Book Review: Red, White & Verse

Reviewed by Susan Morris

An impactful, poetic primer of American idealism with a message of hope and unity

Greg McNeilly’s Red, White & Verse: Our Myths, Legends & Stories is a cross between a poetry collection and a history book. It touches on a broad range of subjects from America’s founding fathers to slavery, women’s suffrage, industrialism, civil rights, scenic places and parks, and, of course, baseball.

In addition to the lyrical verse, the collection contains introductory musings, bulleted historical biographies, and original pen and ink sketches. 

“Amidst struggles and divides, our resolve is alive,

Vibrant and undaunted, we persist and thrive.”

In the preface, McNeilly says the collection was written with his three children in mind, and his goal is to pass on to them an understanding of and love for the American spirit. Like-minded parents will appreciate it as a resource to peruse with their children. Knowing McNeilly’s intent as a father touches the heart.The collection recognizing the difficulty of achieving the ideal and the necessity of perseverance. It would be a good choice for fans of The Book of Virtues.

McNeilly makes compelling and well-received points about America’s origin story in a time and climate of notable political divide. We are a nation of discussion, recourse, and compromise.

“But the path to independence was fraught with perils untold,

Battles lost, the winter’s cold, yet their hearts grew bold.”

This inspirational treasury may especially appeal to those Americans who worry public schools are no longer parents’ allies in teaching good character. It’s a tool to help young people understand historical characters and develop character for themselves. It’s also a resource that can be used to help parents teach it to them. 

I loved the messages in poems like “The Will to Risk It” and the historical accounts like that of Interstate 75, called “A Road of Stories.”

“But Independence Day is more than past feats,

It is the heartbeat of an ideal that never retreats.“

I appreciate the author’s intent to make this collection one that will appeal to readers across political divides and also understand the difficulty in achieving a challenging goal like that, but on this point, the work falls a bit short. I would have loved to have had a bibliography of the facts with source citations. Without that additional effect to preserve the primary sources substantiating the presented facts, the collection lacks some of the necessary credit.

Red, White, & Verse is a trove of moral literacy with an unrequited love of America.

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