Monday, November 30, 2015

Davina Rhine Reviews "Jupiter Works on Commission"

Chicagoan Jack Phillips Lowe's poetry collection, Jupiter Works on Commission, is a witty and buoyant read in a time where literary arts have largely been replaced with unimaginative social feeds. His subject, work, is reminiscent of the creative and political era of Beauvoir and Sartre's Les Temps Modernes. Poems such as "The Breadman," "Meticulous Care," or "Cheer up Subversive Jean" would have resonated alongside their reporting and columns. His storytelling brings characters like Lou D'Amato (a salesman who made a deal with the reaper), Tomas and Vinny (two guys chronically unemployed who desperately seek out a Roman God for financial help) to life in rich and brief prose.
 
His narrative is clean, unfussy, and crisp ... Much like Hemingway's Nick Adams stories. Lowe's frank and playful observations of the new work environments, low-level management, and worker frustrations are documented in "Snapped", "Multiple Ironies," and "Survivor's Stripes."
 
This collection should be required reading in business and HR courses. As a frustrated worker myself who has seen both business and government ignore the Occupy Movement and the general plight of the American people this collection made me laugh, relate, cry, and pray.

reviewed by Davina Rhine
Author of:
Rebel Moms: The Off Road Map for the Off Road Mom ... 52 Moms share it all to help new moms rock motherhood!
www.rebellionpress.com