Book: Red Summer
Author: Amaud Jamaul Johnson
Pages: 54
My Review and Thoughts:
Eye opening.
What a pure imaginative exploration of the emotional senses of life. Beautifully weaved together with tight descriptive words and equally thrilling imagery through Johnson's wordplay. The descriptive nature of each poem is described in amazing detail. Johnson takes his poetry serious and that seriousness bleeds off the page into the mind of the reader. I did not want to stop reading this poetry book, and when it came to an end I was thoroughly satisfied, but was also saddened by its end. I loved the imagery displayed in tight weaved words that created different time periods, that seemed so out there, and so unique and so truthful in nature.
The best way to describe this poetry book. It's as if you go through a bunch of poetry books, and read them, but you always have Red Summer and Johnson’s style on your mind. That's how, I can best describe Johnson's ability in capturing words. He is one of those poets that you will return to and wait for the other publications that they decide to bring out. Johnson is truly a gifted, imaginative creator of situations, ideas, imagery, and most of all, a poetry book of excellence.
This book of poetry builds and builds in small moments, exploding to capture intense moments.
This book bleeds drama induced reality, yet tense, yet edging slowly into am emotional back drop of surprises. There’s a sense of life, with all the mixtures of fear and violence and joy. A broken soul at times. The poetry displays a story like telling of characters and situations that flow with gravity of history and racial hatred of the past and racial reality of the present. A must read book of poetry.
It has a meaningful belief, hushed around it’s poetry, on page after page, which basically become's mini stories.
Would I Recommend: I think this is one of those poetry books that should be experienced. It’s a moving journey that brings all the emotions of human nature to the forefront.
Would I return to it: Yes easily? I have already read several of the pieces over again many
times. This is a book that demands one to read over and over. It left a truly lasting impression on me.
Four Final Words: Brilliant, brutal, Raw, Sublime
My Rating: 4.5 out of 5
My Favorite Lines:
Page 36: Titled to trouble water
flat stones skipping dark
water ring. Your nipples sail
like monet’s lilies.
Page 18 Titled: Burlesque
as candlelight on a dark negligee.
Come, look at him, at all his goods,
how his whole body becomes song,
an aria of light, a psalm’s kaleidoscope.