Reviewed by Lee Dobecka
I Can Tell You the Version That Will Make You Take My Side
by J Brooke
Driftwood Press
June 2026, 96 pages, Paperback, ISBN-13: 978-1949065435
J Brooke’s debut poetry collection explores topics familiar to the author–family dynamics, gender identity, and the often combative combination of the two. Brooke’s work is colored by their exploration of various gender identity expressions over time, including male and cis, straight female, as well as their upbringing in an affluent, decidedly heteronormative family in New York City.
I Can Tell You is a poignant, nuanced, and at times playful narrative told in two parts. Part I, “Why I Am,” recounts Brooke’s childhood while Part II, “Not Getting Top Surgery,” explores aspects of the author’s more recent years.
Brooke wastes no time in subverting the reader’s expectations in the opening poem, “Demoralizer:” I can tell you the version / that will make you take / my side— but I’m not.
This is an apt opening given that the very existence of nonbinary people subverts the idea of the gender binary that America has been forcibly built on. “Demoralizer” does a great job of introducing the quietly rebellious attitude woven throughout the collection.
An especially impactful piece was “Exit Strategy,” which describes the author’s first suicidal inkling at the tender age of six. While one may have been tempted to dip into a dramatic soliloquy given the topic, Brooke chooses to express suicidal ideation with a more grounded, subtle melancholia. “Exit Strategy” proves that sometimes speaking plainly is more effective than theatrics when describing emotional distress.
The poem titled “My Avatar (AKA AFAB Perpetuates Heteronormative Relationship)” also stood out as a multifaceted and deeply nostalgic piece. Brooke describes sleeping in their boyfriend’s shirt, and I could almost feel the worn, warm fabric against my skin with the lines,
omitting what became of my boyfriend
in my dreams. Not absent but present,embodied by me, his nighttime avatar
floating through the world as I wishedto–hands casual in khaki pockets my
cologne, loafers, walk, talk, watch, justthe way I was born to embody, me just
the way I was born…
In the same piece, Brooke mentions that they only told their boyfriend they loved him when it was said to them first. Although stated almost in passing, the line speaks volumes about the universal experiences of unsteady convictions and the desire for reassurance. This further roots the piece in relatability, even for people who have never felt a disconnect between their identity and the body they were born with.
Brooke begins Part II of the collection with “Rationalizer,” a satisfying mirror to “Demoralizer,” that began Part I. Both poems began the same way, bringing to focus the contrast between the later lines. The tonal shift from bitterness to longing beautifully illustrates the author’s shift in mindset over time:
“Demoralizer” (Part I)
I’ll offer this: I pretended
a secret then a beast
urchin burgeoning miscreant
untamed beggar thieving
manipulation absorbing cunning
weighing slaying
my captors“Rationalizer” (Part II)
I’ll offer this: I pretended
a butch then a queer
duck donning disparate
feathers tags stripes trying
flying in vain
a flag to anywhere near
my self
Finally, “Cancer Scare” presents a truly unique angle regarding top surgery, framed by the author’s experience finding a lump in their underarm that needed to be tested for malignancy. In this poem, Brooke ruminates on the potential relief they might feel if a cancer diagnosis called for a double-mastectomy:
recalling all those times I begged god
please don’t give me cancerdon’t make it cancer anything
but cancer but if I must cancergod, please breast cancer then
radical bilateral removal notelective but medically mandated
dissolution solution my problem
I Can Tell You the Version That Will Make You Take My Side is a powerful, necessary testament to human resilience in the face of a stifling society. The collection shows that the struggle for independent expression can be messy, even painful, but ultimately worth it. It will resonate with many people in the LGBTQIA+ community while also serving as an accessible window into a queer experience for people outside the community.
About the reviewer: Lee Dobecka (they/them) is an indigenous, neurodivergent poet and novelist dedicated to holding space for marginalized groups with their work. They reside in the U.S. Pacific Northwest and hold a B.A. in Creative Writing from the University of Houston. Lee can be found online at leedobecka.com.