Life's Report Card: The Trying Game

About the Book

Have you ever dreamed of writing a book of poetry? What stopped you? Due to lack of faith/confidence, laziness, the publishing bureaucracy, the economics of publishing poetry and the general tendency to put off until tomorrow what can be done today, what may be great works never see the light of day.

Author John Shtino's near-death experience moved him to try to get several projects left hanging completed. Life's Report Card: The Trying Game is one of them. He believes that most talents are inherited with the recipient either using or squandering their talent.

Many of his poems deal with love lost, mental illness, compulsive gambling, philosophy and chances not taken (the what ifs of life). In Dear Son, he writes "I hope that roads not traveled do not haunt you." The poet often writes from personal experience. An especially poignant poem called Air Burial conveys this army veteran's feelings in a way that is especially relevant today.

About the Author

Born in East Pittsburgh, PA., in the heart of steelmaking union country, Author John Shtino moved to N.Y.'s Lower East Side at an early age. He served a stint in the army, earned a college degree and held various jobs culminating in his present career as a commercial real estate broker. John's sixty seven years on planet USA, along with his degree in Public Administration and Political Science and over forty years as a political junkie studying public policy and politics, both down to earth and esoteric, lead him to believe that there is an urgent need for this book and a broad market of people, interested in politics, policy and the issues of the day, who are ready to read and embrace it. John acted on that belief.