There are times when it’s vital to challenge ways of thinking. Times to relay something that needs to be said with the hope that your words will confront society and bring to light issues of importance. Here are a few books and authors that make the reader take a step back and think.
“Nietfeld recasts the myth of resilience as a veil for society’s failure to empower vulnerable individuals.”
The Myth of Resilience Recast: Emi Nietfeld’s “Acceptance” by Laura Steadham Smith
“This stunning collection refuses to back down from the struggles of identity and the post-pandemic realities…”
Fear, Loss, and Hope in “songs we used to dance to” by Jessica Blandford
“History is indeed a significant touchpoint or thread throughout the entire book, but some of that history is quite recent. ‘Keep Your Storied Pomp,’ for instance, is about the rise of neofascism in America…”
“Playlist for the Apocalypse”: A Masterful Blend of the Personal with the Political
by Amy R. Martin
“Devastating depictions of violence burst forth on certain pages, such as in the poem ‘In a Place Where’ by Patricia A. Johnson; the author offsets the beauty, tranquility, and familiarity of a rural landscape with the horrifying details surrounding the murder of her cousin G. P. Johnson in July of 1997.”
“All The Songs We Sing” Is an Important Ensemble of Voices by Monika Dziamka
“Assumptions about who or what Pew is allow the novel to comment on issues of gender, race, nationality, and acceptance.”
Resisting Binary Explanations in “Pew” by Jessi Rae Morton
Southern Review of Books 