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You Drive Me Crazy: Love Poems for Real Life
From the editors of the successful anthologies "The Hell With Love" and "Kiss Off" comes a third collection of poetry celebrating commitment, passion, and everlasting love. Two-color text.
208 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
January 24, 2024
A really unexpected collection of poems that are definitely not the same ol same ol.
March 16, 2017
Really enjoyed this anthology of poems on the sweet, sour, and sad sides of romantic love. Brought together classic writers and even a piece from a musical. Has something for everyone.
April 4, 2016
‘You Drive Me Crazy: Love Poems for Real Life’ is a 180 page collection of love poems. These collection of love poems are related to the topics of Ecstasy, Stability, Monotony, Uncertainty, Misery, and Clarity in a relationship. It was collected and edited by Mary D. Esselman and Elizabeth Ash Vélez who has also edited other love poem collections such as ‘The Hell With Love’ as well as ‘Kiss Off’. Unlike its predecessors, ‘You Drive Me Crazy’ is more about guiding its audience on how to continue to keep love living.
I had actually had my eye on this book for a while now because I always want to find more interesting poetry books. I found this book particularly entertaining because of the mere selection of poems were excellent beyond belief. I enjoyed how each one told a unique story which ties with not only topics but even the poems in that section to a degree. It had classics like from Shakespeare and Emily Dickinson but some from Pablo Neruda and even some more less known poets such as Amy Lowell. Nevertheless, all of the poets featured ended up interesting me in their own way.
Another thing that I really enjoyed about this book is the sectional introductions before the actual poems. They not only explain how the poems relate to the topic being showcased but they also have pleasant pieces of sarcasm, wit, and just plain relation with the reader engrained within them. It makes it feel like more of a commentary and like the authors understand you than just a plain, stiff explanation given in a flat tone of voice. I found this enjoyable because flat explanations drains personality from books which personality is what a book needs to usually stand out.
I would really advise this book to teens and adults to read this book because it really captures a young spirit in the sight of love but also has many parts that even adults would crack a smile or two at. It really does stand out and shines above your average poetry collection. In fact, you may find yourself falling in love with the book more than desiring to keep a love alive. Filled with plenty of sass and wit to spare, You Drive Me Crazy: Love Poems For Real Life will keep you entertained for a long time no matter how many times you read it.
I had actually had my eye on this book for a while now because I always want to find more interesting poetry books. I found this book particularly entertaining because of the mere selection of poems were excellent beyond belief. I enjoyed how each one told a unique story which ties with not only topics but even the poems in that section to a degree. It had classics like from Shakespeare and Emily Dickinson but some from Pablo Neruda and even some more less known poets such as Amy Lowell. Nevertheless, all of the poets featured ended up interesting me in their own way.
Another thing that I really enjoyed about this book is the sectional introductions before the actual poems. They not only explain how the poems relate to the topic being showcased but they also have pleasant pieces of sarcasm, wit, and just plain relation with the reader engrained within them. It makes it feel like more of a commentary and like the authors understand you than just a plain, stiff explanation given in a flat tone of voice. I found this enjoyable because flat explanations drains personality from books which personality is what a book needs to usually stand out.
I would really advise this book to teens and adults to read this book because it really captures a young spirit in the sight of love but also has many parts that even adults would crack a smile or two at. It really does stand out and shines above your average poetry collection. In fact, you may find yourself falling in love with the book more than desiring to keep a love alive. Filled with plenty of sass and wit to spare, You Drive Me Crazy: Love Poems For Real Life will keep you entertained for a long time no matter how many times you read it.
November 9, 2012
The third book of poetry that Ms. Esselman and Ms. Velez have put together, YOU DRIVE ME CRAZY can help anyone once again believe in the power and redeeming force of love. Whether newlyweds, heading towards your golden anniversary, or gripped in the claws of new love with a significant other, these poems are for you.
From Shakespeare to Neruda, from e.e. Cummings to a poet named Rumi, YOU DRIVE ME CRAZY tackles every aspect of love and lays it bare. A testament to true love in VALENTINE segues into the daily lives of a couple caught in a lull in APEX PLUMBING. You can be thrown into that frenzied feeling of new love and sexuality in I WANT, then tossed back into the sea of heartache with FINDING IS THE FIRST ACT.
I am the first to admit that I don't know all the ins and outs of poetry. I don't know the structure with which true poems are put together; I haven't a clue as to what makes a poem a poem. What I do know, however, is that love is glorious thing. It's also the most painful emotion that a human being can suffer. In this book, you can live through the range of emotions that we all experience every day-longing, need, understanding, misery, and hope.
