"In his debut, McFadden is big on wordplay, particularly anagrams. Attempting to make meaning of the similarities in words — how words as arrangements of letters may connect associatively — McFadden fashions a book too coherent to be Language Poetry, though it certainly pays its respects: 'Can't tell your oh from your ah? Go, go or else/ go ga-ga. What, were you born in a barn? Oh.' Longer poems show a less self-conscious and more ruminative sensibility. In 'Famed Cities,' the narrator reflects on memories of growing up in Ohio via a survey of cities in short poems rife with both cynicism and nostalgia. Typically, Cleveland is broken down to word bits: 'C-level fits:/ the even keel, average but no slacker.' The poems are often a mouthful, and one occasionally wants more seriousness, but this debut showcases a wild and powerful wit in action." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)