Through the Eyes of a Manchild: Bridges

Joe Gofoe II
AuthorHouse (2008)
ISBN 9781434377845
Reviewed by William Phenn for Reader Views (2/11)


Mr. Gofoe comprises the trials and tribulations of his life in one small volume, under a hundred pages. Reflecting on his childhood years and the life lessons he learned, he takes the reader on a journey of complicated entanglements.  His religious beliefs become evident within the first few pages as he continually makes reference to God and religion. With works titled, “Dear Lord, Stress/God, Power of Praise” and others; Joe serves up a good portion of religious poems. His praise and love of God is very evident in most of his poems and from the beginning he proclaims to be a man of God.

Some of his poems seemed like mere ramblings, speaking to an unknown person. Then there were others that just seemed like an essay, listing different feelings. There were sad ones and glad ones, dark and light alike.  They all had a purpose, though some seemed obscure and not always clear in their meaning. The illustrations were amateurish and could have been done a bit better or not used at all. They didn’t detract from the subject but didn’t do much to enhance it either.

I considered some of the poems to be quite dark and not necessarily appropriate for a young audience, so I would not classify this book as general audience. In my opinion, the content would be more suited for an adult group of readers.

I gave it a deserving B- on my scale, the quality was good and the cover was eye catching. The editing was proper and the print of a decent size for older eyes. “Through the Eyes of a Manchild: Bridges” is small enough to read in one sitting but yet holds enough content to make it worth the read.

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