YOU DRIVE ME CRAZY is for the woman who knows that Hallmark cards aren't for real people. There are no cards to say "Gee, I'm sorry your kid got kicked off the basketball team," or "Oops, guess that comment I made about husbands who pick their noses in public wasn't so funny after all." This book is for me, for you, for everyone who knows that the good always comes with the bad, that baggage is generously included with your lover, and that being imperfect isn't, after all, necessarily the end of the world.
From Shakespeare to Neruda, from e.e. Cummings to a poet named Rumi, YOU DRIVE ME CRAZY tackles every aspect of love and lays it bare. A testament to true love in VALENTINE segues into the daily lives of a couple caught in a lull in APEX PLUMBING. You can be thrown into that frenzied feeling of new love and sexuality in I WANT, then tossed back into the sea of heartache with FINDING IS THE FIRST ACT.
I am the first to admit that I don't know all the ins and outs of poetry. I don't know the structure with which true poems are put together; I haven't a clue as to what makes a poem a poem. What I do know, however, is that love is glorious thing. It's also the most painful emotion that a human being can suffer. In this book, you can live through the range of emotions that we all experience every day-longing, need, understanding, misery, and hope.
YOU DRIVE ME CRAZY is for the woman who knows that Hallmark cards aren't for real people. There are no cards to say "Gee, I'm sorry your kid got kicked off the basketball team," or "Oops, guess that comment I made about husbands who pick their noses in public wasn't so funny after all." This book is for me, for you, for everyone who knows that the good always comes with the bad, that baggage is generously included with your lover, and that being imperfect isn't, after all, necessarily the end of the world.
March 20, 2014
"i carry your heart with me(i carry it in
my heart)i am never without it(anywhere
i go you go,my dear;and whatever is done
by only me is your doing,my darling)
i fear
no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i want
no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)
and it’s you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you
here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows
higher than soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart
i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart" --e.e. cummings
February 12, 2010
I'd be hard-pressed to give an example of a poem I didn't love from this collection that includes selections from Amy Lovell, Elizabeth Bishop, Margaret Atwood, Pablo Neruda, James Wright and Frank O'Hara among other notable poets. Although it's organized a little too patly into what are basically the stages of love: 'Ecstasy", "Stability", "Monotony", "Clarity" etc. the poems and poets definitely do not disappoint. Each section is prefaced by a nutshell literary analysis of the poems to follow that feels a little like speed dating, but frankly, if you're like me and prefer to do your own analysis anyway, this works out just fine.
August 11, 2009
This book is designed to be a collection of love poems that apply to real relationships. While it attempts to make the poems accessible, I had issues with how much commentary went into the intro to each chapter, with particular annoyance at the narrative treating all love as following one pattern. Overall though, it fit in with my usual thoughts on Poetry Anthologies - most OK poems with the occasional gem.
February 5, 2009
The book started out wonderfully, I loved the first poem, it made me breathe with it. It wasn't until the last section, that I felt remotely connected to it again. A good portion of the poems, well, I flat out disliked them. It was an odd collection at best, and I think it was not one for the average poetry reader off the street.
November 9, 2018
I liked it well enough, but was hoping for more poems in the ecstacy/beginning stages of love. When they say "real life" they really mean it. I could have done without the chapters on misery and monotony.
Also, there was a lot of text preceding the poems in each chapter, whereas I wanted "less talk/more action".
Also, there was a lot of text preceding the poems in each chapter, whereas I wanted "less talk/more action".
February 16, 2011
Super cheesy title and cover so I initially didn't want to read it, but I gave it a chance and am glad I did! The poems are grouped by the "stages" of love. I enjoyed most of the poems and especially liked the introductions that the editors gave to each "stage."
December 22, 2012
Sometimes I read love poems because I'm a romantic. Other times I read them because I'm a masochist. I'll let you decide which one I was this time around. Picked up a lot of names of poets that I'd like to explore because some of these poems are so darn good.
February 18, 2008
The best of the 3 poetry compilations? Perhaps.
This book is worth it if only for the Kim Konopka poem "I Want"
This book is worth it if only for the Kim Konopka poem "I Want"
February 15, 2011
I liked the other two compilations better, probably because they were more focused on self-discovery, but this was still good.
June 14, 2009
My students LOVE the three poetry books edited by Mary Esselman!
July 17, 2014
Fast read. Liked the idea more than the execution. A handful of poems I loved and the rest was 'meh'.
April 15, 2021
I like poetry books that don't require a ton of commitment on my part, and I enjoyed that this book was a snapshot-style poetry. I'm really into "quotables" and this fits that niche.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews