Book Review: Born in Lockdown

 

Born in Lockdown

by Tolu' A. Akinyemi

Pub Date 08 Sep 2021 | Archive Date 15 Aug 2021

 BooksGoSocial

 Poetry

I am reviewing a copy of Born in Lockdown through BooksGoSocial and Netgalley:

Through poetry, poets have always had the capability to travel inward, an ability to create something out of the chaos of their inner world.

This is why poetry is said to be so cathartic, because through it the poet is able to ease himself of his burdens.  

Poetry  is also a tool for reflection. Oh, poetry cannot be stuffed into a single purpose for it is the expression of human emotions in line and verse, in styles and forms, rhymes and metres. And so, it acts has a way for the poet to transmit what he sees, thinks and feels in his inner world, those abstractions, into something tangible.

When stuck at home in the loud silence afflicted by a world wide lockdown where does the poet turn to? What does he turn to? His inner world?

In Born in Lockdown Tolu’ Akinyemi has birthed a collection of poetry through the pain, the traverse.

The collection begins with a declaration of the poet’s utter despair.  And with each you come across poems that are either personal or reflective, or poems that are querying in tone. On how the pandemic disrupts intimacy.

Born in Lockdown is a collection of poetry that is beautiful in it’s simplicity and powerful in its meaning.

I give Born in a Lockdown, five out of five stars…

Happy Reading!

Book Review: Good Girls Don’t Make History

 

Good Girls Don't Make History

by Elizabeth Kiehner; Kara Coyle

Quarto Publishing Group – Wide Eyed Editions 

Wide Eyed Editions

 Teens & YA 

Pub Date 31 Aug 2021

I am reviewing a copy of Good Girls Don’t Make History through Quarto Publishing Group and Netgalley:

This beautifully illustrated and written graphic history of The Women’s Suffrage movement and beyond would be a great way to introduce Junior High and High School students a look into how women In America had to fight for equality and continue to do so.

The books spans from 1840 to present day,  and amplifies the voice of female legends.

The tale begins at a modern-day polling station in California with a mother and daughter voting together, then flashes back 180 years to the World Anti-Slavery Convention where the women's movement got its legendary start.

This book allows the reader to relive moments from the lives of Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Sojourner Truth, Alice Paul, Ida B. Wells, and Susan B. Anthony, these inspiring stories are boldly told from one of the most formative eras in women’s history—the fight for the vote in the United States.

The story and it’s twists and turns take readers across the country and through time, illuminating parallels between epic battles for liberty in the past and similar struggles for justice today.

I give Good Girl’s Don’t Make History five out of five stars!

Happy Reading…

Book Review: I Am Not A Troublemaker

 

I am Not a Troublemaker

by Tolu' A. Akinyemi

BooksGoSocial

Children's Fiction

Pub Date 31 May 2021

I am reviewing a copy of I Am Not A Troublemaker through BooksGoSocial and Netgalley:

After going to a new school, Chadwick gains the label of being a trouble maker.  Being given the blame even when he is not the one starting the issues.

He can only hope the label does not stick, and that he is able to come clean.

I found the illustrations in this book were beautifully done, and the concept was a good one, but the story just seemed to lack, some elements, it moved far to quickly, without much emphasis on how the conflict was resolved.

I give I Am Not A Troublemaker three out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Book Review: The Yaphe

 

The Yaphe: The Beautiful People

Ruthie Madison

Amazon Services LLC

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B099SFBZ24

Publication date ‏ : ‎ July 19, 2021

I was given an advanced reader copy of The Yaphe with no expectation of review positive or otherwise, but I must say that I am rather impressed with this book and concept.  I’ve had the pleasure of reading Ruthie’s other books as well, and I’ve seen her grow as a writer/author, Yaphe in my opinion is her most impressive book to date.  The characters and emotions came alive on the page, and the concept  is a unique one.

Serene Thompson is sixteen and tired of living a sheltered life with her family, she is ready to gain her independence.  She wants a normal future, one that includes college, friends, a regular job, and a place of her own.

Unfortunately that future seems just out of reach, due to Serene’s overprotective parents, whose whole life revolves around her sister, Faith, and her troubling dreams.   Whenever Faith has a nightmare Serene’s mother becomes more agitated.  Whenever Faith has a dream about a people called The Yaphe her family packs up and moves again.

