Creative, experimental, and the best kind of quirky relatable poetry I've bumped into.
It might not be everyone's cuppa, but it certainly was mine.

I liked that this is like a state-based anthology of poetry. I did like several pieces but didn't really develop a connection with some of them I believe because of the state and region-driven approach. I do wish that more regions and/or states would do a similar thing because it would be an interesting way of connecting with others in your part of the world. Overall, this was a really neat collection of poetry and I enjoyed reading it!

This book wasn't really my cup of tea. I'm not from the midwest and did not find many of the experiences relatable to me. The book also felt choppy and didn't seem to flow well.

Short read of stories, poems, bits and pieces of thoughts in words and pictures- 100 of them actually! More states should do this I think. It's kind of fun to read what other people think! I did find some interesting and entertaining stories in it and the art work was wonderful, so I am guessing there is bound to be something for everyone in this book.

In Germany, we have a successful New York-born comedian whose name is Gayle Tufts and who thinks of herself as a progressive liberal. Her logic is this: As she is anti-Trump, she would never travel to a so-called “fly-over state”, because people there are gun-slinging, born again maniacs who enjoy making hatred great again – oh, and by the way, she has never actually been to the Midwest. Progressive liberal? I beg to differ. There’s nothing progressive or liberal about ignorant and condescending stereotypes. Nevertheless, the great American divide seems to be constantly growing.

As someone who actually did live in the Midwest (although not in Nebraska), I really appreciate the idea to publish a compilation that mirrors the people who live in the heartland. As any thinking person might have assumed, there are very diverse people in Nebraska, with different hopes, dreams, ideas, opinions, trials and tribulations, and – shocker! – at the core, they are people just like us (sounds obvious, but we seem to live in times where this needs to be explicitly stated).

The books contains close to 100 little artistic pieces – short stories, poems, pictures and photographs – by Nebraskans that form a mosaic of the state. Surely, this book is also a marketing tool for the publisher, which is, incidentally, a book publishing service. But you have to admit that this is a pretty cool piece of advertisement: Writers could partake in a competition to be part of “Misbehaving Nebraskans”, and the best pieces were included in the final book. Young and old, men and women, black and white, professional artists, workers and high school students – the book tries to reflect as many diverse voices as possible.

There is just one topic that this book does not touch: Politics. There’s love, sex, cancer, family, murder, discrimination, nature and the supernatural – but zero politics. Now that’s a shame – have we come to a point where even touching upon the topic is too dangerous, even for a publication with a blurb that states “Nebraskans love to vigorously debate who we are”? Come on then, Nebraskans, let’s debate!

Beyond that, I had a hard time determining what was so specifically Nebraskan about these Midwestern artistic pieces – could these stories and sketches not also be from, let’s say, South Dakota or Kentucky? (Honestly, I don’t know.) I would have loved to learn more about the specific character of Nebraska, the spirit that renders the state unique.

All in all, I think it is a great idea to compile artistic work from a particular state in such a manner. Maybe other states will follow this example?