Review of Dreaming of North Beach (from Corporate America)

[Chi Chiu Michael Mak]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Dreaming of North Beach (from Corporate America)" by Deno Gell.]

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5 out of 5 stars

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Dreaming of North Beach (from Corporate America) is a collection of poems written by Deno Gell, a professional with years of experience working in the tech space. The poems tell a story of a disillusioned person holding a devalued college degree and trapped in a soulless startup. This person runs on the same treadmill every day (prepare yourself, this list is long): wake up, drink coffee, wait for traffic, drag a weary body to the office, check emails, go on Slack, sit through unproductive Zoom or in-person meetings, pretend to be busy, deal with annoying coworkers and their quirks, hope for another toilet break, announce labels to hide true self, try to take the boss seriously (good luck with that), rush for the rare toilet break, dive back into the fray, slap keyboard, click mouse, count the minutes, leave office, wait for traffic, head back home, sleep, wake up, and repeat.

I like how the poems paint the author's daily routine. The scenes are vivid, specific, and painfully real. The list above does not cover all the details the poems describe. You will have to read them to feel the full weight. I also like the book’s unique form. Usually, poems have uniform stanzas and predictable rhymes, but this book is different. The stanzas alternate between single lines, incomplete sentences, and four-line blocks. The form reflects the narrator’s somewhat jumbled thoughts and the absurdity of Corporate America itself. My favourite poem is the one about the narrator getting sick no matter how many wellness prescriptions they take. I love its ironic, exasperated tone.

The only minor negative is that I do not completely connect with the poems. My work life feels far less bleak, and I tend to look at the bright side. Other than that, the book is enjoyable. Exhausted, middle-aged adult readers who desire to escape the rat race will love the book’s dry humour. It has zero typos and grammatical mistakes, so the editing is perfect. For the reasons mentioned above, Dreaming of North Beach (from Corporate America) deserves a rating of 5 out of 5 stars.

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Dreaming of North Beach (from Corporate America)
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[Kibet Hillary]

I am a great fan of poetry and the poems in this book sound enlightening and captivating. There is so much that one needs to learn, unlearn or relearn about expectations and the realities after going through the formal education system, and it appears the book has so much food for thought. Many thanks for the review, @Chi Chiu Michael Mak.

[Priya Murugesan]

I love poetry, and I would love to try this one to know more about the corporate world from the author's perspective. Thanks for introducing this book!

[Anu Anand]

I wasn't a poetry fan before, but something changed recently, and I have started to enjoy it. I would like to read this and connect with the author's life through their poetry. Who knows... I might even learn something new. Thanks for the review @Chi Chiu Michael Mak.

[Gerry Steen]

Poetry is therapy for me. It allows me to ponder the situations and images that are presented by the author. I gather from reading your review, that this book provides bleak images of working in corporate America. The dry humour would allow me to laugh at these stark realities. From there, I would find inspiration to look at things from a rosier perspective and will myself to improve my reality. Great review!

[Seetha E]

The sad reality of many everywhere. I would love to read how the author describes all the pointers you indicated. At 50, I hope there is a glimmer of some hope for readers who have just entered into this zone, a gentle reminder to find ways to remain sane at the end of it all.

[Magdalyne chebet]

This book sounds like a powerful and honest reflection of modern work life. I’m really interested in reading how the author uses poetry to express daily struggles, disillusionment, and irony in the corporate world—it feels both relatable and refreshingly unique. Thank you for the informative review.

[Creole]

I am one of these "exhausted, middle-aged adult readers" who happen to love poetry in any form, as it has been a significant part of my vocation. The exhaustive list probably pertains to more people than you can imagine. The realness is chilling. I applaud your impressive review.

[Stephen Christopher 1]

Exhausted, middle-aged adult readers who desire to escape the rat race will love the book’s dry humour.

Lol this sentence describes me 8 years ago, and I did escape. Poems aren't my thing though so I'm going to have to skip this one. It sounds like an interesting concept though.