Who are these people called The Yaphe?  Why is their Mother so afraid of them? And what mysterious secret is she keeping?

When she meets Jacob Dresden, a young man who promises to help her find her courage, and the future she wants.  Serene trusts him, but something about his striking appearance is troublingly familiar.

When Jacob begins to raise questions about her mother’s motives for their strange life, Serene finds herself becoming deeply uneasy.  Is he who he claims to be? By accepting his help, has she walked into a trap, and put herself and Faith in danger?

If you’re looking for an intriguing, excellent and unique read, I highly recommend The Yaphe!

I give The Yaphe: The Beautiful People five out of five stars…

Happy Reading!

Book Review: Dream, Annie, Dream

 

Dream, Annie, Dream

by Waka T. Brown

HarperCollins Children's Books 

Quill Tree Books

 Children's Fiction  |  Middle Grade  |  Multicultural Interest 

Pub Date 25 Jan 2022

I am reviewing a copy of Dream, Annie, Dream through HarperCollins Children’s Books/Quill Tree Books and Netgalley:

Annie Inoue is the daughter of immigrants who came to America for a better life, she was raised to dream big.  And at the start of seventh grade, she’s channeling that irrepressible hope into becoming the lead in her school play.

When Annie lands an impressive role in the production of The King and I, she’s thrilled  that is until she starts to hear grumbles from her mostly white classmates that she only got the part because it’s an Asian play with Asian characters.   Is the fact that she’s Asian, all they see when they see her?  Is this the only kind of success they’ll let her have—one that they can tear down or use race to belittle?

Annie is disheartened, but she’s also determined.  She channels her hurt into a new dream,, showing everyone what’s she’s made of.

I give Dream, Annie, Dream, five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Book Review: Inspired By The Holy Ghost Volume 1

 

Inspired by the HOLY GHOST Volume 1

Spiritual Poetic Messages Received from Popular Songs

by Aimee Cabo Nikolov

 BooksGoSocial 

Christian  |  Poetry 

Pub Date 07 Jul 2021  

I am reviewing a copy of Inspired by the HOLY GHOST Volume 1:

For Aimee Cabo and many others music is therapeutic and Aimee Caboo discovered great meaning from the songs she shared on her radio talk show, 'The Cure'. As Aimee grew in her relationship with God, these meanings started to form into poetic messages.  She learn Ed too that the same song can give us different messages depending on emotional state and environment at that moment the song is playing.

Aimee would ask the Holy Spirit for assistance in remembering her original thoughts when she first heard a particular song and would expand as necessary with what came to her mind.  The poems that came from this became a great source of inspiration and healing for Aimee. It was after seeing how others appreciated them that she decided to turn them into a book, supported by images and enjoyed by others. It is Aimee's hope that others can find comfort in these powerful words. Aimee says: "If the holy spirit helped me, then it can help others."

The Cure with Aimee Cabo' radio show and live streamed podcast is hosted by Aimee Cabo and offers a platform of hope to anyone who has experienced or is currently experiencing domestic violence, abuse, trauma, mental health, or other challenges.  It is a place to find comfort, knowledge, strategies, answers, hope, and love, and so much more, all while you are healing your wounds and knowing that you are loved and not alone.

I give Inspired by the Holy Ghost Volume 1 five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Book Review: Sick Girl Secrets

 

Sick Girl Secrets

by Anna Russell

West 44 Books 

 Literary Fiction  |  Poetry  |  Teens & YA 

Pub Date 01 Oct 2021

I am reviewing a copy of Sick Girl Secrets through West 44 Books and Netgalley:

Sometimes in High School you just want to be invisible.  But for Natalie being invisible isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.  She has a disability that causes chaos to her body on the inside, but leaves her unmarked on the outside. She's learned to hide her pain so well that you would never guess she's not the same Natalie as she was before she got sick. 

But after having Surgery Natalie, must return to school using a wheelchair.  Now, Natalie has to decide if the painful consequences of pretending to be healthy are worth keeping the last of her sick girl secrets.

I give Sick Girl Secrets five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!