In this debut volume of engaging poetry, Cook tackles American history ("President Garfield"), personal history ("The Way I Tie My Shoes"), and literary history ("James Joyce"), among other topics. His vision is that of the blue-collar Midwest, observing life perceptively in bars, his neighborhood, and at work. Quirky and humorous, with a subtext of serious social commentary, Cook's writing is for people who think they hate poetry (and for those who love it, too).