all over the word and specifically, in Nigerian literature. Also, if as a writer, you need a book to challenge your creativity and make you think without the box, all Tolu Akinyemi's books are the perfect fit for you.

[Alya N · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yummy! This book tastes incredibly witty. It's heavenly to devour. The way the Nigerian author speaks of his mind is something that readers can understand. He can deliver the message, exactly fit in its best way, no more and less. As i wrote in update progress, he can create beautiful poetries using simple things everybody can relate, as its ingredients.

reading this book automatically generates a smile on me.

my favorite goes to:
"buy one get one free. everything seems cheaper if it's done with two(s)"

"you want to follow your dad going work. he said yes and asked you to change your gown.
you went to your room and changed your gown and back to him and he has gone

your father does not know that he has built the first block of a wall that cause you dont believe men for the next"

Also the poetry of "Friends". It presents how the real circle of friends rotates virtually. Not forget to mention "Interesting" as well. In this one, Tolu' gives us such an interesting view that 'interesting' word does not always mean in a good way indeed.

Hail for Tolu' Akinyemi. I am wholeheartedly glad to see your next work.

[Literary Everything · Rating 4 out of 5]

The concise writing, the use of wit, play on words, rhymes and figures of speech. All these and more are in this collection. The best thing about it is that it is simple to understand and the short length of the poems make them punchy. Read the full review https://literaryeverything.com/2020/0...

[Opeyemi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Humorous and once again, very easy to understand especially for a 'non-poetry-lover' like me

[Ugochi Okoli]

Hahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahah!!!!!!
Awwwwwwwwwwww!
Wooooow!!
Lmao!
Sweeet!
I see what you did there!



This is the best review for this book!
but
Y'all have to read it to fully understand!

[Nneka Ngene · Rating 4 out of 5]

More like 4.5 stars. This was a surprisingly great book of poetry. Unpretentious & funny with great undertones

[Funmilola · Rating 4 out of 5]

Witty and well written. This is a book that stays with you.

[Oluwafemi Ojosu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short, simple, relatable and to the point.

[Omotola · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing and relatable poems. Tried so hard to read slowly, as each page made me smile or laugh so hard. It’s a book for everyone.